If I'm not wrong then anti freeze is used in winter and coolant is for the summer?

Question

am I right or totally gone mad? Please help me understand this. also how do u find out if the car has enough anti freeze/ coolant and if it has'nt how would you top up?

one more question, if all the bonnet check's is done in a service or mot (with refills) then how long could you leave it untill you have to check the bonnet again?

I hope im not asking stupid questions, but i really want to know these things so i could look after my car!

Answer 1

Close. Antifreeze and coolant are the same thing. The chemical that prevents water from freezing also raises it's boiling point.

Generally, if you have no leaks, you top off your radiator with mixed (50/50) antifreeze.

I think a bonnet is the hood???? At any rate, check your fluid levels (oil, trans, power steering, clutch, radiator) and tire pressure AT LEAST once a quarter. Better yet, once a month. You are miles ahead of most people at wanting to take good care of your vehicle. It will repay you tenfold.

Answer 2

Anti-Freeze is a compound that when mixed with Clean Water helps keep the Engine cool in the Summer and from Freezing in the Winter! it also helps prevent Corrosion in the Block (Engine) & Radiator. Winter or Summer you should use Coolant which is a 50-50 Mixture of Clean Water & Anti-Freeze. Straight (Pure) Anti-Freeze will Clog some of the smaller hoses & Valves and in some cases not let the engine get upto operating temp. Straight Water will cause corrosion and Cooling System to Fail.



Checks; Oil, Transmission Fluid, Brake Fluid, Coolant, Belt Condition, Hoses, Etc. should be do visually once a month, Engine Steam Cleaned Twice a Year & Complete Checks every 6 to 12 Months.



NOTE; If you are unsure about something "The Only Bad Question is The One You Don't Ask!"

Answer 3

These days anti-freeze and coolant are the same thing, the product is dual purpose, if you peer into your radiator, or coolant thingy, it should look a blue colour, you should check your oil and coolant levels about once a month, and dont forget your tyres, the right pressure is important for safety and fuel consumption, if you have to put some more coolant you can buy it from Halfords, follow the instructions on the bottle, you generally have to put water with it, an MOT wont do anything except test your car, in a service you should get your oil changed and the filters, and a few tests done for you to make sure the engine is running fine and the brakes etc are safe.



In my experience the way to keep your car running well is not to have the cd player too loud and listen to the engine more!

Answer 4

To clarify, these days the "coolant" serves three purposes. It does its engine-cooling bit, and also serves as an anti-freeze and corrosion inhibitor, thus stays in all year round. It usually comes ready-mixed. Pop into your local Halfords and have a look at their containers of coolant to see what I mean.



If you're unsure about yours have a look in the coolant reservoir. It should be a translucent pink, or green, or blue. If it looks a murky brown it needs changing. In fact, it's probably as well to have the garage do this anyway if you have any doubts. It does need changing every few years.



Regarding your other underbonnet checks, ideally you'd weekly check the oil, coolant level, screenwash and brake fluid. Apart from the oil, they should be visible through the various tanks. Personally I do it this way, the only thing I need to top up is the screen wash. Oh, and the tyre pressures too. And before any long journey.



If you're not sure what you're looking for, ask your friendly local garage and they'll be glad to point things out to you, especially if they think they'll get some work from you in due course.



Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Yup, as most of the answers states, coolant and anti=freeze is the same thing. Standard mixture is 50/50. The anti-freeze has a chemical that lowers the freezing point, and chemicals that help prevent corrosion and cavitation. Water actually does a better job dissapating heat, but has no anti-corrosive qualities. With todays engines going to mostly alluminum with some using plastic manifolds, the compostion of anti-freeze has changed over the years. It could be green (the old stuff) red, orange, or maybe something new (I'm color blind, I just taste it ;) The radiator (resevoir) cap is pressure released, and the pressure that it allows to build up is what actually raised the boiling point. Vaccum lowers boiling point, pressure raises it...ask a cook that lives in the high plains how quick water boils.

The life of coolant is dependent on driving habits and environments. It is vented to the atmosphere through the coolant resevoir, and will get dirty over time. Usually the Owner's Manual will list schedualed maintenance intervals.

AS far as checking, once a month is usually sufficient. If you travel alot or your roads are frequented by construction trucks, you may want to check more frequently, as nails and screws appear in tires at a faster rate. Check levels of fluids more often during high speed commutes, this is when the water boils off and the fuel from compression blow by vapors out through the PCV system (engine oil). Automatic transmission fluid should be between the hot and cold mark, hot is considered too hot to touch and hold with bare fingers. If you notice that your brake fluid is low, dont' just add fluid unless your light comes on, for this is how it is designed to warn you of brake failure or impending failure. If your fluid level is low, then your brake linings are low or you have a fluid leak. Either justifies a visit to the garage.

I myself am guilty of checking under my hood (bonnet) every saturday. I do this because I drive through some desolate areas with no phone reception...don't really want to break down in bear country.

Answer 6

coolant and antifreeze are the same thing, you need a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze in your cooling system, take the car to a shop and have them check your system for the freezing temp that it is good for, only takes a minute and then you will know if you need to add more antifreeze or not. If you have to add antifreeze all you do is drain some out of the radiator and add the new antifreeze to get it down to the right freezing point.

If you have everything checked when you get your oil changed you should be good to go as far as checking things under the bonnet until the next oil change in 3,000 miles unless you see something leaking under the car and then you will want to check things out.

Answer 7

Coolant is the name for the liquid in your car's cooling system - it's a mixture of antifreeze and water, and is used all year round. When you open the bonnet, you should see a plastic container at one side of the engine compartment, which will probably have a yellow cap, possibly with a picture of a tap or a watering can on it. Look at the side of this container - it should have two lines marked "min" and "max". The level of liquid should be between these marks, and it should be a green colour. You should check the level about once a week. If the level is only slightly below the "min" mark, top up to the "max" mark with a mixture of antifreeze and water - you can buy it ready mixed, or just buy antifreeze and mix it yourself (about half and half is enough for British winters). If the level drops suddenly, or you have to keep topping it up regularly, get the car to a garage to find out where the coolant is going!





Hope you find this helpful.........





Edit: Thanks for the thumbs down - so much for trying to be helpful!

Answer 8

Coolant and Anti-freeze are the same thing so no need to worry there.



At least once a month you should be checking the fluid levels of your OIL, COOLANT, BRAKE FLUID. It's just good practice to have a look yourself & top up when required DO NOT OVERFILL, you can do more harm than good if you put too much of anything in.



Coolant / antifreeze normally lasts 2 or 3 years before it needs replaced, oil about 1 year of normal motoring and brake fluid should be replaced every 3 years.





Happy motoring!

Answer 9

If you don't know the strength of what you've got in there, take a small sample with a pipette or turkey baster, and put it in a clearly marked plastic bottle (you only need 50 mils or so) pop it in your deep freeze at -18.

You shouldn't have any crystals in it the next day.

Return your sample, wash equipment well and bin your container.

You can buy special testers, but not usually worth the effort unless you use it a lot.

Answer 10

Anti-freeze and coolant is all the same. Drain it and put the whole gallon of pure in. If it's not full just run it slow for a while and add water. Check the oil and trans fluid maybe once a week, unless you notice you're losing some, then add as often as you need to 'till you get it fixed.

Answer 11

your question is far from the 's' word....top up is easy....get to the garage and buy some antifreeze..lol,,,then you put it in your***cold*** warning*******never do this when the engine is hot***** radiator water tank.....job done.....anti freeze and coolant are the same beastie....both protect the engine from freezing but also keep the 'water jacket' a fancy name for the pipes in the engine clean..and the water pump lubricated.and free from corrosion...so it is important winter or summer...thus the 'coolant'.......as its not water really...all checks are best done weekly....this is a great way of spotting a prob...it also means you get to know what bits of the engine are....haynes manuals can be a good help too....try ebay...

Answer 12

antifreeze and water mixture and coolant are the same thing. its called coolant because it cools the engine. it is important to have a good mixture of antifreeze and water to cool your engine. the glycol in antifreeze will keep the water from freezing according to the strength you mix it. it is important to have enough water, because water does a better job of cooling. i am not sure what you are talking about with bonnet check. sry.

Answer 13

Coolant and anti-freeze are NOT the same thing. Anti-freeze is added to coolant usually water to prevent freezing.



Most vehicles use a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze regardless of the chance of freezing, however antifreeze is not required to have coolant perform its job if is not exposed to freezing temperatures

Answer 14

they are the same thing. Anti freeze is just that, it won't freeze in cold weather! Anti freeze is also coolant to keep your engine cool!

Answer 15

...Yes...if the Container says "ready mixed"...just top off your "overflow" Tank..or maybe you top off your Radiator!!...50/50 Mix means you must mix equal parts of Antifreeze and Distilled water...Not water from your faucet, as that has minerals which will eventually harden and build up in your cooling system causing "overheating"..

Answer 16

Well, anti freez and coolant are well, you know, THE SAME.

Answer 17

50/50 all year around