Avoid Overheating by Getting the Right Coolant

Driving on a hot sunny day can cause your engine to overheat, and when you pop the hood you can almost cook barbecue on that sizzling hot radiator. Worse thing that could happen is that, you can still experience overheating in normal temperature conditions if you have very low water and coolant levels. Here are some information that can help you get the right coolant for your ride. engine cooling system specialist NJ

The Anti-Freeze

There are three basic types of engine coolants in today’s market, and each type is especially to provide slightly better benefits in particular areas. Basically, a vehicle can run on any type of engine coolant, but there are important things that should be considered before purchasing one for your car. Some of these factors include; the type of additives that help preserve the metal in your engine and prevent corrosion, and of course, how often you feel comfortable flushing them out from your engine. engine cooling system specialist NJ

• IAT - Inorganic Acid Technology Coolants are dyed in bright green and contains phosphate and silicate corrosion inhibitors, which helps protect the car’s engine and radiator. It is recommended that this coolant is flushed out of the car’s system every 30,000 miles or roughly every 2 years. Commonly used in 1920s to late 1990s, this coolant is the only one that can be used on vintage cars and also vehicles that have copper and brass components in the radiator.
• OAT - Stands for Organic Acid Technology. OAT anti-freeze contains ingredients such as 2-EHA, sebacate and other various organic acids. Dyed in dark green (although some brands may vary in color), this coolant doesn’t have phosphate and silicate protection. However, it can last much longer than IAT. Some manufacturers however, include special additives to prevent corrosion and rust. This coolant should be flushed out every 150,000 miles or every 5 years.
• HOAT - Available in different colors (orange and yellow), HOAT or Hybrid Organic Acid Technology is quite a unique coolant. It contains some silicates to help prevent corrosion, along with some additives. This antifreeze use organic acids but not 2-EHA and usually include silicates to provide protection for aluminum surfaces. HOAT anti-freezes are used by many European car manufacturers. Like OAT, this should be flushed out of a car every 150,000 miles.
• American vehicles (Ford) have traditionally been designed to use antifreeze with silicates and phosphates as corrosion inhibitors. European vehicles (BMW) have traditionally used antifreeze that does not use phosphates. Japanese (Toyota, Nissan) vehicles have traditionally used antifreeze that does not use silicates.

Color matching is not enough to determine if a coolant is compatible with your car since some coolants can be dyed differently by a particular manufacturer. It is best to remember the attributes of a particular coolant is and cross match it with the attributes of your vehicle. It is imperative that you do not mix OAT based formulas with IAT formulas. The result is typically turning your coolant into sludge due to a chemical reaction.

Keep in mind that only one type of coolant can be used for a specific type of car build. Most car manufacturers already have the type of coolant to be used specified in the user manual, you just have to read it and remember.