TMC Group Promotes Color-Coding for Antifreeze

July 5, 2000 10:20 AM, EDT

Vince Ursini thinks the various types of antifreeze should be identified by their color — the way consumers identify the butterfat content in milk by the container cap’s color.

However, producers of antifreeze do not necessarily agree and are hesitant about making the change.

Ursini, test lab manager with BorgWarner Cooling Systems in Indianapolis, leads a task force seeking a “color-coding” to distinguish the antifreezes and coolants used in truck engines. The Maintenance Council, a unit of American Trucking Associations, created the group to encourage companies like Texaco, Shell and Prestone to adopt labeling schemes.

As Ursini and his task force see it, a mechanic’s job is made difficult because there are several different kinds of coolants, with different ingredients, used in heavy trucks.

“They work differently,” Ursini said. “They can be mixed but the danger is that someone will mix two products of the same color but different ingredients.”

For the full story, see the July 3 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.