Should You Add Antifreeze or Water to the Car Radiator?
2 Answers
You should add antifreeze to the car radiator. The effects of insufficient water in the car radiator are: 1. The engine's heat dissipation capacity is relatively reduced, thinning the lubricating oil and lowering its quality; 2. Accelerating the wear on the surfaces of moving parts, which can easily lead to cylinder sticking, piston ring seizure, overheating, and cylinder scoring. The functions of the car radiator are: 1. To absorb heat from the cylinder block; 2. To prevent engine overheating. The reasons for insufficient water in the car radiator are: 1. Leakage from hose connections or the hoses themselves; 2. Cracks in the cylinder block, a loose or damaged cylinder head gasket, causing coolant leakage; 3. Damaged or porous seals in the oil cooler, leading to coolant leakage; 4. A loose radiator cap; 5. Leakage in the heater radiator; 6. Leakage in the three-way connector.
I've been driving for over twenty years and always insist on adding antifreeze to the radiator. When I was younger and didn't know better, I used tap water a few times. As a result, the water froze in winter and nearly cracked the radiator, and in summer, the engine overheated several times, costing me over a thousand yuan in repairs. Antifreeze can withstand temperatures dozens of degrees below zero, and its boiling point is over 20 degrees higher than water. Most importantly, it contains anti-rust and anti-corrosion additives that prevent the radiator from rusting or scaling. Now, I change it every two years, choosing the specific type for my car model. Even in winter at minus thirty degrees Celsius, the car starts right up—peace of mind and safety guaranteed.
