After a long winter, it is important that you make sure your vehicle’s cooling system is up to scratch. You may be regularly topping up with anti-freeze to stop your coolant from freezing, but the anti-freeze/coolant relationship is far more important than you think. We explain the function of coolant, and how it can save your engine:
What is Coolant?
Coolant is a pre-mixed, ready-to-use combination of water and anti-freeze. It travels through your engine, helping it to maintain the right temperature. Coolant is crucial for an engine to function properly and can help to improve a vehicle’s lifespan. The solution is pumped through the cooling system, absorbing heat. The coolant then travels to your vehicle’s radiator, where it is cooled down again before passing back through the engine and repeating the process.
Why is Coolant So Important?
More than a quarter of your engine’s energy is released as heat. Your coolant’s job is to remove this heat and keep your engine operating at a safe temperature. If your engine doesn’t have the right amount (and concentration) of coolant, it will overheat and could, literally, melt parts of the engine.
So, What is Anti-Freeze?
It is likely that few vehicle-owners have ever actually asked that question before merrily pouring it into their coolant! Anti-freeze is a concentrated liquid with a glycol base, which lowers the freezing temperature of engine coolant to stop it from freezing when temperatures drop. Over the years, however, anti-freeze has learnt to multi-task! It now prevents freezing, as well as improving the transfer of heat from the engine to the coolant and reducing scale build up and corrosion.
When adding anti-freeze, or topping up on either coolant or anti-freeze, it is important that you follow manufacturers’ guidelines. If you are in doubt, pop down to your local garage for advice.
Flushing the Cooling System
Your owners’ manual will tell you how often your vehicle’s cooling system should be flushed, but as a general rule it is roughly every 32,000 miles, or two years. When you get your vehicle serviced, ask the garage to check the coolant and flush it if necessary.
If your engine overheats, the temperature gauge or coolant warning will light up. Stop the vehicle as soon as possible. The first thing to check is your coolant levels: make sure you wait for the engine to cool first, as the system will be extremely hot. Ideally, you need to stop in a safe place and, where possible, call a breakdown service or local mechanic to assist you to prevent further damage to your vehicle and injury to yourself.
While it helps to understand how your engine works, you don’t have to be a car expert to prevent your engine overheating. get your vehicle regularly serviced by a garage you trust, to make sure it keeps running smoothly, come rain or shine.
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