Cooling-system issues, like radiator sludge, account for nearly 40% of engine failures. Clearly, it pays to take care of your vehicle’s cooling system.
Video transcript: Why Does Your Vehicle Need a Coolant System?
Featuring John Gardner, ASE Master Certified technician, automotive technology instructor and host of Motorhead Garage, with AMSOIL Director of Product Marketing Len Groom (author profile).
John Gardner: Well, check out my water pump right here. This one’s actually fan driven, but here’s the heart of the water pump right here. Look at this. Those fins, they’re not there.
They’re actually rotted off. Not a good thing. What are they supposed to look like? Well, right here you can actually see the fins.
Big difference. That’s just due to a lack of maintenance. Welcome to this AMSOIL tech tip. We’re gonna talk all about the coolant systems and the water pump and also discuss some maintenance.
Here we go. Why do we even need a coolant system or a water pump? Well, what happens is you actually fire in the cylinder there at forty five hundred degrees, that spark, then you get about fifteen hundred degrees transferring that energy over to those coolant jackets. Now if you see the other graphic there, the water pump’s job is to circulate that antifreeze or coolant throughout that engine to go ahead and carry that.
Law of Thermodynamics, my friends. We’re taking the heat from the block out of the block and throwing it to the outside air via the radiator there. What’s going on? Well, you can see the water pump right here.
You actually have an impeller. That’s what I was showing you. Ours didn’t have any fins. No fins, no water circulation, boom.
That’s it. No engine, catastrophic damage. Then you got the bearings and everything going to the front. So you wanna make sure your water pump’s in good shape.
Even if you have a hybrid or electric vehicle, check it out. You got an inverter coolant systems. You’re actually keeping the electronics cool. Len, it’s hugely important when it comes to maintenance.
AMSOIL has coolant, but you need a specific coolant for those vehicles, don’t you?
Len Groom: Correct. Especially with, you know, the amount of aluminum that we’re seeing built into these vehicles now. Your corrosion protection package is what we’re talking about. Our recommendation is that you make sure that you’re using the recommended coolant.
Check your owner’s manual. Check our website.
John Gardner: Now, that’s key when it comes to coolant systems. You saw our water pumps all rotted out. That coolant’s probably never been serviced. Vehicles need service. Oil especially.
Len Groom: Yeah. It’s critical that you change your oil and that’s the main thing. That’s the main point that we wanna get across. Change your oil.
We’ve got oils for whatever drain interval you like. We can go up to twenty five thousand miles. You could change it when the maintenance indicator goes off. Whatever you like.
The key here is is that you’re keeping those deposits down and that you’re keeping everything nice and clean and lubricated. The main goal there being protection.
John Gardner: Yeah. I’ve seen engines go, whatever, fifty thousand miles, you pull a plug, it comes out with sludge. We’re talking about some high technology on these engines. It’s important to have clean oil.
Len Groom: That’s correct. Especially with, you know, variable valve timing, different types of things that are coming out now. All of that has to be factored in. The oil needs to move. It needs to provide lubrication and protection.
John Gardner: Len, how do I know what’s best for my vehicle?
Len Groom: Well, it’s real easy.
You just go to our website, punch in your vehicle, it’ll tell you all of the different products that we have.
John Gardner: Well, make sure you do your oil change and do what this guy said. Go to AMSOIL.com. They got something for everybody.
Radiator sludge is one of the common symptoms of larger problems. Left unchecked, sludge will plug the radiator, heater core or fluid passages, resulting in overheating and expensive repairs.
What causes radiator sludge and what can you do about it?
- Additives dropping out: Coolant consists of a base (typically ethylene glycol or propylene glycol) mixed with additives and water. The base is primarily responsible for providing freeze and boil-over protection. The additives guard against corrosion, cavitation and scaling. Mixing of incompatible coolants can cause the additives to “drop out” of the solution and form radiator sludge or slime.
- Contaminated coolant: A bad head gasket or cracked cylinder head can allow oil and coolant to mix, resulting in sludge. In vehicles with automatic transmissions, the engine-cooling system also cools the transmission. A breach in the system can contaminate coolant with transmission fluid.
- Corrosion: Occurs when an imbalanced coolant chemically reacts with metallic surfaces, forming reddish deposits that can appear as sludge or slime.
Performing fluid analysis is the only way to definitively identify what’s causing radiator sludge. The report can identify oil, transmission fluid or other contaminants in the coolant.
Fix any mechanical defects and flush the cooling system. Refill with a high-quality antifreeze/coolant.
What kind of coolant should I use?
Let’s start with what kind you should avoid.
You’re no doubt familiar with the conventional “green” coolants found at most retailers due to their low price. The additives in these coolants use inorganic-acid technology (IAT), which relies exclusively on inorganic salts such as nitrites, phosphates and silicates for protection.
Formulating exclusively with inorganic salts has drawbacks. They deplete rather quickly and can lead to scale buildup and sludge if maintenance is neglected.
For these reasons, most vehicle manufacturers have moved away from these coolants.
And so should you.
One solution is to formulate the coolant using organic-acid technology (OAT).
These coolants don’t contain phosphates, silicates and other inorganic salts, virtually eliminating problems associated with conventional green coolants.
They also last longer, which makes everyone happier.
Finally, we have hybrid organic acid technology (HOAT). These coolants rely heavily on organic acids, but strategically use some inorganic salts to take advantage of their protective properties.
A properly formulated HOAT coolant delivers long service life and excellent protection. Think of it as a belt-and-suspenders approach to protection.
Whichever coolant you use, it’s best to flush the system about every five years to maintain its health.
AMSOIL Antifreeze/Coolants
AMSOIL offers three coolants, all of which offer excellent protection against radiator sludge and corrosion.
AMSOIL Passenger Car & Light Truck Antifreeze & Coolant features an OAT formulation that eliminates additive drop-out, scaling and other issues inherent to conventional coolants.
It’s pre-mixed 50/50 with high-quality water and is compatible with all ethylene and propylene coolant colors.
AMSOIL Heavy-Duty Antifreeze & Coolant features a HOAT formulation that delivers excellent protection against overheating and corrosion for up to 1 million miles (1,609,344 km), 20,000 hours or 8 years, whichever comes first.
And, it doesn’t require the hassle of adding supplemental coolant additives (SCA).
AMSOIL Propylene Glycol Antifreeze and Engine Coolant is a concentrated propylene glycol formulation that must be mixed with distilled or high-quality water.
Its HOAT formulation delivers excellent protection for up to 150,000 miles (241,000 km) or 5 years, whichever comes first, in passenger cars and light trucks.
In heavy-duty applications, it lasts 1 million miles (1,609,344 km), 20,000 hours or 8 years, whichever comes first. It’s compatible with all ethylene and propylene coolant colors.
This article is part of our Battery and Cooling System Care guide. See every article in the guide.
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Brad Nelson is an AMSOIL Technical Writer II who develops content about lubricant technology, product performance and vehicle maintenance. He works with engineers and product specialists to translate testing, application requirements and approved performance claims into clear customer guidance. Nelson’s work includes AMSOIL Blog articles, AMSOIL Magazine features and technical explanations concerning motor oils, gear lubricants, vehicle systems and maintenance practices.
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