 | Home > Technical > Coolant & Antifreeze Explained |
 
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| oilman Site Supporter Member Since: 19 Mar 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 511  |
Coolant and antifreeze is a topic we are asked about on a regular basis, and often causes confusion; types, colours, service life etc.
Perhaps the most frequent cause of confusion is what the difference between anti-freeze or coolant is. Basically, they’re the same product (although the term “coolant” could just be applied to plain water; see below!) To help clear some of the confusion up on the more technical details of antifreeze and coolants we enlisted the help of Martyn Mann – Technical Director, Millers Oils UK - who has provided the information below. Not all antifreeze / coolant is the same! Coolant can be plain water; water is a very effective coolant but would not protect against sub freezing temperatures or protect against corrosion inside the engine. The use of antifreeze protects against both problems. Antifreeze not only suppresses the freezing point of your engine coolant, but provides good corrosion protection and increases the boiling point during use. Most commercial antifreeze formulations include a glycol (to suppress the freezing point and raise the boiling point), corrosion inhibiting compounds and a coloured dye (commonly orange, green, red, or blue fluorescent) to aid in identification. A 1:1 dilution with water is usually used, resulting in a freezing point in the range of minus 37 °C to minus 42 °C, depending on the formulation. There are two basic types of coolant available today dependent on the corrosion inhibitors used: ·inorganic additive technology (IAT) ·organic additive technology (OAT) Inorganic Additive Technology This is the traditional coolant based on inorganic additives and is called inorganic additive technology (IAT). It is a tried and proven chemistry that provides a fast acting protective film. The additives deplete and the coolant needs to be drained and replenished every couple of years. This type can be used on all mixed metal engines with components including steel, cast iron, copper, brass, aluminium and solder without any detrimental effect. Organic Acid Technology The newer OAT coolants work differently than the older silicate based IAT coolants. Aluminium and ferrous metals form a surface-layer of corrosion in the presence of moisture, even with the little bit of moisture in the air. OAT coolants prevent this metal-oxide layer that protects the surface against this corrosion. Inherent with their design, the OAT coolants last longer than the older traditional IAT coolants. This category of antifreeze cannot be used in systems containing yellow metals. A couple of questions and answers. Why are coolants different colours? Coolants/antifreezes are coloured so you can visually see them; colour intensity can be an indication of over dilution. The different colours are non specific to the different types of antifreeze. The manufacturer can dye the product any colour they want. The colour is no guide to the actual type of antifreeze type and the label should be read before use. What is best for performance use? It is always best to use the engine manufacturer’s advice. If engine contains yellow metals [copper and brass as in older vehicles] then the long life products based on organic technology should not be used. As a general rule, most modern engines require the long life organic antifreezes. Is there any advantage to using concentrate over pre-mixed coolants? None other than the user may want to use the pre-mixed product due to ease of handling or cost and visa versa. Can concentrate and pre-mixed coolants be mixed? A simple answer is that you can, however do not mix IAT and OAT antifreeze together. So, there we go. Hopefully this information has been useful, if you have any further questions not covered here please ask and I will try to get the answer. With thanks to Martyn Mann and Millers Oils. Cheers Guy and the Opie Oils team. Use the code DEF2 and get 10% Club Discount View Opie Oils Current Offers Here > > oilman's website: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/ - register for news and offers email: sales@opieoils.co.uk phone: 01209 202944 |
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2nd Mar 2011 12:37pm |
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| double cab happy Member Since: 01 Jun 2009 Location: merseyside Posts: 573  
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thanks for this, infomation is power and i'm sure it will stop somone from getting riped off by a stealership,
i know where i'm going when i do my own service  |
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3rd Mar 2011 11:35am |
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| oilman Site Supporter Member Since: 19 Mar 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 511 |
Brilliant, glad you like the info Use the code DEF2 and get 10% Club Discount
View Opie Oils Current Offers Here > > oilman's website: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/ - register for news and offers email: sales@opieoils.co.uk phone: 01209 202944 |
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3rd Mar 2011 11:52am |
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| oilman Site Supporter Member Since: 19 Mar 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 511 |
Good to know the order went well.
Cheers Tim Use the code DEF2 and get 10% Club Discount View Opie Oils Current Offers Here > > oilman's website: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/ - register for news and offers email: sales@opieoils.co.uk phone: 01209 202944 |
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3rd Mar 2011 12:26pm |
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| Naks Member Since: 27 Jan 2009 Location: Stellenbosch, ZA Posts: 2645  
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Tim, seeing you are the oil man here (no pun intended), what's ur stance on using 2-stroke oil in diesel? --
2010 Defender Puma 90 + BAS remap + Alive IC + Slickshift + Ashcroft ATB rear 2015 Range Rover Sport V8 Supercharged 
Defender Puma Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zZ1en9 Discovery 4 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zXrtKO Range Rover/Sport L320/L322/L494 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zc58JQ |
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3rd Mar 2011 2:10pm |
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| oilman Site Supporter Member Since: 19 Mar 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 511 |
A good idea, a small drop is a good upper cylinder lubricant.
Cheers Tim Use the code DEF2 and get 10% Club Discount View Opie Oils Current Offers Here > > oilman's website: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/ - register for news and offers email: sales@opieoils.co.uk phone: 01209 202944 |
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3rd Mar 2011 2:29pm |
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| bm52 Member Since: 04 Apr 2010 Location: Kent Posts: 2189  
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Tim: 1. can you define 'a small drop' ratio for a tank of diesel 2. would you put it in your 12 month old Puma engined Defender? 3. which 2 stroke oil would you recommend for the Puma? Thanks BM52 |
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3rd Mar 2011 2:45pm |
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| oilman Site Supporter Member Since: 19 Mar 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 511 |
Hi
I'd say a small cup full of a decent two stroke per tank is roughly the needed amount. If I had a nice new Defender, I probably would use a drop of two-stroke, just to make sure the engine is kept in as good condition as possible. Cheers Tim Use the code DEF2 and get 10% Club Discount View Opie Oils Current Offers Here > > oilman's website: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/ - register for news and offers email: sales@opieoils.co.uk phone: 01209 202944 |
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3rd Mar 2011 3:27pm |
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| bm52 Member Since: 04 Apr 2010 Location: Kent Posts: 2189
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looks like you are about to get an order from me then! from memory, should i order a pure mineral 2 stroke oil or a semi-synth? I can't remmeber all the initials [FB? FC? - no idea  ]
thanks and regards BM52 |
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3rd Mar 2011 4:02pm |
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| willy eckerslike Member Since: 15 Jun 2009 Location: North yorks Posts: 1789 
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Oilman................What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow? Original Member Pie n Pea Club.
110 HCPU Tipper |
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3rd Mar 2011 4:22pm |
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| party monkey Member Since: 31 Dec 2010 Location: Oxon. Posts: 1311 
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FFS Willy - give him some more parameters..... Relative humidity / Air temperature / male or female swallow etc ..... How can the man give you an answer when he's only got half the info  Jon - 110 td5 [sold]. Currently Defenderless. |
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3rd Mar 2011 4:39pm |
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| oilman Site Supporter Member Since: 19 Mar 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 511 |
Some people have too much time on their hands
http://www.style.org/unladenswallow/ Use the code DEF2 and get 10% Club Discount View Opie Oils Current Offers Here > > oilman's website: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/ - register for news and offers email: sales@opieoils.co.uk phone: 01209 202944 |
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3rd Mar 2011 4:53pm |
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| oilman Site Supporter Member Since: 19 Mar 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 511 |
I'd probably go for the Silkolene Super 2 or Comp2, depending on how much you want to spend. http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-507-silkolene-2-stroke-oils.aspx Cheers Tim Use the code DEF2 and get 10% Club Discount View Opie Oils Current Offers Here > > oilman's website: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/ - register for news and offers email: sales@opieoils.co.uk phone: 01209 202944 |
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3rd Mar 2011 4:59pm |
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| bm52 Member Since: 04 Apr 2010 Location: Kent Posts: 2189
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Tim, thanks, I've registered on your site and will buy the oil when i get home,
cheers BM52 |
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3rd Mar 2011 8:20pm |
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