I want to talk about the importance of using radiator coolant in our vehicles and the types of coolants to use; I know a lot of Nigerians don’t really know the difference between all the coolants out there.

Coolants are very important in a vehicle’s cooling system, a lot of us know this but take it for granted.

Before we delve into the topic first let’s get to know what a radiator is.

What is a Radiator?

Radiators are heat exchangers used for cooling internal combustion engines, mainly in automobiles but also in piston-engine aircraft, railway locomotives, motorcycles, stationary generating plant or any similar use of such an engine.

Internal combustion engines are often cooled by circulating a liquid called engine coolant around the engine block, where it is heated, then through a radiator where it loses heat to the atmosphere, and then returned to the engine.

A radiator is connected to channels running through the engine and cylinder head, through which a liquid (coolant) is pumped.

A typical automotive cooling system comprises:
• a series of channels cast into the engine block and cylinder head, surrounding the combustion chambers with circulating liquid to carry away heat;
• a radiator, consisting of many small tubes equipped with a honeycomb of fins to conduct heat rapidly, that receives and cools hot liquid from the engine;
• a water pump, usually of the centrifugal type, to circulate the liquid through the system;
• a thermostat to control temperature by varying the amount of liquid going to the radiator;
• a fan to draw fresh air through the radiator.

The radiator transfers the heat from the fluid inside to the air outside, thereby cooling the fluid, which in turn cools the engine. Radiators are also often used to cool automatic transmission fluids, air conditioner refrigerant, intake air, and sometimes to cool motor oil or power steering fluid.

Radiators are typically mounted in a position where they receive airflow from the forward movement of the vehicle, such as behind a front grill. Where engines are mid- or rear-mounted, it is common to mount the radiator behind a front grill to achieve sufficient airflow, even though this requires long coolant pipes.

Alternatively, the radiator may draw air from the flow over the top of the vehicle or from a side-mounted grill. For long vehicles, such as buses, side airflow is most common for engine and transmission cooling and top airflow most common for air conditioner cooling.

The radiator keeps your car’s engine cool, and it’s important to look after it. Part of the signs that all is not well under the bonnet will begin with the water temperature gauge. It should be running at not more than 90 degrees Celsius.

A higher temperature or steam coming from under the bonnet indicates problems with the cooling system.

In conclusion, a radiator cooling system acts as the respiratory organ of a car. So it needs to be taken care of well.

So why do you need a coolant, why not water to cool the system? Well


What is a Radiator coolant?

Engine coolant is usually water-based.

Radiator coolant is actually a glycol or a mix of various glycols, which lowers the freezing point of liquid ( not very relevant to Nigeria ) and increases the boiling point of water , So by adding coolant you make sure that water does not convert to steam with engine heat and remains in liquid form to carry away heat.

Before World War II, engine coolant was usually plain water. Antifreeze was used solely to control freezing, and this was often only done in cold weather.

Development of high-performance aircraft engines required improved coolants with higher boiling points, leading to the adoption of glycol or water-glycol mixtures. These led to the adoption of glycols for their antifreeze properties.

Since the development of aluminium or mixed-metal engines, corrosion inhibition has become even more important than antifreeze, and in all regions and seasons.

Types of Radiator Coolant:

There are mainly 3 types of coolants:
1) Ethylene glycol based coolants & propylene glycol-based coolants (Inorganic Additive Technology (IAT)
2) Organic Acid Technology (OAT) coolants
3) Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT)

The boiling point of Ethylene Glycol is 197.60 deg Celsius, Ethylene Glycol is a colligative agent meaning it simultaneously increases the boiling point and reduces the freezing point of the mixture.

Coolant has qualities that ensure your engine reaches optimal operating temperature quickly while maintaining a safe cooling temperature all around.

Have you ever wondered how pink, orange, blue and green engine coolants differ from each other? Perhaps you’ve bought a car, checked the coolant reservoir for the first time and noticed it was different from your last car.

The colour of engine coolant isn’t there to make it look pretty. There are historical reasons why it comes in different colours, and different brands use different colours as well, but these days it doesn’t necessarily tell you all that much.

However, it’s important to make sure you’re putting the right liquid into your car, here is a bit of insight into the differences, and solutions in case you’re confused about which type of coolant to use or worried about what’s in your car. to make it easy and simple for you to change or top up your coolant here is the breakdown of what the colours mean:

The colour of coolant was determined by the type of chemicals used to prevent corrosion — meaning you could tell a lot about the type of coolant used by its colour.

1. Older coolants that used Inorganic Additive Technology (IAT) were usually blue or yellowish green in colour. With these types of coolants, you’d normally have to change them every two years, or every 60,000 miles.

2. Next is the Organic Acid Technology (OAT) coolant, whose chemical make-up offered better protection for cooling systems, and extended the life of the coolant. These ‘Extended Life Coolants’ (ELC), are typically usually orange, red and pink in colour and offered a five-year or 100,000-mile change interval.

3. Lastly is the Hybrid Organic Acid Technology, which is a blend of IAT and OAT chemicals, also Orange o yellow in colour.

Now, apart from stating the differences in the colours and types, there are also coolants that solely promote their antifreeze properties, this type of coolants are mainly meant for cold regions of the world and not meant for hot tropical regions like Nigeria.

Antifreeze coolants contain additives which majorly work to stop water from freezing in the radiator, it keeps the water/coolant mixture at a specific temperature which makes it retain heat more.

The main purpose of antifreeze is to lower the freezing point of water during the winter and raise the boiling point during the summer

If an engine containing antifreeze coolant runs for 5hours, it takes almost that same amount of time for it to cool down.

Also as Ethylene glycol is the major ingredient in the coolants, for each specific region (Cold or Tropical) the % of glycol to water mixture varies for its application.

Most people go for what they feel is imported without knowing the use of what they are buying.

It is recommended that you do not mix different kinds of coolants, but flush your cooling system before adding a different type.

It is advised to renew the coolant every time the radiator is serviced. Ideally, this is to be done annually. You should check your coolant level at least once a month – topping it up with water is acceptable.

Inadequate monitoring can cause overheating which in turn can damage the car.

Why not water?

Water is a very good conductor of heat, but it also contains impurities which can cause corrosion, scaling and sludge in the radiator cells (This is the brown sludge you see in your radiator).

This brown sludge may not only be rust, it can also be dirt’s, sand, stones, and leaves which can come from pouring of water into the radiator.

This would eventually cause a clogged radiator, so a very annoying visit to the car wash for steam washing of your radiator would be inevitable.

Also, your engine performance would have reduced.

Advantages of using Radiator Coolant
1. Long lasting radiator life
2. Optimal engine performance.
3. Provides resistance to corrosion in the engine cooling systems by avoiding things like electrolysis and scaling.
4. Dissipate more heat than water alone can and avoids the system boiling at higher temperatures.

So be advised go for coolants with anti-corrosive/anti-rust properties as this is more applicable to our tropical environment.
Because it is difficult to actually determine the accurate mix, it is advisable to purchase premixed coolant which will not require the driver to measure water and coolant before pouring in.

There are very good premix coolants made for our region sold in the market like Hacops Radiator coolant which has anti-corrosive properties.

It is a recipient of numerous product of the year award and it has the complete Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) Certification and I am sure nothing would care for your car better. Ask for it in car accessory shops.

Hope it has been educative enough. Car gurus in the house let's discuss.

cc Lalasticlala Mynd44 Ishilove AutoJoshNIG Marpol Seun Mukina2

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