It wasn’t so long ago that engine coolant – commonly known as antifreeze – was available in a standard Inorganic Acid Technology (IAT) formulation that was blue-green in color and appropriate for all engine makes and models. However, in an effort to reduce maintenance and environmental disposal costs, as well as vehicle downtime, antifreeze manufacturers developed a variety of long life coolants (LLC) or extended life (ELC) coolants. These new formulations include OAT (Organic Acid Technology), HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology), NOAT (Nitrated Organic Acid Technology) and, most recently, NAPS (Nitrite, Amine, Phosphate, Silicate Free) – with change intervals starting at five years or 300,000 miles in comparison to the two year/150,000 mile life of traditional IAT coolant.
In addition, extended life coolants are available in a variety of colors, including green, orange, red, pink, blue, and clear (no color), which can cause confusion for both vehicle owners and professional service technicians. Proper understanding of coolant types and adherence to vehicle manufacturers’ requirements are essential to ensuring that antifreeze effectively maintains engine temperature and helps protect the cooling system from rust and corrosion.
Paul Bandoly, manager of technical services and customer training for WIX® Filters, a global manufacturer of filtration products celebrating its 75th anniversary, says that while advances in coolant chemistry have produced coolants that provide better, longer-lasting protection, the multitude of different formulations available today presents numerous challenges for professional service technicians.
Bandoly offers the following tips on how to effectively maintain cooling systems and ensure optimum vehicle performance:
Don’t judge a coolant by its color. Color does not indicate coolant type. In fact, incompatible coolants could appear to be the same color.
“Since 2002, Asian car manufacturers have used green OAT in their cooling systems, which can easily be confused for traditional IAT antifreeze,” Bandoly said. “Combining OAT, HOAT or NOAT coolant with IAT antifreeze negates the extended-life attributes in the OAT solution and increases the replacement cycle. Introducing an incorrect coolant formulation into a vehicle or equipment can have a variety of negative results, ranging from the performance of unnecessary maintenance to possible cooling system component failures. With at least 13 colors of coolant on the market today, technicians need to be color sensitive and careful to avoid mixing colors so as not to confuse the next technician or misdiagnose a problem.”
Ensure accurate coolant concentration. Coolant should be tested regularly to check its freeze protection capabilities. In order to effectively maintain engine temperature, coolant must be correctly diluted – usually in a 50/50 mixture with acceptable water. A mixture of more than 60 percent or less than 40 percent antifreeze is not recommended. Familiarity with different coolant chemistries and total cooling system capacities is essential in order to avoid over-dilution or over-saturation of the coolant in the mixture, which can lead to system over-heating, incorrect freeze protection levels and performance issues with other cooling system components.
“Coolant test strips and refractometers, such as those offered by WIX Filters, are two devices technicians can use to determine the concentration ratio of coolant to water,” Bandoly said. “Coolant analysis kits, also offered by WIX, can be used to submit fluid samples to laboratories, whose advanced technologies allow early detection of potential problems and a more accurate diagnosis of their cause.”
For more information and helpful tips, visit www.wixfilters.com.
