What is the purpose of antifreeze?

[DelSarah]

Antifreeze is used to prevent vehicles from freezing damage during winter. It serves multiple functions including cooling, corrosion prevention, scale inhibition, and freeze protection. Many people believe antifreeze is only used in winter, but in fact, it should be used year-round. Cooling is the fundamental function of antifreeze, as the engine generates a significant amount of heat during operation, with about 60% of this heat being dissipated through the cooling system to the surrounding environment. It is crucial to pay attention to the quality of antifreeze; if the antifreeze is of poor quality or even counterfeit, it will not serve its intended purpose. When adding new coolant, it should be done when the engine is cold. Fill the coolant to the MAXT mark on the reservoir, tighten the cap, start the engine, and let it idle until it reaches normal operating temperature before shutting it off. Once the engine temperature has dropped, check the coolant level in the reservoir to ensure it remains at the MAXT mark. If not, add more until the level is sufficient.