People are caught up in two sides of this matter. Can we mix pink and green antifreeze or not? Let us find out.
So can you mix pink and green antifreeze? The answer is yes. You can mix pink and green antifreeze; however, there might be some harmful effects in mixing two different coolant colors, so you might want to think twice before mixing a pink antifreeze with a green antifreeze.
Car owners have been thinking a lot about this question because there can be two answers. First, half of the public believes that mixing pink coolant with a green coolant does nothing bad to your engine. But, on the other hand, half of the public also states that you should never mix the pink coolant with a green coolant.
Some people also believe that if you mix two different colors of a coolant, it can increase the efficacy of the coolant. And yes, some people believe that mixing pink coolant with green coolant can ruin the properties of the coolant. This is why drivers are confused about what to believe in and what to do.
So now, this article will help you answer some questions regarding the mixing of pink antifreeze and green antifreeze. So let us get going.
Table of Contents
Can You Mix Pink And Green Coolant?
Before we go into specific details, let us know first what antifreeze is. An antifreeze is an essential liquid for your vehicle because your engine needs this liquid to function correctly. Antifreeze can also be referred to as coolant.
The antifreeze or coolant is used in the cooling system of your vehicle. It is diluted with distilled water. If you are driving your car and the weather is very hot, your engine will have the chance to overheat because there is just so much heat happening in the engine.
To combat that, the coolant or antifreeze will help remove the heat so that your vehicle’s engine will not overheat. On the other hand, it can also stop the fluids inside your car from freezing when the cold season comes. Inside your car’s cooling system, there can be some rusting that can happen, but as a defense, the coolant also has some rust inhibitors in them to prevent this problem.
To answer this question, the color of the coolant can be compared to food coloring. It does not have any differences in terms of its properties inside the coolant itself. So the reason why coolant has different colors is that there are plenty of companies producing coolant, and these different companies are using different colors.
To put it simply, the antifreeze has different colors so that the consumers will know which product they are using and are buying just by looking at the colors of the coolant. If there are differences out of these coolants based on their colors, these differences will be very minimal, and it might just focus on the lifespan of each coolant. If you want to go into specific details, let us name some companies and the colors of the antifreeze that they are selling.
If you want an orange antifreeze, you can try General Motors coolant. So, in conclusion, the different colors of the coolant are considered just an identifier. You can identify the different products with their specific companies by just identifying the colors. This must be clear to everyone.
If we base it on the color of the coolant, it should not be the basis of asking about its compatibility. But, again, the color is just an identifier. So if you will ask if it is okay to mix the pink coolant with green coolant, then it can be okay.
But you should be careful about the type of coolant that you will mix. There are different types of coolant, and if your pink coolant and your green coolant have the same type, you do not have to worry. But if the two antifreeze is of different types, it will lessen and decrease the efficacy of the coolant.
Is There A Difference Between Pink And Green Antifreeze?
When it comes to the colors of the antifreeze, it is just an identifier of the product with their companies. If the pink coolant and the green coolant are of different types, then mixing both of them might indeed have some harmful effects on your engine. To further understand the types of coolant, there are three (3) different types of antifreeze.
The differences between these three antifreeze are very slight, but they can already affect its efficiency and lifespan. So there is the IAT, or what they call the inorganic acid technology. This antifreeze has a bright green color.
The IAT or inorganic acid technology is the antifreeze used by older vehicles, usually in the mid-90s. This type of antifreeze has a silicate. It also has an inhibitor against corrosion, and they are called phosphates.
In terms of the lifespan of this type of antifreeze, it can live up to two (2) years. The second type of antifreeze is the OAT or the organic acid technology. This OAT or the organic acid technology can be bought in red color, or they can also be in orange color.
The OAT or the organic acid technology is used in newer models, unlike the IAT used in older cars. It is also not the same with IAT because it has phosphates and silicates. The OAT or the organic acid technology has no phosphates or silicates.
Instead, it has neutralized organic acids and azoles. Both of these are corrosion inhibitors, and the lifespan of this antifreeze can be about five years. The third type of antifreeze is the HOAT or the hybrid organic acid technology.
The oat or the organic acid technology is a mixture of IAT and the OAT. The color of this antifreeze is yellow or orange. Again, the lifespan of this antifreeze can be up to five years.
So this is where incompatibility happens. If you mix different types of antifreeze, regardless of their colors, it will weaken and decrease the corrosion inhibitors in the antifreeze.
What Will Happen If You Mix Pink And Green Antifreeze?
If you mix pink antifreeze and green antifreeze, there can be some harmful effects. If you are not an expert in the chemical composition and the reaction of the different types of antifreeze, then you must not attempt to try and mix different antifreeze.
Also, you are not sure if the two antifreeze you have is the same type or different type. If you do not know anything about it, do not proceed because it will damage your vehicle.
Summary
In summary, the pink antifreeze and the green antifreeze might or might not be of a different type. The color of the antifreeze can be just an identifier in which company the antifreeze is from.
You have to know the type of antifreeze before you mix both of them. Mixing two different antifreeze can be harmful to your engine. This is because the substances in the coolant can lose their effect.
Related:
- Can You Mix Blue And Green Coolant?
- Can You Mix Pink And Blue Antifreeze?
- Can You Mix Pink And Orange Antifreeze?
- Can You Mix Red And Green Antifreeze?
- Can You Mix Yellow And Blue Antifreeze?
- Can You Mix Pink And Red Antifreeze?
Resources
Image credits – Canva
