How To Put Coolant in Your Car: Quick Guide

Modern vehicles rely on multiple fluids to operate correctly, including coolant or antifreeze. Basic car maintenance includes exchanging coolant at regular mileage intervals and topping off the level as needed. 

Coolant helps to maintain a car engine’s optimal operating temperature, but too little or too much antifreeze can cause problems that could lead to engine failure. 

The following guide includes a quick guide to adding coolant to a car. 

How To Choose the Right Antifreeze From a Supplier

If you’re in the automotive industry and serving customers, choosing the right antifreeze for your customers from a supplier is a crucial part of offering quality service. 

Here’s what to look for when you’re choosing a product:

• Performance Specifications: Look for antifreeze products with proven performance metrics, like high boiling and low freezing points, to ensure engine protection for your customers (even in extreme temperatures).
• Additives and Corrosion Protection: Choose antifreeze with additives that offer corrosion and scale protection for metal engine components, which can help prolong the lifespan of the engine.
• Brand Reputation: Reach for antifreeze from reputable brands that are known for quality and consistency. Research customer reviews and industry feedback to get a better understanding of their reliability.
• Certifications: Check for certifications from automotive organizations or industry bodies that validate the antifreeze’s quality and performance.
• Supplier Reliability: Do your research into the supplier’s reliability, especially when it comes to delivery times, customer support, and ability to provide consistent product quality.

Why Choose Cadence Petroleum?

At Cadence, we offer a variety of antifreeze brands in bulk, drums, totes, and cases, focusing on leading brands with proven performance like Brewer Hendley and Apollo Oil. 

Through our comprehensive oil analysis guide, we ensure that our antifreeze products maintain their high performance and quality, contributing to the longevity of your engine's cooling system.

We’re dedicated to providing customers with top-quality products and services — and we differentiate ourselves through our commitment to understanding your needs and delivering products and solutions that bring real, measurable and lasting value.

What Are a Car’s Basic Cooling System Components?

Coolant is the circulating liquid component of a more extensive cooling system that keeps a car’s engine within ideal operating temperatures as you drive, regardless of climate. Without coolant, the internal combustion processes would quickly burn out the engine’s components and leave you stranded. 

In addition to coolant, a car’s engine cooling system also includes the following: 

• Radiator: The radiator routes coolant through a matrix of passageways to cool it down before it returns to the engine block. Besides sitting at the front of the engine, the radiator often has a fan attached that draws in more air for reduced cooling if necessary. 
• Upper and lower radiator hoses: Once in place, these hoses provide a flexible yet robust route between cooling system components.
• Water pump: This component pumps the coolant through the cooling system to ensure a consistent, unimpeded flow.
• Serpentine belt: In certain vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump.
• Thermostat: Similar to the water pump, the thermostat manages coolant flow within the system, opening and closing passageways based on the engine’s temperature.
• Overflow tank: Additional coolant within the overflow or expansion tank helps regulate the system as the temperature changes, and the coolant expands or contracts accordingly. 

Locating these components in the engine bay is important to determine if the car is leaking coolant. Even a tiny pinhole leak can lead to engine failure if the car’s operating temperature exceeds recommended levels. 

A Note About Coolant Types and Mixtures

Coolant mixtures are sold diluted (50/50) and concentrated based on the car manufacturer's recommendations. Domestic and foreign vehicles also take different kinds of coolants based on these recommendations. For example, Zerex offers specialized coolants for both domestic and imported vehicles, while Shell provides versatile antifreeze solutions for modern engines. Additionally, Havoline products are designed to meet the specific needs of various vehicle models.

Before working on a car’s cooling system, consult the owner’s manual to determine what type of coolant you need and how much. The owner’s manual will also list when you should flush and replace your vehicle’s coolant. 

How To Put Coolant in a Car

Adding coolant can take just a few minutes. Assuming the vehicle is cold, add coolant until the level in the overflow tank reaches the “full” line. If it’s time to exchange the coolant in the car, use the following guide to get the job done right. 

1. Drain the Existing Coolant

It’s crucial for a car’s engine to be cool to the touch before draining the cooling system. Removing the radiator cap or otherwise releasing pressure from the system while at operating temperature can cause coolant to gush out and scald you. It’s often easiest to park the car overnight before beginning the coolant exchange process the following day or at least a few hours later. 

Gather enough coolant to refill your system, a drain pan, and a tarp. Place the tarp and drain pan beneath the vehicle. The owner’s manual may provide information on how to drain the coolant efficiently from the vehicle, but sometimes, removing the lower radiator hose is the most direct method.

Once you’ve drained the cooling system, find a container for the old coolant. Properly dispose of the coolant per your state’s recommended procedures. 

2. Refill the Coolant

Before refilling the coolant in a car, reconnect the lower radiator hose or otherwise seal up the system. Then, remove the radiator cap and place a funnel in the opening. The funnel should cover the opening that connects to the overflow tank, so you’re not just filling that up before the rest of the system fills up. 

At this stage of putting coolant in your car, it’s ideal to have the radiator sit higher than the rest of the cooling system. That way, any air bubbles rise to the surface and work their way out of the system without causing any issues once you replace the radiator cap. 

3. Check for Leaks 

Once you’ve filled the cooling system, remove the funnel and secure the radiator cap, ensuring a tight fit. Start the engine, keeping an eye on the coolant level in the overflow tank, the tarp beneath the car, and the various connection points throughout the car’s cooling system. 

Allow the car to reach operating temperature and adjust the climate controls to blast heat to ensure there are no leaks. 

What Are Some Preventative Maintenance Tips for a Car’s Cooling System?

Once you’ve topped off the car’s coolant or replaced it entirely, it’s time to do a once-over to check for leaks. 

Wipe away any excess coolant that might have spilled during filling, and place a flattened cardboard box or tarp beneath the vehicle’s engine to catch drips. Instruct customers on the importance of inspecting the engine bay and cooling components every six months to check for leaks, and make sure they know to keep an eye on the temperature gauge as they drive to ensure their car cools itself successfully. 

Cadence: Delivering Automotive Value at Every Turn 

Customers rely on their cars and their cooling systems to get where they want to go. Depend on Cadence to deliver the best products and services for your business’s needs so you can continue servicing your customers. 

Contact us to speak to one of our associates about our wide range of services, which include industrial, wholesale, government, farming, and automotive. 

Sources: 

Engine Cooling Basics | MotorWeek

Can You Mix Coolant? Debunking the Myths | DriveSafe Online

Petroleum Quality Institute of America Quick Reference Guide Antifreeze/Coolant Timeline | PQIA

When and How to Service Your Car’s Cooling System | Capital One Auto Navigator