Using a Refractometer to test coolant

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How a Car Works

How a Car Works

Күн бұрын

A refractometer is used to measure the freezing point of vehicle coolant, washer fluid, and potentially also testing battery electrolyte.
This short video demonstrates how to use a refractometer and how read the scale.
Want to master auto engineering and car mechanics? You want Alex's complete video course teaching you everything you need to know. See more at www.howacarworks.com/video-co...

Пікірлер: 56
@adonisengineering5508
@adonisengineering5508 4 жыл бұрын
Best type of teacher on the world: admits he doesn't know everything.
@elessal
@elessal 2 жыл бұрын
DO NOT PAY FOR THIS! it may not have started as a scam but now it is for sure! if you check social media, you will find a lot of people who ask for help and were ignored by this guy. in a few weeks the site forgot I bought the course and even if I am loged it it won't let me watch videos, offering me instead to buy the course again. no one responds emails nor messages sent to the social media profiles. also, the course is incomplete and this guy has not uploaded anything in years. and none of the site-only videos were is 4k as promised. only the free youtube ones were. there is not even an option to download the videos, so unless you know of a hackey way to do so, don't bother giving money for this. if someone finds a way to download the videos, please upload them to the pirate bay. despite all, the videos were actually quite good.
@lucadorigo1813
@lucadorigo1813 4 жыл бұрын
"Do you need it? No. Do you look good using one? I think so." - Reason for owning 90% of my tools.
@howacarworks
@howacarworks 4 жыл бұрын
That's the way it is! :)
@MarzNet256
@MarzNet256 4 жыл бұрын
Refraction is just a fancy word for bending light. As light passes from air into liquid, it bends a bit. Components in the liquid such a ethylene/propylene glycols influence the degree (angle) of this bending in relation to their concentrations. The final angle shows up on the scale.
@elessal
@elessal 2 жыл бұрын
DO NOT PAY FOR THIS! it may not have started as a scam but now it is for sure! if you check social media, you will find a lot of people who ask for help and were ignored by this guy. in a few weeks the site forgot I bought the course and even if I am loged it it won't let me watch videos, offering me instead to buy the course again. no one responds emails nor messages sent to the social media profiles. also, the course is incomplete and this guy has not uploaded anything in years. and none of the site-only videos were is 4k as promised. only the free youtube ones were. there is not even an option to download the videos, so unless you know of a hackey way to do so, don't bother giving money for this. if someone finds a way to download the videos, please upload them to the pirate bay. despite all, the videos were actually quite good.
@nanduvasanthakumar4692
@nanduvasanthakumar4692 4 жыл бұрын
I can't understand why you get very few views to ur videos it really deserves more
@adriansmith4421
@adriansmith4421 4 жыл бұрын
Right! Thats what i was thinking. Their very entertaining to watch
@randynelson6628
@randynelson6628 4 жыл бұрын
Since he turned the key on his channel, it has been steadily picking up speed. Don't worry...with it running on all cylinders, he'll be redlining in no time!
@STiHigh1
@STiHigh1 4 жыл бұрын
Guys, The purpose of this refractometer is NOT to indicate when you should REPLACE the coolant, as such. This refractometer has one job which is to advise in degrees Celsius what level of antifreeze protection is in the coolant under test; and I thought the presenter (Alex?) covered that issue. This can be helpful when testing coolant in a vehicle of unknown service history, or double-checking the accuracy of a coolant mix prepared by yourself, or others, or even store-bought antifreeze. It can also help check the coolant supplied after a workshop service of your vehicle's cooling system. For those unfamiliar with coolant/cooling systems and wish to use a refractometer to test coolant taken from your vehicle: (a) if your coolant tests way too low in antifreeze protection (for your environment), you can remove some coolant from your cooling system and add sufficient antifreeze CONCENTRATE to the system to increase the antifreeze protection to the desired level. [Important: You should ONLY add concentrate to your system IF you know the brand/type of antifreeze in your system and you add only that brand/type of antifreeze concentrate. And, do NOT mix different colours of antifreeze!] OR (b) if your coolant tests way too high in antifreeze protection (for your environment), you can remove some coolant from your cooling system and add sufficient (distilled/rain/boiled) WATER to the system to reduce the antifreeze protection to the desired level. The above scenarios may require a bit of fiddling around to get the mix close enough but if your antifreeze protection is way too low or way too high you should spend the time on it. Or, you could just drain the cooling system and refill it with the correct mix of coolant . Whichever, your engine will thank you. In the video test at 1:30 the refractometer showed -40C for a stated 50:50 coolant mix i.e. 50% antifreeze concentrate & 50% water. (I think a true 50:50 mix would read -37C on the refractometer, but that’s just quibbling). The brand of refractometer used in the video showed only the degrees Celsius antifreeze protection provided by the coolant under test (i.e. -40C). But, other brands of refractometers can show two test values i.e. the degrees Celsius antifreeze protection AND the antifreeze percentage of the coolant (e.g. shows -40C and 53%); which is more helpful IMO. For vehicles in a non-extreme temperature environment I use a 50:50 mix (concentrate:water), with protection to -37C. Nice and safe. I've seen published that a 33:67 mix (-19C) is an absolute minimum (bordering on unsafe) and a 67:33 mix (-60C) is an absolute maximum (bordering on unsafe). BTW, a 50:50 mix increases the boiling point of the coolant by about 8C. Think I’ve got my facts and figures right (well, close enough). I'm sure to be corrected if I haven't. 😊
@Bman130958
@Bman130958 4 жыл бұрын
@ Terry T ... Very well stated and definitely 100 % accurate info. Well put...KUDOS. Cheers Brian
@STiHigh1
@STiHigh1 4 жыл бұрын
@@Bman130958 Thanks for the feedback.
@redbeak1453
@redbeak1453 4 жыл бұрын
Exactly the info I'm looking for after doing a coolant flush on my Volvo. Since a few quarts of water/coolant remains in the internals of the engine after a flush, it throws off the 50/50 mix that is normally added to refill. Since you seem familiar with this testing method, I have two questions. Can we assume that the coolant is sufficient for the boiling point, if it passes the refractory test on the freezing side? Also, is this a good method for trying to correct the ratio back to 50/50 after doing a flush? Will it show too much water? Thanks for any info.
@STiHigh1
@STiHigh1 4 жыл бұрын
@@redbeak1453 Hi. I'm not sure how helpful I can be but here goes... You said: “Since a few quarts of water/coolant remains in the internals of the engine after a flush, it throws off the 50/50 mix that is normally added to refill.” Sorry, I’m not sure what you mean by “it throws off the 50/50 mix”. If you're concerned about the end RATIO mix of the coolant , there will not be a problem IF the residual coolant left in your system is a 50/50 mix (or thereabouts) AND you do a system flush [EDIT: I meant "fill", not "flush"] with a 50/50 mix of the SAME coolant type. The overall mix ratio will still be “50/50” for the system. Even if the residual coolant that was left in the system has a poor, undesirable ratio mix, the volume of the new 50/50 coolant you are adding to the system will basically even everything out to give you an acceptable ratio mix (which you can fine tune afterwards if you want). If you're concerned that the AMOUNT of coolant you add will be less than what the workshop manual states for a refill (because of the residual coolant left in there), not a problem. Just add new 50/50 coolant to the system until the system is full (and burped), whatever the amount is required. BTW, what is the capacity of your Volvo’s cooling system and how many quarts/litres do you think is still in there? You asked: "Can we assume that the coolant is sufficient for the boiling point, if it passes the refractory test on the freezing side?". Sorry, I don't understand so let me answer this way. You first need to decide the anti-freeze protection AND/OR the increase in coolant boiling point that you want for your vehicle for your local environment (whether you live in a moderate climate or a very hot or a very cold climate). Once you decide on the protection level you want for your vehicle you follow the mixing instructions on the back of your favourite antifreeze concentrate to get the bespoke protection you want..or you can just buy a 50/50 mix off the shelf, like I do. :) For example, a 33/67 mix (33% antifreeze concentrate/67% water) provides coolant freezing protection to -19C and increases its boiling point by 4C. A 50/50 mix provides freezing protection to -37C and increases its boiling point by 8C. There are tables that can be found on the internet which will help you. If in doubt, imo, go for a 50/50 mix or close to it. You asked: "Also, is it a good method for trying to correct the ratio back to 50/50 after doing a flush?". A refractometer is very useful when having to correct coolant mix ratios. However, in your case I don’t know why you would need to afterwards correct the ratio back to a 50/50 mix IF you are using a 50/50 mix for the flush [EDIT: Meant "fill", not "flush"). You should be close enough. (There are cheaper, quicker tools than a refractometer that do much the same thing but they’re just not as precise or as fancy for us nerdy folks 😊. See www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/60400/best-coolant-testers-2019. These type of antifreeze testers rely on the number of balls or discs to rise in the sampled coolant to indicate the mix ratio, e.g. 4 balls rising = 50/50. Some of these are accurate, some are close enough and some are not). You asked: “Will it show too much water.” Not sure what you mean. The refractometer doesn’t show water as such, whether either too much or too little. The tool shows the amount of antifreeze CONCENTRATE as a percentage that is in the sample of COOLANT (i.e. antifreeze concentrate AND water mix) being tested by the refractometer. If the refractometer shows the antifreeze concentrate is 33% you can then deduce that the water content in the coolant is 67%. In future flushes, may I suggest: (a) Check that the radiator coolant level is correct, If it isn’t, fill to full. (b) Drain the cooling system into a container, following the drain method suggested in the vehicle workshop manual (or google it). (c) Measure how much fluid was drained. (d) Compare that figure with the workshop manual specs to determine the residual coolant left in the system. (e) Fill the system with new coolant to full. Hope this helps a bit.
@redbeak1453
@redbeak1453 4 жыл бұрын
@@STiHigh1 Wow!! Thank you for the very detailed response. First of all, I wrongly stated that I flushed the system with 50/50 mix. As explained in the Haynes manual I used(distilled water) reverse osmosis water to flush. Also on the Volvo sites they use distilled water. Funny, no one mentions that not all the coolant comes out like in an oil change. I did drain the block also. I did measure how much coolant came out, but the problem was, that I had already prepared the concentrated Volvo specific blue coolant the night before by mixing it 50/50 to achieve the protection you state above. I live in New Jersey USA, so I'm covered with that mix. With Corona shut downs around, I couldn't just run out to get another gallon of coolant. So I have the testers you mention, but the refractometer seems more accurate than those floating balls that seem to give different readings from one sample to another. So now with the new gallon of concentrate, I've been draining a little at a time and adding to try to get to 50/50 with the testers(floating balls and the Prestone with red arrows). I'm still waiting for the refractometer. Based on what you say, it could help me get to a more accurate 50/50 mix. I have a 96 Volvo 850T5 that has been a tank over the years. With the Corona shut down, I've been going over the car and learning new things to do. Just rebuilt calipers last weekend, changed rotors and pads and bled brakes. I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge!! Is that that you doing a track day? I ride motorcycles on the track.
@Hopeless_and_Forlorn
@Hopeless_and_Forlorn 4 жыл бұрын
Refractometers are critical to aircraft safety in deicing operations. Heated mixtures of propylene glycol and water are used to remove ice and snow from aircraft before flight. The freezing point of the mixture is determined before deicing begins to ensure that the residual fluid will not re-freeze on the airframe before the airplane is safely in flight. Since some deicing rigs allow the operator to select different concentrations of glycol and water during operation, the freezing point of fluid taken directly from the spray nozzle is measured and recorded before spraying begins. Refractometers are also used in the food industry to measure the concentration of sugar in various liquids.
@sbfguy7793
@sbfguy7793 4 жыл бұрын
I use these at work, but it's for the coolant in my machine. Thanks for the amazing video!
@OkorieChristian
@OkorieChristian 2 жыл бұрын
Hi...what parameters do you watch out for. We got a refractometer ,only to find out it was a brix series. How do u monitor the oil concentration in the coolant.
@JH-in5oq
@JH-in5oq 3 жыл бұрын
I use one of these to brew beer, another hobby of mine. It’s used to measure sugar content before and after fermentation.
@Tamilaviator
@Tamilaviator 4 жыл бұрын
Sir, I want to become an automobile engineer. Your videos really help me. Upload more videos. 😀
@Bman130958
@Bman130958 4 жыл бұрын
Alex...would you mind sharing the make/model and perhaps source info for the Refractometer you used in this video? Thanks in advance. Brian
@ntblb89
@ntblb89 4 жыл бұрын
This is the first time i hear about it . Thank you .
@StefanKrunic
@StefanKrunic 4 жыл бұрын
What a GREAT channel! I'm so glad I got to it somehow...
@abhimanyum5505
@abhimanyum5505 4 жыл бұрын
I've subscribed to the channel! Hope you release content in fixed intervals! Really looking forward to learn how cars work! Know all about it!
@elessal
@elessal 2 жыл бұрын
DO NOT PAY FOR THIS! it may not have started as a scam but now it is for sure! if you check social media, you will find a lot of people who ask for help and were ignored by this guy. in a few weeks the site forgot I bought the course and even if I am loged it it won't let me watch videos, offering me instead to buy the course again. no one responds emails nor messages sent to the social media profiles. also, the course is incomplete and this guy has not uploaded anything in years. and none of the site-only videos were is 4k as promised. only the free youtube ones were. there is not even an option to download the videos, so unless you know of a hackey way to do so, don't bother giving money for this. if someone finds a way to download the videos, please upload them to the pirate bay. despite all, the videos were actually quite good.
@ruinunes8251
@ruinunes8251 2 жыл бұрын
Looking like a pirate is the best way of putting it. I also own one. Lol
@abhilashreddy6474
@abhilashreddy6474 4 жыл бұрын
Bro u r doing really good, l like videos
@andrefiord2357
@andrefiord2357 4 жыл бұрын
The course is totally awesome, thank you. Is there any way download the videos to watch offline?
@adriansmith4421
@adriansmith4421 4 жыл бұрын
There are apps you could download to save the videos or purchase youtube premium and save them that way
@atomicvinylreviews3420
@atomicvinylreviews3420 4 жыл бұрын
there are heaps of sites that can help, just google "youtube to mp4 converter"
@karthiks9224
@karthiks9224 Жыл бұрын
Very good 👍 keep going 😊🙏
@puregold3935
@puregold3935 4 жыл бұрын
Hi thanks for introducing the refractometer! You can measure the freezing point of a coolant and the concentration of glycol/ethylene, but what does this information tell you about your coolant? If the quality goes down, the temperature would go up and concentration down, right? But more important, how to use the refractometer to decide when you should replace the coolant?
@beachboardfan9544
@beachboardfan9544 4 жыл бұрын
+1 All of the above should have been addressed 👍
@ntblb89
@ntblb89 4 жыл бұрын
There is another tests . Acidity test can be done using a special probe or using special paper that changes color to a spesific percentage . The more acid in coolant will make more damage to the components of radiator and radiator cap and water pump and engine block . It makes it more corrosive .
@vivekvicky6530
@vivekvicky6530 2 жыл бұрын
Hai sir it vivek I ask some questions? I want coolant formula were tell me sir
@pavanpallela538
@pavanpallela538 3 жыл бұрын
Super bro
@mahmoudkasasni1411
@mahmoudkasasni1411 3 жыл бұрын
how much does it cost? please
@appleimacdude
@appleimacdude 9 ай бұрын
Not very expensive, I bought one off ebay or amazon I think, maybe 20 bucks or so? I would still keep my cheap "floating ball" tester, and maybe compare the two readings. The floating ball tester is supposed to be inaccurate with the "safer" antifreeze / coolants, like the Sierra I have used for many years. I intend to compare readings between the two and see how "off" is the floating ball tester with the safer antifreezes - can you add or subtract 1 ball "floating" to compensate for the difference in readings?
@ndricimbregolli5414
@ndricimbregolli5414 3 жыл бұрын
how much does a refractometer cost pleas ?
@ndricimbregolli5414
@ndricimbregolli5414 3 жыл бұрын
how much does a refractometer cost?!
@Jaredisking1023
@Jaredisking1023 3 жыл бұрын
@@ndricimbregolli5414 $100-$150
@awesomeluis
@awesomeluis 4 жыл бұрын
Looks like a good way to get coolant in your eye. 👁 Lol.
@rickbraden4272
@rickbraden4272 3 жыл бұрын
This guy is a hack at using the refractometer. Looks like this is the first time he's ever seen one.
@appleimacdude
@appleimacdude 9 ай бұрын
Uh, didn't he say that in the video? He is still helping people like me get familiar with this. I found out after using Sierra antifreeze / coolant for many years that I was not supposed to be using a floating ball tester to test the ratio of coolant / water. I will watch more than 1 video on how these work. He seems very accurate, and his admission of his lack of experience with this speaks to the many individuals who are learning about new things by researching and without a great deal of fear. To many, this is reassuring - a "you can do this" vibe.
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