Coolant: When Does my Car Need It?

Coolant is one of the most important liquids that are under your bonnet. It’s important that you keep track of when you last topped up your coolant, if you have enough and if it’s still useable! If not, then you can find yourself having to pay for a lot more than just a bottle of coolant.

What is Coolant?

Engine coolant is a bright green or yellow liquid that is a mixture of antifreeze and water. By mixing these two liquids together you are able to change the freezing and boiling points of water by using different ratios. The most common mixture is 50:50 because it raises the boiling point of water to around 250℃ and lowers the freezing point to around -35℃, however, this ratio may differ from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Why Does my Car Need Coolant?

As your engine is running, it will rise in temperature due to the amount of friction and combustion that is going on inside your car. So, without a cooling element, the parts of your engine will get destroyed; therefore a coolant is needed.

About ⅓ of the energy that is produced by your engine will be waste: as excess heat energy or through the exhaust. This waste must be cooled quickly to prevent the engine overheating and causing your car to breakdown.

As your engine is running, the coolant will flow through your system and absorb the excess heat energy and carry it through to the radiator. The heat is then removed through a process of heat exchange and the water is cooled before it goes the system again.

Coolant isn’t just responsible for keeping the engine cool, it’s also to make sure that the water in your radiator system doesn’t freeze over winter or boil and evaporate during the hot summer months.

How Do I know my Car Needs Coolant?

Before your car engine will get damage from over-heating (or freezing) or breaks down, there are serval signs that your car will tell you to let you know that something is wrong with your coolant.

It’s important that you know these signs so you can act according and fix your car before it gets damaged.

• Coolant light on the dashboard
• The heater isn’t working/ blowing hot air constantly
• The high-temperature gauge going towards the red

What do I do if my Engine Cut Out?

If your engine cuts out, then you’ll need to get a car service so a mechanic can take a look at your engine and make sure no parts have been damaged from the heat, or from the water freezing in the engine pipes and causes cracks and leaks.

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