Winter is here, are you still using water instead of coolant?

A few days ago, some netizens asked me if I could use pure water instead of the coolant. I think you can use it if you have to. After all, the coolant in the car is water at first. When I was young, I took a long-distance bus, and there was always a long-mouthed tin bucket in the front passenger's seat. At that time, the engine technology was not advanced, the displacement was not small but the horsepower was not large, and the car was an old car. It was easy for the engine to start after climbing a few hills on Panshan Road. Therefore, every time the driver passes by the river under the ravine, the driver will get out of the car and fill the iron bucket with water, fill the water tank, and cool the engine.

After all, the most basic function of the coolant is to absorb heat in the engine, and then circulate it to the radiator to dissipate the heat and then flow back to the engine. It just circulates so as to ensure that the engine is not hot.

However, there are disadvantages when using water as a coolant.

First, the boiling point of water is 100 degrees Celsius. After the water boils, it will evaporate and vaporize, forming water vapor, which causes air resistance in the heat dissipation system pipeline, and the coolant cannot circulate normally. The water in the engine keeps boiling, but it won’t come out, and the engine will soon have problems.

and the normal operating temperature of the engine happens to be around 100 degrees Celsius, so it is very embarrassing: the engine runs very cool when the water temperature is about 90 degrees. However, the pressure of the cooling water is high, because the water is easy to boil if the load is a little bigger and generates a little more heat. You left too little margin for the cooling system.

Secondly, water is easy to freeze at low temperatures, and icing will expand. When the temperature is low in winter, water freezing can easily swell the radiator or engine. Back then, my car used water as a coolant, and it was too late to change the temperature. As a result, the water tank froze and cracked the next day. Not only that, there was also a lump of ice in the engine, the water pump was frozen, and the starter couldn't move, so in a hurry, I could only fire and pour hot water. Later, the engine started to burn oil, which was not worth the gain.

and water will corrode the heat dissipation system. The corrosion mentioned here is not an immediate effect like strong acid or alkali, but a relatively slow process. Metal is easy to rust and oxidize in a humid environment. Some of the current engines are cast iron and some are all aluminum, but they can't withstand long-term blisters and are easy to rust and oxidize. And also consider the problem of scale.

tells everyone a personal experience. My friend has a Wuling Light that pulls goods. After every climb, the engine high temperature warning light is on, and the coolant keeps venting out. When I checked him, I found that the coolant was not right, because Wuling car coolant is basically green, and his is red, which is still very ugly red. The texture is very light, without the greasy feeling of authentic coolant.

When the water temperature drops, turn on the radiator and take a look. Oh my god, where is the coolant? This is tap water mixed with rust. Due to the long-term addition of tap water, there is a lot of rust in the heat dissipation system, which causes the water tank cover to corrode and block, and the coolant cannot return after entering the expansion pot. As a result, there is more and more water in the expansion pot and less and less water in the heat dissipation system until the normal circulation cannot be caused. high temperature. Later, the heat dissipation system was cleaned and a new water tank cover was replaced, and the problem was solved.

So water can be used as a coolant, but only if you understand its characteristics and can withstand the consequences. It may be common to use water as a coolant more than ten or twenty years ago. After all, there were not many private cars at that time, and those who were able to drive would basically repair them. Just use water. If something goes wrong, repair it. After all, in those days, the car had no problems here, and there would be problems there.

is different now, the engine technology is advanced and the quality is much better. Manufacturers also try their best to let users have less trouble in using the car, just buy it back and just drive it, and don't want you to worry too much. The coolant can play such a role, with a high boiling point, which can protect metals from corrosion and will not freeze in winter. Just turn on the new car after mentioning it. Don’t worry about the rust of the water tank. You don’t need to empty the coolant after parking in winter, just replace it regularly as required. What a peace of mind.