That means it will last longer in your vehicle without needing to be changed, and it has enhanced anti-corrosion properties to allow that to happen. These attitudes are what make it an extended life kind of antifreeze. It is also an ethylene glycol based chemical, but there are additives in it that cause it to turn orange. Orange antifreeze is often something called Dexcool. Orange Antifreeze : The second most common kind of antifreeze that you'll find on the market is orange in color. That's just something to keep in mind in case of an emergency, as even a couple of teaspoons of antifreeze could be lethal to a small pet. The ethanol in alcohol counteracts the effects of ethylene glycol. If this does happen, to a pet or a person as some children have also fallen prey to drinking green antifreeze because the color is so enticing, it can be fixed by administering alcohol like vodka. Curiously enough, there is a history of cats in particular getting sick and dying because they found a puddle of spilled antifreeze and tried to drink it. That sweet smell is very attractive to animals. Green antifreeze is actually something you need to keep an eye on because it could potentially be very dangerous. It's also one of the easiest to identify substances, and it leaks from your vehicle, because nothing else is the same striking shade of green. This is the ethylene glycol that is the basis of most antifreeze is in coolants. It has an almost neon green shade to it and a sweet smell. Green Antifreeze : Green antifreeze is what most people are used to when they think of antifreeze. Unfortunately, it's not always clear to everyone why these things come in different colours and what it even means. The different colors of antifreeze exist for a clear reason once you understand the chemical makeup and purpose of them.
Why Does Antifreeze Come in Different Colors? It stops things from freezing up in the winter and also stops things from overheating after extended use in extremely hot temperatures.Īntifreeze and coolant also have a secondary effect, which is to add lubrication to prevent corrosion from your engine and radiator. Point is, when you use antifreeze or coolant you are regulating the temperature of your engine. But in the same way that chocolate syrup needs to be mixed with milk before it becomes chocolate milk, antifreeze is not coolant until you mix it with water. When you mix antifreeze with water it becomes coolant. But, as we said, oftentimes people use either term to refer to the same thing.Īntifreeze is a chemical that is usually made up of something called ethylene glycol and is mixed 50/50 with water in your radiator to circulate through your engine and maintain an optimal temperature. You can buy coolant that is not antifreeze and comes in a premixed formulation that you can add directly to your radiator. Technically speaking, coolant and antifreeze are not always the same thing. Paradoxically, it is also called coolant, which would imply the opposite effects of what the word antifreeze means, but the terms are generally used interchangeably because it does perform both functions in your vehicle. So why are there so many kinds and what is the difference? Let's take a look.Īs the name suggests, antifreeze is meant to control the temperature of your engine. If it's not the same as what was already in your vehicle, you're risking damage to your car by putting something new in without cleaning out the old. If you run low on antifreeze, you can't just pour any old bottle of stuff you find at Walmart. The fact is, mixing these liquids is not safe. These days you can actually get yellow antifreeze, blue antifreeze, pink antifreeze and more. There is green antifreeze and orange antifreeze. Most of us are familiar with two kinds of antifreeze. But how do you know what kind of antifreeze you need to use? And is it safe to mix one kind with another? The last thing you want is for your engine to overheat. Part of this also includes making sure that you have enough antifreeze in your car. You'll go in to get your schedule oil change, you'll rotate your tires, you'll top up your washer fluid. That means you need to do general maintenance on your vehicle. Any responsible car owner wants to keep their vehicle running smoothly and efficiently for as long as possible.
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