The Importance of Coolant for Your Car

18 Dec 2024

Maintaining proper running temperatures in a car’s engine is essential for it to operate efficiently. Engine coolant helps to achieve this by moderating extremes of temperature, thereby ensuring the longevity of components and protecting the engine from a variety of stressors. Understanding its importance is essential for any vehicle owner.

What is Coolant for a Car?

Coolant is a mixture of water and antifreeze (typically ethylene glycol) that regulates the temperature of a system. In cars it circulates through the engine and combustion chamber, preventing freezing or overheating in extremes of temperature. Crucial for maintaining a vehicle’s health and longevity, coolants ensure the efficient running of an engine in all weather and road conditions. A 50:50 mix of water and antifreeze is commonly used, and this mix raises the boiling point of the coolant to 240-270℃ and lowers its freezing point to approximately -37℃. This makes it capable of functioning in almost any temperature it might reach during normal operation, and in almost any climatic conditions.

Why is Engine Cooling Important?

Engine coolant is important for a variety of reasons, from fuel efficiency to protection from the damaging effects of excess heat and cold. Engines are very finely tuned to maximise performance and last a long time, but in improper operating conditions parts can quickly deteriorate leading to costly repairs and breakdowns.

What is the Need For Engine Coolant?

• Regulating Temperature Within the Engine

Coolant’s primary role is to prevent engines from overheating. The normal function of a combustion engine produces a lot of heat, which left unchecked can build up causing a host of problems. Coolant absorbs excess heat as it circulates through the engine, then passes through the radiator allowing it to dissipate into the air before the coolant returns to the engine to repeat the process. This cycle prevents heat levels from ever reaching dangerous levels, even in hot weather. 

In cold climates with icy conditions, meanwhile, coolant prevents any of the engine’s fluids from freezing. When liquids freeze they expand, and this expansion can severely damage internal components like the radiator and hoses. The introduction of coolant- which contains antifreeze- to the system significantly lowers the freezing point of these fluids, instead allowing them to flow properly and maintain ideal function.

An overheating engine will sustain damage to a variety of components as a result of the high temperatures, such as the engine block, cylinder heads, head gasket, fuel system, and pistons. Parts may fracture, cables can melt, and cracks appear that can lead to oil leaks. The expansion of moving parts due to the heat makes the rotation of the crankshaft slow, reducing engine power and so fuel efficiency. 

Repairing damage from overheating can be very expensive, and may even require the entire engine to be replaced. If the increased fuel costs from an engine running excessively hot aren’t enough to encourage good maintenance of your vehicle’s coolant levels, the risk of total engine failure and costly repairs should be!

• Prevention of Corrosion and Rust

Over time, water in engine parts like the radiator and water pump can cause rust to build up, as well as other corrosive materials. This slow accumulation of debris will gradually form blockages in the vehicle’s cooling system, reducing its efficiency and so that of the whole engine. Left unchecked, the consequences of these blockages will escalate from performance issues to potential breakdowns and component failure. 

High-quality modern coolants, like those manufactured by Gulf Oil, contain protective additives to prevent metal parts from corrosion or rusting. This ensures the smooth and efficient running of the vehicle’s coolant system long-term, thereby extending the life of your engine and all components therein. 

• Optimised Fuel Efficiency

Vehicle engines are designed to operate most efficiently within a fairly limited range of temperatures. Too hot and the expansion of moving parts forces the engine to work harder; too cold and it has to use power to overcome increased friction and move fluids that have become overly viscous and slow-flowing. 

Either end of the spectrum results in a decrease in fuel efficiency, making for a drop in power, fewer miles to the gallon, and an increase in fuel costs. As well as staving off damage and protecting against costs associated with repairs, proper cooling- achieved with the right coolant amounts and mixture- will ensure that the engine can operate at its ideal temperatures, and achieve optimal fuel efficiency and performance. 

How Do I Know if My Car Needs Coolant?- Maintaining Your Engine’s Coolant Levels

This is a critical part of vehicle maintenance, and one that is usually very simple to keep up with. Coolant reservoirs are typically marked with easily legible markers for minimum and maximum levels, allowing you to readily see when your coolant is running low. Check levels at least twice a year, at the start of summer and winter when temperatures change, as well as before any long journeys. More frequent checks, even every few weeks, will help spot any problems early. 

Old or dirty coolant will also not work efficiently to maintain appropriate temperatures within an engine. Coolant in good condition will typically be a bright clear colour, such as blue, red, green, or yellow. If you check your coolant and see that it has become brown in colour, with specks in, or is turning opaque, it is a definite sign that it is past its best. You should flush and replace the liquid if this is the case, and engine manufacturers recommend you change your coolant at regular intervals no matter how it appears. (These recommended intervals vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so it is best to check your specific vehicle’s manual to find out exactly how frequently you should be doing a full coolant change.)

Engine coolant is an essential component for maintaining optimal engine function. Without sufficient coolant, engines can struggle to perform, with parts becoming clogged and sluggish, and vital components sustaining severe damage over time. Provide your engine with proper cooling fluids, however, and your car will be capable of achieving peak efficiency and longevity. Contact Gulf Oil today for expert advice on anything and everything to do with oil or engine fluids for your vehicle.

F.A.Q.

Does coolant affect performance?

By maintaining ideal operating temperatures within the engine, coolant can ensure performance remains optimal, getting the best miles per gallon and minimising wear-and-tear on engine parts. Low coolant levels will cause overheating of engine parts and increase friction within the system, whether from components expanding due to heat or fluids solifdifying in cold temperatures. As a result, performance is dramatically compromised from low coolant levels and old or dirty coolant, and serious engine damage can be sustained.

What happens when coolant is low?

When coolant is low the engine is likely to overheat, leading to reduced performance and potentially serious damage to engine parts including the engine block, head gasket, fuel system, and pistons. Metal parts will start to corrode, with rust and other debris building up within the radiator and water pump, further compromising the vehicle’s cooling system. In cold temperatures, engine fluids are likely to become overly viscous or freeze, meaning that metal grinds on metal causing component breakdown and high friction within the whole system. Left unchecked, low coolant levels will eventually cause parts to break and the engine to fail.