Why you can’t pour antifreeze into the expansion tank of a car
- September 18, 2023
- 0
It is not necessary for antifreeze to flow from all the cracks of the engine to slowly “go away”. The engine may be fine, but the coolant level
It is not necessary for antifreeze to flow from all the cracks of the engine to slowly “go away”. The engine may be fine, but the coolant level will still drop. How to supplement correctly?
Few people know that a gradual decrease in the level of antifreeze is sometimes caused by the normal operation of the steam valve in the radiator cap or expansion tank. For example, under high engine loads and in hot conditions, coolant vapors may be released slowly into the atmosphere to maintain the pressure in the system at an acceptable level. This protects it from failure. But such ’emissions’ slowly reduce the volume of fluid in the system. Which sooner or later becomes clear to the car owner when he looks at the “max/min” scale.
Naturally, he has a legitimate desire to replenish the coolant supply. And, as a rule, everything is done according to the simplest scheme: we see a shortage in the tank, unscrew the cap and pour in enough antifreeze so that its level rises to about half the scale. Sometimes you can do this, but only with serious reservations. This approach is strictly contraindicated in the event that no liquid is visible in the tank at all. And this happens when during cooling the coolant contracts and “drains” into the cylinder block. In this situation, if you add new “coolant” to the container, it will enter the pipe together with air, which will lead to the appearance of gas bubbles in the system (read: a disaster awaits).
The airlock will eventually reach the cylinder block and cause overheating. It can also “get stuck” in a kink in the pipe, affecting coolant flow and, as a result, the engine’s cooling efficiency. In both cases, the result will be the same: the “cooking” of the engine with the prospect of a major overhaul.
Knowing the probability of such a development of events, you can try to avoid it: add antifreeze in small portions so that air can escape from the pipe. But it is still unlikely that a satisfactory result can be guaranteed.
The case where we add antifreeze to the tank, which still splashes a certain amount of coolant, is potentially less dangerous, but also not ideal. In any case, such an operation should be carried out only when the engine has cooled down – to avoid getting a fountain of hot liquid in the face when opening the plug. But “when it is cold”, the volume of antifreeze noticeably decreases. Then we fill the tank to the desired level and start the engine. It heats up, the fluid in the cooling system expands again and it can happen that there is ‘suddenly’ too much of it. Which is also not useful for the engine at all.
From all of the above, only one conclusion can be drawn: to avoid excesses, antifreeze should be added exclusively through the radiator cap. The engine will be intact.
photo atallcylinders.com
Few people know that a gradual decrease in the level of antifreeze is sometimes caused by the normal operation of the steam valve in the radiator cap or expansion tank. For example, under high engine loads and in hot conditions, coolant vapors may be released slowly into the atmosphere to maintain the pressure in the system at an acceptable level. This protects it from failure. But such ’emissions’ slowly reduce the volume of fluid in the system. Which sooner or later becomes clear to the car owner when he looks at the “max/min” scale.
Naturally, he has a legitimate desire to replenish the coolant supply. And, as a rule, everything is done according to the simplest scheme: we see a shortage in the tank, unscrew the cap and pour in enough antifreeze so that its level rises to about half the scale. Sometimes you can do this, but only with serious reservations. This approach is strictly contraindicated in the event that no liquid is visible in the tank at all. And this happens when during cooling the coolant contracts and “drains” into the cylinder block. In this situation, if you add new “coolant” to the container, it will enter the pipe together with air, which will lead to the appearance of gas bubbles in the system (read: a disaster awaits).
The airlock will eventually reach the cylinder block and cause overheating. It can also “get stuck” in a kink in the pipe, affecting coolant flow and, as a result, the engine’s cooling efficiency. In both cases, the result will be the same: the “cooking” of the engine with the prospect of a major overhaul.
Knowing the probability of such a development of events, you can try to avoid it: add antifreeze in small portions so that air can escape from the pipe. But it is still unlikely that a satisfactory result can be guaranteed.
The case where we add antifreeze to the tank, which still splashes a certain amount of coolant, is potentially less dangerous, but also not ideal. In any case, such an operation should be carried out only when the engine has cooled down – to avoid getting a fountain of hot liquid in the face when opening the plug. But “when it is cold”, the volume of antifreeze noticeably decreases. Then we fill the tank to the desired level and start the engine. It heats up, the fluid in the cooling system expands again and it can happen that there is ‘suddenly’ too much of it. Which is also not useful for the engine at all.
From all of the above, only one conclusion can be drawn: to avoid excesses, antifreeze should be added exclusively through the radiator cap. The engine will be intact.
Source: Avto Vzglyad
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.
