Antifreeze compatibility
Content
Antifreeze compatibility provides mixing of various cooling liquids (OZH). namely, different classes, colors and specifications. However, you need to add or mix different coolants in full accordance with the antifreeze compatibility table. If we neglect the information given there, then at best the resulting coolant will not meet the standards and will not cope with the tasks assigned to it (to protect the internal combustion engine cooling system from overheating), and at worst it will lead to corrosion of the surface of individual parts of the system, reducing the life of the engine oil by 10 ... 20%, an increase in fuel consumption up to 5%, the risk of replacing the pump and other unpleasant consequences.
Varieties of antifreeze and their features
To understand whether it is possible to mix antifreeze, you need to better understand the physical and chemical processes that accompany the mixing of these liquids. All antifreezes are divided into ethylene glycol and propylene glycol. In turn, ethylene glycol antifreezes are also divided into subspecies.
On the territory of the post-Soviet countries, the most common specification by which antifreezes are distinguished is a document issued by Volkswagen and having the code TL 774. In accordance with it, antifreezes used in cars of this brand are divided into five types - C, F, G, H and J. The same encoding is commercially referred to as G11, G12, G12+, G12++, G13. This is how drivers most often choose antifreeze for their car in our country.
Different countries have their own standards and regulations. If for the Russian Federation this is the well-known GOST, then for the USA it is ASTM D 3306, ASTM D 4340: ASTM D 4985 (ethylene glycol-based antifreezes) and SAE J1034 (propylene glycol-based), which are often considered international. For England - BS6580:1992 (almost similar to the mentioned G11 from VW), for Japan - JISK 2234, for France - AFNORNFR 15-601, for Germany - FWHEFTR 443, for Italy - CUNA, for Australia - ONORM.
So, ethylene glycol antifreezes are also divided into several subspecies. namely:
- Traditional (with inorganic corrosion inhibitors). In accordance with the Volkswagen specification, they are designated as G11. Their international designation is IAT (Inorganic Acid Technology). They are used on machines with old types of internal combustion engines (mainly those whose parts are made largely of copper or brass). Their service life is 2 ... 3 years (rarely longer). These types of antifreeze are usually green or blue. Although In reality, the color does not have a direct bearing on the properties of antifreeze. Accordingly, one can only partially focus on the shade, but not accept it as the ultimate truth.
- Carboxylate (with organic inhibitors). Volkswagen specifications are designated VW TL 774-D (G12, G12 +). usually, they are marked with bright red dye, less often with lilac-violet (VW specification TL 774-F / G12 +, used by this company since 2003). The international designation is OAT (Organic Acid Technology). The service life of such coolants is 3 ... 5 years. A feature of carboxylate antifreezes is the fact that they are used in new cars that were originally designed only for this type of coolant. If you plan to switch to carboxylate antifreeze from an older one (G11), then it is imperative to flush the cooling system first with water and then with a new antifreeze concentrate. also replace all seals and hoses in the system.
- Hybrid. Their name is due to the fact that such antifreezes contain both salts of carboxylic acids and inorganic salts - usually silicates, nitrites or phosphates. As for the color, a variety of options are possible here, from yellow or orange to blue and green. The international designation is HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology) or Hybrid. Despite the fact that hybrid ones are considered worse than carboxylate ones, many manufacturers use just such antifreezes (for example, BMW and Chrysler). namely, the specification of the BMW N600 69.0 is largely the same as the G11. also for BMW cars the specification GS 94000 applies. For Opel - Opel-GM 6277M.
- Lobrid (international designation - Lobrid - Low hybrid or SOAT - Silicon enhanced Organic Acid Technology). They contain organic corrosion inhibitors in combination with silicon compounds. They are state of the art and have the best performance. In addition, the life of such antifreezes is up to 10 years (which often means the entire life of the car). Meets VW TL 774-G / G12++ specifications. As for the color, they are usually red, purple or lilac.
However, the most modern and advanced today are propylene glycol-based antifreezes. This alcohol is safer for the environment and humans. It is usually yellow or orange in color (although there may be other variations).
Years of validity of various standards by years
Compatibility of antifreezes among themselves
Having dealt with the existing specifications and their features, you can move on to the question of which antifreezes can be mixed, and why some of the listed types should not be mixed at all. The most basic rule to remember is topping up is allowed (mixing) antifreezes belonging to not just one class, but also produced by the same manufacturer (trademark). It is due to the fact that despite the similarity of chemical elements, different enterprises still use different technologies, processes and additives in their work. Therefore, when they are mixed, chemical reactions can occur, the result of which will be the neutralization of the protective properties of the resulting coolant.
| Antifreeze for topping up | Antifreeze in the cooling system | ||||
| G11 | G12 | G12 + | G12 ++ | G13 | |
| G11 | |||||
| G12 | |||||
| G12 + | |||||
| G12 ++ | |||||
| G13 | |||||
Note that some classes of antifreeze are in principle incompatible together! So, for example, coolant classes G11 and G12 cannot be mixed. At the same time, mixing classes G11 and G12+, as well as G12++ and G13 is allowed. It is worth adding here that topping up antifreezes of various classes is allowed only for the operation of the mixture for a short time. That is, in cases where there is no suitable replacement fluid. A universal tip is to add antifreeze type G12+ or distilled water. But at the first opportunity, you should flush the cooling system and fill in the coolant recommended by the manufacturer.
also interested in many compatibility "Tosol" and antifreeze. We will immediately answer this question - it is IMPOSSIBLE to mix this domestic coolant with modern new coolants. This is due to the chemical composition of "Tosol". Without going into details, it should be said that this liquid was developed at one time for radiators made of copper and brass. This is exactly what automakers in the USSR did. However, in modern foreign cars, radiators are made of aluminum. Accordingly, special antifreezes are being developed for them. And the composition of "Tosol" is harmful to them.
Do not forget that it is not recommended to drive for a long time on any mixture, even one that will not harm the cooling system of the internal combustion engine of a car. This is due to the fact that the mixture does not perform protective functionsthat are assigned to antifreeze. Therefore, over time, the system and its individual elements may become rusty, or gradually develop their resource. Therefore, at the earliest opportunity, it is necessary to replace the coolant, after flushing the cooling system with appropriate means.
How to flush the engine cooling system?
list of products for cleaning the internal combustion engine cooling system. What is better to rinse, and what is not worth cleaning the radiator and all components?
In continuation of the topic of flushing the cooling system, it is worth briefly dwelling on the use of concentrate. So, some manufacturers of machine equipment recommend performing multi-stage cleaning using concentrated antifreeze. For example, after flushing the system with cleaning agents, MAN recommends cleaning with a 60% concentrate solution in the first stage, and 10% in the second. After that, fill in the already working 50% coolant into the cooling system.
However, technically it will be more competent to use and mix those antifreezes that comply with the manufacturer's tolerances your car (and not those that have been adopted by Volkswagen, and have become almost our standard). The difficulty here lies, firstly, in the search for precisely these requirements. And secondly, not all packages of antifreeze indicate that it supports a certain specification, although this may be the case. But if possible, follow the rules and requirements established by the manufacturer of your car.
Antifreeze compatibility by color
Before answering the question of whether it is possible to mix antifreeze of different colors, we need to return to the definitions of what classes antifreezes are. Recall that there are clear rules regarding what color should this or that liquid be, no. Moreover, individual manufacturers have their own differentiation in this respect. However, historically, most G11 antifreezes are green (blue), G12, G12+ and G12++ are red (pink), and G13 are yellow (orange).
Therefore, further actions should consist of two stages. At first, you must make sure that the color of the antifreeze matches the class described above. Otherwise, you should be guided by the information given in the previous section. If the colors match, then you need to reason in a similar way. That is, you cannot mix green (G11) with red (G12). As for the rest of the combinations, you can safely mix (green with yellow and red with yellow, that is, G11 with G13 and G12 with G13, respectively). However, there is a nuance here, since antifreezes of the G12 + and G12 ++ classes also have a red (pink color), but they can also be mixed with G11 with G13.
Antifreeze compatibility
Separately, it is worth mentioning "Tosol". In the classic version, it comes in two colors - blue ("Tosol OZH-40") and red ("Tosol OZH-65"). Naturally, in this case it is impossible to mix liquids, despite the fact that the color is suitable.
And try to mix antifreezes that not only belong to the same class, but also released under the same brand name. This will additionally ensure that there are no dangerous chemical reactions. also, before you add one or another antifreeze to the engine cooling system of your car, you can make a test and check these two fluids for compatibility.
How to check antifreeze compatibility
Checking the compatibility of different types of antifreeze is not difficult at all, even at home or in a garage. True, the method described below will not give a 100% guarantee, but visually it is still possible to assess how one coolant can work in one mixture with another.
namely, the method of verification is to take a sample of the liquid that is currently in the car's cooling system and mix it with the one that is planned to be topped up. You can take a sample with a syringe or use the antifreeze drain hole.
After you have a container with the liquid to be checked in your hands, add approximately the same amount of antifreeze to it that you plan to add to the system, and wait a few minutes (about 5 ... 10 minutes). In the event that a violent chemical reaction did not occur during the mixing process, foam did not appear on the surface of the mixture, and sediment did not fall out at the bottom, then most likely the antifreezes do not conflict with each other. Otherwise (if at least one of the listed conditions manifests itself), it is worth abandoning the idea of \u80b\u90busing the mentioned antifreeze as a topping fluid. For a correct compatibility test, you can heat the mixture to XNUMX-XNUMX degrees.
General recommendations for topping up antifreeze
Finally, here are some generalizing facts regarding topping up, which will be useful for any motorist to know.
- If the vehicle is using copper or brass radiator with cast-iron ICE blocks, then the simplest class G11 antifreeze (usually green or blue, but this must be specified on the package) must be poured into its cooling system. An excellent example of such machines are domestic VAZs of classic models.
- In the case when the radiator and other elements of the vehicle's internal combustion engine cooling system are aluminum and its alloys (and most modern cars, especially foreign cars, are such), then as a “cooler” you need to use more advanced antifreezes belonging to the G12 or G12 + classes. They are usually pink or orange in color. For the newest cars, especially sports and executive class, you can use lobrid antifreeze types G12 ++ or G13 (this information should be clarified in the technical documentation or in the manual).
- In case you do not know what kind of coolant is currently poured into the system, and its level has dropped very much, you can add or up to 200 ml of distilled water or G12+ antifreeze. Fluids of this type are compatible with all coolants listed above.
- By and large, for short-term work, you can mix any antifreeze, except for the domestic Tosol, with any coolant, and you can’t mix G11 and G12 type antifreezes. Their compositions are different, so the chemical reactions that occur during mixing can not only neutralize the protective effects of the mentioned coolants, but also destroy the rubber seals and / or hoses in the system. And remember that you can’t drive for a long time with a mixture of different antifreezes! Flush the cooling system as soon as possible and refill with the antifreeze recommended by your vehicle manufacturer.
- The ideal option for topping up (mixing) antifreeze is using the product from the same canister (bottles). That is, you buy a large capacity container, and fill in only part of it (as much as the system needs). And the rest of the liquid or store in the garage or carry with you in the trunk. So you will never go wrong with the choice of antifreeze for topping up. However, when the canister runs out, it is recommended to flush the internal combustion engine cooling system before using new antifreeze.
Compliance with these simple rules will allow you to keep the internal combustion engine cooling system in working condition for a long time. In addition, remember that if antifreeze does not perform its functions, then this is fraught with an increase in fuel consumption, a decrease in engine oil life, a risk of corrosion on the internal surfaces of parts of the cooling system, up to destruction.
