Coolant Maintenance Best Practices
Coolant, or antifreeze, isn’t just a seasonal concern—it’s working inside your engine 24/7, whether it's scorching hot or freezing cold outside. Despite this, it's often ignored in preventive maintenance routines. That oversight can be costly. Problems that start in the coolant system can ripple out into the engine and beyond, causing expensive downtime. Including coolant checks in your regular maintenance plan is essential to keep everything running smoothly.
Quickly Spot Trouble with a Visual Check
A simple visual inspection can tell you a lot. Look for leaks around hoses, clamps, or the radiator cap. A pressure test can help too—if the pressure drops, there's likely a leak. Make sure the coolant reaches the fill line in the sump. If it’s low, that could mean water is boiling off because the system isn’t holding pressure. You might even see streaks on the radiator cap where water escaped. When you open the radiator cap and inspect the fluid, the coolant color isn’t necessarily the issue—it’s a dye—but if it looks rusty or murky, that may mean rust is forming or different coolants were mixed, which calls for a flush. Oil floating in the coolant is more serious—it could mean oil and coolant are mixing, requiring a full system flush.
Emergency Leak Fix? Just Add Water
If you detect a leak while you’re on the road, don’t find a quick fix in off-the-shelf products to help stop it. This is recommended for two reasons: one, it won’t fix the leak at its root and two, introducing a new foreign additive might cause an imbalance in the fluid. A better, cheaper temporary fix is to use water. Using bottled or distilled is better than using tap water which may have impurities in it. Topping off with water may reduce the protection properties of the coolant by a smidge, but it is better than bringing in another chemical and gives you enough time to get to a maintenance shop for a permanent fix.
Keep A Perfect Glycol to Water Mix
Maintaining the correct ratio of water to glycol is vital for protecting your engine under extreme conditions. A refractometer makes this easy to check. This tool, available from most parts suppliers, measures your fluid's freeze point so you can adjust the mix accordingly. Depending on the climate and your application, this balance helps ensure the coolant won’t freeze or boil—and that it protects your system the way it’s meant to.
At Caltex, we offer a full line of coolants for both, on and off-highway heavy duty vehicles. We also have our coolant maintenance experts on hand to ensure all your queries are solved. Coolants may be a small investment, but they make a huge difference to your operations. Choose wisely with Caltex.
