How to mix antifreeze and antifreeze – compatibility features of coolants

The engine of any car needs high-quality coolant. Currently, the most common liquids for cooling systems are antifreeze and antifreeze of various brands. It is permissible to fill in and mix these two refrigerants with each other or with water in certain situations, it all depends on the manufacturer's recommendations, properties and composition of the coolant.

1 Differences between antifreeze and antifreeze

Many motorists mistakenly believe that antifreeze and antifreeze are two completely different liquids that differ from each other in composition and properties. However, this opinion is not entirely correct. Tosol is rather a subspecies of coolant of lower quality in terms of composition, which is made on the basis of a rather outdated chemical formula and, therefore, is currently used in the cooling systems of cars and trucks, mainly of Soviet production.

Automotive antifreeze

Antifreeze was invented by a group of Soviet scientists back in the early 70s, and at that time was considered the only “normal” refrigerant for various models of VAZ, GAZ, IZH, etc. The formula that is used in the production of this type of coolant has a number of differences from the chemical composition modern antifreeze of various brands, which can be poured into foreign-made cars.

The thing is that antifreeze is produced on the basis of ethylene glycol dihydric alcohol, in addition, it contains a large amount of caustic substances, including nitrates, nitrites, phosphates and other toxic substances. In addition, antifreeze does not have the required amount of additives, which leads to wear of various parts of the cooling system, pipes, hoses, steel elements, etc. Compared to antifreeze, modern antifreeze is produced on a more softened basis – propylene glycol and contains a sufficient amount of additives in its composition that soften the composition of the coolant and increase its service life. We are talking about anti-foam, anti-corrosion and lubricants added to antifreeze, depending on the marking and manufacturer.

Antifreeze for the engine

At the moment, there are the most advanced antifreezes in terms of composition, which are classified by international standards G13, and are used mainly for filling the engine of new cars with environmental standards and Euro 4 and Euro 5 standards.

The composition of such antifreezes contains carboxylate organic substances. Mixing such a composition with traditional antifreeze is strictly not recommended.

2 How can refrigerants be mixed?

When does it become necessary to mix antifreeze with various antifreeze options and water? Most often due to a coolant leak. In this case, the motorist is faced with the need to urgently top up the refrigerant, and very often the antifreeze of the required quality and brand is not at hand. Then you can add the required amount of antifreeze or water to the system to get to the service or garage, this is especially true in the cold season. However, after that it is necessary to eliminate the leak in the system and without fail drain all the cooling liquid, and, if possible, even flush the system elements. After that, fill in a new refrigerant, which is recommended by the car manufacturer or has been used before.

Coolant leak

Is it possible to mix antifreeze if the color of the liquid matches the color of the antifreeze? This should only be done if absolutely necessary. The fact is that the color of antifreeze is not an indicator of quality, but only indicates the difference in the refrigerant in terms of temperature and other characteristics. Therefore, a mixture of blue antifreeze with antifreeze of the same color will not differ from the usual mixing of these refrigerants and will lead to unpredictable consequences for the entire engine cooling system.

Refrigerant colors

It is important to remember that mixing two different refrigerants in the system will lead to the formation of sediment. You can check this by pouring liquid into a container. As a rule, a precipitate will fall out after a few days, which will indicate the incompatibility of the two refrigerants. But this is not the worst thing, because after this mixture enters the cooling system, at certain temperatures it will foam, and the sediment will lead to clogging of various elements of the cooling system, which will cause the engine to overheat.

3 Recommendations of experienced motorists

Experts recommend that you carefully read the car's manual, as a rule, there is detailed information on what type of coolant to use. On some models, antifreeze compatibility of the same manufacturer, color and brand may even be allowed, which can be mixed without problems. How do you know if the refrigerant in your used car needs changing? In this case, you can visually assess the quality of the liquid in the system, if it is cloudy or of a strange color, it must be urgently replaced.

Information about coolant in the car manual

If you decide to replace the coolant, and are going to fill in a new composition of antifreeze or antifreeze, you need to thoroughly rinse the cylinder block, radiator, expansion tank, hoses and other elements of the system with distilled water until all traces of the old liquid disappear, and only after that you can proceed to coolant replacement.

Refrigerant change

There is an opinion among the owners of domestic cars that if you mix antifreeze with water and add antifreeze, no significant changes will occur in the system. In practice, it is quite difficult to verify this opinion, unlike a similar procedure for foreign cars. It's all about the quality of the various parts of the cooling system, which on domestic cars, especially those produced before 2000, were “sharpened” for the use of antifreeze, respectively, a mixture with antifreeze that is softer in composition and properties will not bring significant harm. Like it or not, it becomes clear after 30-40 thousand kilometers, and also depends on the condition of various parts. In any case, it is better to follow the instructions and rules, and try not to mix different brands of antifreeze and antifreeze in your car.