Despite their varied hues, the color of the M&M you pop into your mouth has zero effect on the flavor.
However, when it comes to the antifreeze you put in your car, the shade determines its chemical composition.
What’s the difference between green and orange coolant?
Both orange and green antifreeze serve as engine coolants, intended to keep it from freezing or boiling.
They also defend the cooling system against corrosion. However, older cars contain more metallic components, while newer models have more aluminum and nylon. Green is formulated for the former, and orange for the latter.
The genuine disparity is a little more complicated, and rightly so.
Luckily, I will examine how every shade varies from the rest further in this thorough guide. However, initially, let us explore precisely what coolant is and the reason behind your engine requiring it.
Let us get the basics down first!
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What’s The Purpose Of Coolant?
The role of coolant and antifreeze is summed up nicely in either name since it does precisely that. It not only ensures your engine stays within a safe operating range (coolant) but also keeps it from freezing (antifreeze).
It’s typically combined in a mixture that’s 50% water and 50% coolant. Can water be used as a coolant by itself? Yes, however, it would freeze in icy climates and evaporate in sweltering climates. Both of these cases would leave your engine exposed to total failure.
As for color, this chiefly stems from dyes added to aid in identifying its composition. Speaking of color, let’s review the distinction between orange and green.
What Is The Deal With Antifreeze Color?
Green Antifreeze
Emerald engine coolants are designed for use in older vehicles (think pre-2000), ones that contain a lot of steel and copper components in the cooling system. To protect these metallic parts from rust and corrosion, Inorganic Additive Technology (IAT) gets added to the mixture.
IAT is a mixture of diverse compounds, such as phosphates and silicones, with either propylene glycol or ethylene glycol.
Phosphates are derived from phosphoric acid and help soften water and eliminate oil and dirt. Silicones, on the other hand, function as a metal sealant, protecting them from various chemicals, moisture, and overall decay.
Propylene glycol and ethylene glycol are what keeps your engine from overheating.
Orange Antifreeze
And then we have orange antifreeze, which also protects against corrosion, but instead of being geared towards older cars with numerous metal parts, it’s designed for modern cars with more aluminum and nylon components in the cooling system.
One of these acids is carboxylates, which inhibit the accumulation of corrosion. The remarkable thing about these is that they only affect metal surfaces. Meaning they will protect metallic parts without interfering with non-metallic ones.
This shift from steel and copper to aluminum and synthetic began back in the 90s. Due to this modification, GM introduced DexCool. DexCool is a type of coolant that uses a blend of various Organic Acid Technologies (OAT) to help inhibit the accumulation of rust and corrosion.
The drawbacks of orange coolant appear when it starts to diminish. In such cases, air might enter the system, causing a blockage and damage to components inside.
Thankfully, orange antifreeze should last as long as 5-years. Meaning so long as you remember to replenish it, your engine should not encounter any major difficulties.
Can I Mix Different Engine Coolant Types?
The concise response – no. When orange and green antifreeze combine, it is likely that a chemical reaction will occur, resulting in it becoming thicker and resembling a gel.
Since your engine needs fluid rather than gel, it is unable to efficiently cycle it through the system.
Without proper cooling, various components may overheat, leading to breakdown. Take your water pump, for example, which is in charge of pumping the coolant throughout the system. If it fails, you’re looking at a replacement cost of as much as $750.
If you’re going to use a specific antifreeze, you’ll need to flush your cooling system first, which carries a cost of about $100.
What Should I Know About Maintaining Engine Coolant?
As we mentioned earlier, your engine will suffer if you run out of coolant. Thankfully, both green and orange antifreeze last a while. How long? Green for about three years or 36,000 miles, and orange for five years or 150,000 kilometers.
A useful rule of thumb is to examine it at each oil change. If it’s rust-colored, it suggests the rust inhibitor has become ineffective. This is a clear sign it’s time to flush the system out and add some fresh coolant.
If it’s milky-colored, there’s probably oil in it, which indicates it’s leaking from somewhere. This means that not only is your engine running low on lubricant, but its coolant is unable to do its job as well, which is a lethal combination.
You can also rub a small amount between your fingers. If it feels rough, as if there are bits of sand in it, then it’s dirty, and the system needs to be flushed.
What’s The Difference Between Green And Orange Antifreeze?
Quite a bit, actually – which is why it’s essential to ensure you’re using the correct type for your specific make and model. Thankfully, checking it to determine whether it’s orange or green is a simple way to figure it out.
Both keep your engine from freezing, both keep it from overheating, and both also keep corrosion and rust from forming.
If you run out of coolant and choose to disregard it, you will end up with a hefty shop bill that likely ends with a new engine, and you don’t want that!
