Maintaining your vehicle’s health is crucial for ensuring safety and longevity. Regular servicing of your vehicle’s cooling system, including a coolant flush, is crucial for the engine’s longevity. In Durban, our climates can fluctuate variably during the day, and your engine can experience different climate temperatures throughout the day. A well-maintained vehicle cooling system is important, and a coolant flush can help achieve this.
What is Coolant or Antifreeze
Understanding the Importance of a Coolant Flush
An antifreeze is an additive that lowers the freezing point of a water-based liquid. An antifreeze mixture is used to achieve freezing-point depression for cold environments. Common antifreezes also increase the boiling point of the liquid, allowing higher coolant temperatures. Regular coolant flushes ensure that the antifreeze remains effective.
Because water has good properties as a coolant, water plus antifreeze is used in internal combustion engines and other heat transfer applications
Coolant / antifreeze both increase the boiling & freezing point of water respectively. This prevents the vehicle from reaching its maximum operating temperature. A coolant flush helps maintain the right balance.
Most antifreeze or coolant formulations intended for use in heat transfer applications include anti-corrosion and anti-cavitation agents (that protect the hydraulic circuit from progressive wear).
It is vital to perform a coolant flush regularly to avoid issues with overheating and ensure the cooling system operates efficiently.
As the engine approaches it operating temperature which is usually around 85 – 95 degrees celcuis. The coolant mixture increase the boiling point. Water chenages from a liquid to a gaseous state > 100 degrees celcius which make it difficuly for the coolant pump to operate efficiently
A coolant flush is a thorough cleaning of the cooling system that removes contaminants and old coolant.
At DNA Auto Centre Bosch Car Service, we recommend a coolant flush as part of your regular maintenance.
Credits to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifreeze
How to service your cooling system
At DNA Auto Centre Bosch Car Service we service & test the coolant in the folloiwng way to ensure your vehicle operates in its most efficient state. Here are some of our tricks we use
1- Pressure Testing Cooling System
Post-coolant flush, testing the coolant cap is essential to ensure the system maintains proper pressure.
Pressure testing your vehicle’s cooling systems, especially after a coolant flush, helps test the system’s integrity to contain the fluid without leaks.
2- Test Thermostat Operation
The vehicles thermostat is designed to regulate & control the operating temperature of your vehicle. Most modern day vehicles can only attain its ideal fuel ratio once the engine reaches operating temperature. The thermostat help the cooling system heat up by restricting the flow to the radiator.
3- Testing Coolant Cap
Each manufacturer has a specific pressure relief system in the cap that allows the cooling system to release or induce coolant from the expansion tank back into the cooling system. A defective cap can cause syste pressure failure.
4- Glycol Test / Refractor Meter test
The Glycol test is the quickest way to identify the boiling point of the coolant and the ratio of its concnetration in your vehicle. The is read of a scale that is calibrated in the tester
The high the glycol reading the highthe boiling temperature.
Glycol concentration can also be detrimental if the concentration is to acidic in the cooling system
Pros correct Of Coolant concentration
- Increase & decrease the water temperature inside the engine to aid heat transfer
- Lubricates the moving parts inside the cooling system
- Has an anti-corrosive formulae to prevent oxidation
- Keeps the opertion temeprature within controllable limits
Cons of incorrect concentration or No Coolant
- Rapid oxidation / rusting of cooling system
- Reduces the boiling point of the system
- Increases the freezing point in cold climates
- Acidic nature causes damage of Aluminium components inside
- Excessive oxidation clogs the radiator cores, pipes & housings inside
The cooling system is vital for your vehicles engine operation. So here are a few Q & A for your interest
Q – How Often should i top up Antifreeze
A – Never, The system its operating correctly without leaks should never be filled
Q – How Often should I do a coolant flush?
A – Most manufacturers recommend a 50/50 pre-mix solution which should not be diluted
Q – How Often should i do a coolant flush
A – Every 60,000 km or 2 years. The system needs to be flushed and drained of the coolant and refilled to maintain efficiency.
Q – Can I use water only
A – No due to the details above the coolant is vital or a crucial component of your vehicles cooling system
Q – Can is dispose of coolant in the drain
A – No, coolant or Antifreeze is poisonous to the enviroment and has to be disposed off by a certified disposal company.
Should you require a coolant flush or have overheating issues with your vehicle, we recommend that you contact us on 0315691417 or email us at info@dnaautocentre.co.za.