Can You Use Water Instead Of Antifreeze In The Summer

The role that the coolant plays in cooling the engine should not be underestimated.

Can you use water instead of antifreeze in the summer. Remember also to regularly check the coolant level and cooling fan to avoid future problems with your cooling system. The coolant is a greenish yellow liquid that increases the boiling point of the water. Be mindful of your dash lights should you see a light or gauge showing your engine is overheating do not continue driving pull over immediately. I d like to know which season can you get away with just water because it s bothered me how i got conflicting words.

Coolant which is also known as antifreeze prevents the liquid in the radiator from freezing and cracking in the winter. The presence of coolant is a year round necessity to protect your engine s cooling. Water is often mixed with the coolant in a 50 50 ratio. It also helps to lower its temperature in summer and prevent it from boiling over.

However doing so is not recommended since water won t work well beyond its freezing and boiling points. But how many falsely believe that you can just use water instead. After all automotive coolant is generally known as anti freeze and what is the point of using antifreeze if your automobile will never be driven in conditions below 32 degrees fahrenheit. The reason why water is not used alone in the radiator is that it has a low boiling point compared to the coolant.

That mixture can cause a great deal of damage to the engine by corroding and clogging the passageways choking off the water flow through the radiator which causes the engine to overheat. Your engine contains more than. I m afraid it s not that easy. Yes you could use water as a coolant in an emergency.

It also prevents galvanic corrosion which is what would happen if you only used plain water. No it can not anti freeze should also be called anti boil. You should check the radiator system for leaks the moment you notice. Then another mechanic told me the polar opposite that it s the winter when you can use water instead of anti freeze and you ll be ok whereas summer you need anti freeze more.

Please don t just tell me that you need anti freeze for both seasons because i know it will cause damage to parts of the car if you don t. Coolant is not in there just to prevent freezing. This could also cause expensive engine damage. Only use a mix of the correct antifreeze and distilled water not tap water.

So use it only in unavoidable situations. A surprising number of people imagine that using pure water instead of a water coolant mixture in a car radiator is fine if you live in a warm climate. Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially to another when both metals are in electrical contact.