NAPA Know How: Which Is Safest for Your Car?NAPA Know How Blog

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Have you had the internal debate water vs. antifreeze for your car’s cooling system? Depending on where you live, the choice may have already been made for you by the weather you’re forced to deal with. Cold winters mean antifreeze is necessary to keep your engine from icing up internally. In the summer months, however, and in warmer climates, it’s not always so clear cut.

Different Boiling Points

The water in your car’s cooling system is charged with maintaining a steady operating temperature that hovers within the most efficient range for generating power and making efficient use of fuel. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, but that’s only if it’s pure, distilled water that’s free from contaminants and minerals that can lower that boiling point substantially.

Most antifreeze is based on ethylene glycol, a form of alcohol that features a boiling point of 387 degrees Fahrenheit. Obviously, your engine won’t ever reach that temperature during normal operation, but the lower boiling point of water vs. antifreeze means that there’s a higher chance of steam forming inside your cooling system, which considerably reduces efficiency and could cause your engine temp to spike in an extreme situation.

Corrosion Is an Issue

Another issue when comparing water vs. antifreeze is corrosion. Remember those mineral deposits mentioned above? Over time, if you use tap water inside your car’s radiator the deposit build-up can seriously impact its operation. Mineral-free distilled water is a safer bet, but you still run into the problem of rust and corrosion forming on metal cooling system components. Antifreeze gets around this issue, as the ethylene glycol does not corrode most metals, providing a protective coating that will extend the life of your engine even during harsh, hot weather. It also contains additives that work specifically to prevent corrosion from taking place, and sometimes your engine might call for a specific type of antifreeze to make sure the necessary additives are used.

Mix It Up

What’s the best solution when deciding between water vs. antifreeze for your car’s cooling system? Try using both. A 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water is the most commonly used coolant in modern automobiles. The high boiling point of antifreeze plus its anti-corrosion additives are a good complement to water’s natural cooling capabilities (as long as its distilled water). Plus, there’s the added benefit of not having to worry about a sudden cold-snap freezing up your engine.

Choosing the right coolant for your car is crucial for its long-term health, with some information to help you make the right choice, you can safely purchase the right products for your vehicle.

Check out all the chemical products available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on water vs. antifreeze, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

Photo courtesy of Morguefile.

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NAPA Know How: 4 Symptoms Of A Bad RadiatorNAPA Know How Blog

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The symptoms of a bad radiator aren’t always obvious. Although the radiator is the largest, and most visible component in your vehicle’s cooling system, it is but one of several areas under your hood where coolant can get out of control and start to cause problems.

Suspicious that your radiator might be the culprit in your latest round of cooling woes? Check out these four tips that can help you spot a radiator that is on its way out.

1. Visible Coolant On the Radiator Itself

Your radiator should be bone dry at all times — as in, the coolant is completely encapsulated by the unit, with no leakage or spilling. Visible coolant is one of the symptoms of a bad radiator in almost every case. If you see coolant visible on the fins, that indicates that they have been perforated and that antifreeze is starting to ooze out. If you see it running down the sides, that could indicate a leak at the seams, or where the plastic cap meets the metal cooling body.

Leaks that are near the hoses, however, could be a sign that the connection isn’t tight enough, or that the hose has worn through. If you see coolant around the filler, then that may also be showing a cap that can no longer hold tight when the radiator is pressurized.

2. Bent or Mashed Fins

Your radiator’s fins are what allows for the heat exchange that cools down your engine’s antifreeze as it moves through it. If they become bent, or mashed together, then they can start to lose the efficiency necessary to completely cool your motor. If you discover a lot of damaged fins, it could be time for a new radiator.

3. Corrosion

Steel radiators are exposed to the same elements that can cause other parts of your vehicle to rust. A rusty radiator is vulnerable to perforation, poor sealing with its hoses, and general weakness while it is pressurized. If your radiator looks rusty, it’s worth having it inspected by a mechanic you trust before it fails.

4. Overheating

It might seem obvious, but one of the major symptoms of a bad radiator is your engine overheating. Although the heat gauge rising in your vehicle can have many causes, it’s not a bad idea to look to the radiator first and verify that none of the above issues are present, and that it is in good condition. Then you can move on to more difficult-to-diagnose issues like hoses, pinprick pressure leaks, connectors, water pumps and heater cores.

Check out all the heating and cooling products available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on the symptoms of a bad radiator, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.

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NAPA Know How: What Is HOAT Coolant? 4 Things You Need To KnowNAPA Know How Blog

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Engines are complex machines with rapidly moving metal parts and small clearances. And as such, they generate a lot of heat. You already know that coolant is an integral part of keeping your engine from exploding, and you probably also know that you have multiple coolant options that aren’t interchangeable. But how do you know which is OK to use? Color is not a reliable indicator in choosing between OAT, IAT and HOAT, so you better choose wisely … and what is HOAT coolant anyway? Let’s dig in.

1. The Story on HOAT

Inorganic Acid Technology (IAT) Coolant was pretty much the original type of coolant and is still used in older vehicles. It lasts around 30,000 miles before it turns too acidic and needs to be changed. Organic Acid Technology (OAT) Coolant uses additives to increase its lifespan significantly — up to around 150,000 miles. Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT) Coolant is a hybrid of the two.

2. How HOAT Came to Life

You want your coolant to do a few things. Most importantly, it cools the engine, but remember it’s also passing through metal passageways and subject to vastly different operating temperatures, so it needs to deal with all of that. The original IAT is strongly anti-corrosive, but it needs to be changed regularly. OAT lasts much longer, but it doesn’t defend against corrosion as well. Ironically, simply mixing the two can have damaging corrosive effects, but the hybrid-engineered HOAT uses a chemical composition that keeps rust and buildup at bay, is effective at very low and high temperatures alike, and lasts five years and beyond.

3. Careful, HOAT Doesn’t Play Nice

Nope! On the surface, it seems like a hybrid between IAT and OAT would be compatible with either, but that’s not the case. They may share similar names, but the chemical recipe is different enough that manufacturers do not recommend mixing them. Doing so potentially limits your coolant’s effectiveness in doing its job and can greatly reduce the lifespan. And as mentioned earlier, it might actually gunk up the system. This is true even if you’ve drained the coolant from an engine — it’s not so easy as to just add a different type because traces of the old type remain and cling to passageways.

4. When to Use HOAT

As with most other questions about your car, check your owner’s manual. It should specify the coolant type. You may think the benefits of IAT, OAT or HOAT are what your vehicle needs, but it’s not a call you can easily make without cleaning out the entire cooling system (more than just a flush). So it’s really best to just stick with what was designed to support your engine and you will be fine.

Always wait for an engine to cool down before opening a radiator or coolant reservoir cap, as the system is under pressure and the coolant is scalding hot. And remember, contrary to popular belief, color should not be the determining factor for adding or mixing coolant because it is not standardized or indicative of chemical makeup. Always check with the manufacturer to make sure you’re adding what your engine needs.