ON THE VEHICLE Coolants At A Crossroad By Colin Dilley, Vice President, Technology, Prestone Products Corporation Nitrite issues drive important dialogue 18 Fleet Maintenance | April 2017 rior to 1927, a variety of diff erent compounds were used as cooling system liquids, including common kitchen ingredients such as sugar, honey and molasses. Th at changed when Prestone introduced the fi rst all-season, ethylene-glycol-based cooling system fl uid. Ethylene glycol, with the integral corrosion inhibitors, remains the major component of antifreeze/ coolant (AF/C) to this day. When maintained and working properly, AF/C provides four key functions: 1. Provides effi cient heat transfer to control critical engine temperature. 2. Increases the boiling point to help prevent boilover and overheating failures. 3. Provides freezing protection to prevent freezeups or non-starts in the lowest temperatures. 4. Provides eff ective inhibition of corrosion for all cooling-system metals. If the AF/C is unable to satisfy these requirements, the vehicle’s emissions, fuel economy, horsepower and durability of engine components will be compromised. Th e AF/C industry is currently at a crossroads due to Nitrite-related issues. Here’s how we’ve arrived. P ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN
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