An Enthusiast’s Guide to Refractometers and Engine Coolants
Engine Coolant, also known as antifreeze plays a vital role in engine maintenance. Considering the temperature up to which engines can rise, it’s really important to use good quality coolants as they prevent overheating. To be precise, they just transfer the heat away from the engine and allow it to operate within a safe temperature range. Coolants also help protect the engine from corrosion, they lubricate water pump seals and prevent freezing in cold climates, quite fun isn’t it? But how do you determine which coolant would be the best for your vehicle?
Exactly that’s where a refractometer comes into play! Don’t worry about the big word we’ve got you. It follows the same old law of refraction, which we learned in high school, during the mid of sophomore year. It’s just a fancy word for the bending of light. As light passes from air to liquid, it does bend. In this case, components of the liquid such as ethylene/propylene influence the angle of their specific concentrations, and the result shows up on the scale.
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However, the purpose of the refractometer is not to indicate when you should replace the coolant of your vehicle. Its job is to just advise the level of antifreeze protection in the coolant. This is helpful when testing coolant in a vehicle of unknown service history, double-checking the accuracy of coolant mix when prepared on its own, or even store-bought antifreeze.
If you are not familiar with the coolant or the cooling system, and you wish to use that refractometer. You can take some coolant out of your vehicle’s engine. If it tests way too low in antifreeze protection, you can remove some coolant and replace it with sufficient antifreeze concentrate. But, if it tests way too high, you can remove some coolant and add distilled water to reduce the antifreeze protection to the desired levels.
Moreover, different engines use different coolants due to the varying requirements of the engine materials and the specific operating conditions, fast engines need properly balanced coolants. It is also influenced by the climate because some coolants might be better suited to extreme cold, while others would be good for hot conditions. However, vehicle manufacturers specifically mention the type of coolant to be used in their engines. Using the wrong type of coolant might lead to engine damage or even seizure.
For instance, if we take the example of a Land Rover Defender, with a V8 engine. It uses a glycol-based coolant with Organic Additive Technology inhibitors. These are popular due to their excellent heat transfer properties. They have a much higher boiling point which helps the coolant evaporate even at higher temperatures. They also offer excellent corrosion protection, preventing rust and other damage. Similar coolant is also used by Lamborghini in its V12 and V10 engines, in the Lamborghini Aventador and Huracan. Lamborghini also confirmed that a similar coolant would also be used in the 2024 Lamborghini Revuelto.
Even the F1 racing engines use the same Ethylene glycol-based coolant. However, since the F1 cars are really complex and highly optimized for performance, the cooling components must balance the need for effective heat distribution for the aerodynamic efficiency to remain constant in the vehicles. Thus water/glycol mixtures are pumped through the system to take the heat away from the engine.
Additionally, it has a huge difference when it comes to pickup trucks. For example, Ford specifically used Inorganic Additive Technology (IAT) coolant in its pickup truck, the Ford F-150. It is based on inorganic additives and provides fast-acting protective film. It contains silicates and phosphate corrosion inhibitors to help protect the metal parts such as the radiator and the engine. However, IAT coolant depletes over time, so it has to be drained and replenished every couple of years or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first. Despite this, IAT is widely used because it just compatible with any vehicle and more affordable than the others.
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