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What Type of Coolant to Use for Your Car?
Engine coolant is an important fluid in your car which protects your engine from overheating and corrosion. Due to the lack of knowledge or negligence, car owners mix two types of coolants that do more harm than good. But, how do you know what type of coolant to use for your car? Read on to know.
What is the Inhibitor Package in Coolant?
Engine coolants are categorized by the inhibitors package they contain. The main types of inhibitor packages in coolant are Inorganic Acid Technology, Organic Acid Technology and Hybrid Organic Acid Technology. Let’s know more about these inhibitor packages in detail.
Inorganic Acid Technology
Coolants which contain the Inorganic Acid Technology inhibitor package are known as IAT coolants. They are generally low-silicate based coolants that are mostly used in cars and light-duty trucks. The silicates in the coolant are known as quick-reacting surface reactants that are expended when they come in contact with fresh metal. Hence, you need to change IAT coolants every 30,000 miles.
Organic Acid Technology
Coolants which contain Organic Acid Technology inhibitor package are known as OAT coolants. These types of coolants do not contain phosphates or silicates as corrosion inhibitors. Instead, they contain a combination of organic compounds that coat the surface of the exposed metal. Since the organic compounds form a protective layer on metal, the corrosion inhibitors are not used as speedy as IAT coolants. Hence, OAT coolants have a longer life and their extended service interval is 150,000 miles.
Hybrid Organic Acid Technology
The Hybrid Organic Acid Technology coolant is specifically designed to address problems in IAT and OAT coolants. HOAT coolants contain phosphates or silicates or both. These corrosion inhibitors are fast reacting and they work with OAT technology to offer long-term protection. HOAT coolants have a long drain interval of 135,000 to 150,000 miles.
Don’t Go by the Color
Earlier, the color of the coolant could be used to determine the right type of coolant but not now. Today, dye is added to the coolant to detect a coolant leak. You should never go by the color of the coolant to determine the right type of coolant. In fact, there are largely incompatible types of coolants with the same color. If you ignore this advice, you might end up mixing two different types of coolants that will lead to damage with engine components due to corrosion and overheating.
How to Determine the Right Type of Coolant?
Car manufacturers supply the right type of coolant to dealers. Hence, you need to go to the car dealership to find out the right type of coolant to use for your car. You also have the option of purchasing aftermarket coolants. However, you need to be careful and ensure the coolant packaging has your car model mentioned in the “Recommended for” list. Car manufacturers mention information about the right types of fluids for your car in the car owner’s manual. You need to check the car owner’s manual to know about the right type of coolant for your car.
Once you know the right type of coolant for your car, make a note of it in the maintenance record for future reference.