DIY car repair - Radiator Fluid (coolant) Inspection

A coolant is a fluid which flows through your car radiator to prevent its overheating. The most common coolant is water. There are several types of coolant you can find in market, each of them provided the same function.

Proton Genuine Coolant

Coolant is better and faster heat absorber compared to water, but it is corrosive to the radiator. In order to minimize the corrosive effect, it is important that you use a combination of water and coolant to protect your car radiator. The mixture ratio is stated in the instruction (normally is 50:50). You are advised to use only distilled water, due to the chlorine and particles present in the tap water which may block your tiny water gallery OR cause rust.

Radiator corrosion causes by coolant

The coolant in your radiator doesn't last forever. It is crucial you perform a coolant checking once every 2 to 3 days, fill it up when need. Coolant level should be between "low"and "full" marks and not to approach to any of them. Apart from that, from time to time it can break down and start to corrode the inside of your radiator. This can lead to cooling problems and radiator repair. A radiator flush once a year is cheap insurance against radiator repairs.

Refill your coolant

Important tips:

• If u need to frequent fill up your radiator, your car radiator may have leaking problem. You need to carefully investigate coolant hoses regarding leaks, tears or damage.

• In most cases the liquids are brightly colored - green, red, yellow, blue - and usually thin and transparent. The coolant must be clean and contain no debris. If you see something else in the coolat container, oil for example, this means that you may have an engine defect somewhere.You’ll probably need that will need a professional help. 

• Brown color of your coolant shows that your car needs a radiator flush.