MOTORING NEWS - With the days and nights getting mighty cool, car engines take longer to warm up and could be damaged if parts become frozen overnight.
While the frosty Highveld nights are not felt in our region, some mornings really have a slice of cold ice in the air.
Which poses the question whether anti-freeze is the complete solution to engine freeze.
Vishal Premlall, director of the Motor Industry Workshop Association (Miwa) warns motorists not to be fooled by "just any" anti-freeze products. “There is quite a lot of confusion surrounding the use of anti-freeze in the cooling systems of vehicles. The incorrect application of anti-freeze or dilution thereof, can result in serious corrosive damage to various parts of the engine including water pump, radiator and even the engine-cylinder head,” he warns.
The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) has two standards for anti-freeze.
The first is SANS/SABS 1251, where a product should be diluted with clean water in one of two different ratios – 50/50 (1:1) or 33.3/67.7 (1:2) according to instructions, but preferably 1:1.
The second, SANS/SABS 1839, is where a coolant is already diluted with water in a 40/60 ratio and ready to use. It should not be diluted any further.
“If, for example, a coolant product carrying the SABS 1839 mark is diluted, it becomes inefficient and corrosion will result in damage to engine components. It’s therefore important to understand what you are putting into your engine before doing so,” says Premlall.
Unfortunately looking for the SABS/SANS compliance mark is no guarantee of the quality of the product, says Premlall. He offers the following tips when looking for and using an effective anti-freeze product:
• Buy branded coolant products from reliable and reputable outlets
• The price of the product is a good indication of quality. Cheaper varieties are likely to have already been diluted
• Ask that your mechanic uses a hydrometer to check the coolant in your vehicle’s cooling system. The mechanic should also check for solids (rust particles) floating in the coolant and look out for indications of electrolysis (white surface spots) especially in aluminium radiators
• In a good coolant, the content of the vital chemical – mono-ethylene glycol – must not be lower than 30% or higher than 50%. The glycol content can also be measured using a hydrometer
• It is a best to drain the cooling system of a vehicle once a year, pour in the correct quantity of undiluted cooling protector, then fill the system with clean water
• Coolants of various colours are available on the market. Some have florescence added to make leak detection easier. Colours are no indication of the type of chemicals used in the mixture.
“Most anti-freeze products are really cooling system protectors – they do not necessarily protect only against freezing. A good quality coolant is one that it will prevent boiling – and these anti-boil characteristics are more important in most parts of South Africa than the anti-freeze characteristics,” says Premlall.
He adds that the old advice of turning on a car and letting it to run for a few minutes before driving off in the morning, still applies on cold mornings.
“Warming an engine up before driving will ensure the longevity of parts in the engine. Speak to your local workshop owner for more advice on anti-freeze and looking after your car during the winter months,” he concludes.
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