Harvey C. Hansen

Just had a leak in my aluminum radiator. 66,000 miles on my 1986 C4. Was told, by radiator shop, to flush out all of the "Red" colored anti-freeze. This anti-freeze is recommended for "all" GM products. Has anyone had a issue with this stuff? It has created "Electrolysis" which attacks aluminum & plastic.

jhammons01

Flush that stuff.....flush it out...

Refill with Deionized water and quality Ethylene Glycol. I'd use propylene Glycol if I could find some.

When you flush, don't use the old "water hose" trick as you are introducing more contaminates that lead to more Electrolysis...instead....go to the grocery store and stock up bottled distilled or deionized water.

Drain the old, refill with just Dei water and run a few days. Then drain and refill with more dei water.

I had to do this 6-7 times before I was happy with what was coming out.

By doing it this way, I didn't introduce tap water via the water hose whereby more minerals and salts would get into my coolant system.......which is what really causes Electrolysis

Water itself does not conduct, the particulate floating in the water does.....

hogsnvettes

You can order directly from Amsoil or do a dealer search from their website.

tblt44

Prestone is what I use.

kenv

I would use what the mfg. calls for in your owners manual. The "red" stuff is probably Dex Cool, & I don`t think that it was original equipment from the factory. My `87 uses the good old green stuff & thats what it calls for. As I understand it, the red & green stuff don`t mix, & you could FUBAR your cooling system if they are mixed. Do a thorough flush as mentioned & install new.

hogsnvettes

Amsoil's Propylene Glycol based anti-freeze/coolant is completely compatible with other coolants including Dexcool.

Bronze85

I use Prestone green 50/50, no problems

samsonb

The last thing I'd want to put in my pre-96 GM engine is anything that is compatible with Dexcool.

You can get regular green antifreeze at Autozone or Napa.

samsonb

I don't believe Prestone makes a "green" antifreeze. Just Dexcool or Dexcool clones that say you can mix in any coolant. I wouldn't use that stuff. You can find regular green antifreeze all over the place.

SQUIRMIN VERMIN 84

Actually, Pretone DOES make the green-coloured antifreeze/coolant-been using it for years(since the seventies). Yellow plastic container with black cap, 50/50 mixture.

shadowman1

There was a problem with the GM red Dexcool allowing corrosion in the cooling system a number of years ago. I have seen this as well with the orange in a number of cars. I don't use the Dexcool in any cars.

RollaMo-LT4

Every GM car since 1996 has had Dexcool from the factory, so there are millions of them on the road without any issues too.
99% of the issues can be traced back to poor maintenance.

I have Dexcool in my '96 Corvette, 2000 Silverado, 2001 Monte Carlo, and now a 2009 Equinox.
No problems at all in any of them.

But since the OP's 1986 didn't come with Dexcool, I wouldn't use it in that car.

Aurora40

I don't think any anti-freeze will eat through a radiator... Do you know exactly what was in the car? Dex-Cool is orange. Some Propylene Glycol anti-freezes are red for non-automotive uses (like marine use). But I assume, since you say it was "recommended for all GM", that you know what you put in there. That information would be useful if you want advice.

If you don't know what is in the car, it is certainly best to flush it out well and refill the car with the proper coolant.

RUU

Are you sure it wasn't one of the plastic side tanks that was leaking? It seems to be a matter of when they fail, not if.

Bronze85

better have your eye's checked

glntom

google "dexcool problems"

shadowman1

Ruling is Near on GM Engine Coolant: Class Action Sought over Dex-Cool

May 24, 2006


A federal judge may soon rule whether General Motors Corp. will face a national class action suit accusing GM of selling millions of vehicles with a faulty coolant. The suits stem from GM's use of Dex-Cool, a coolant it first introduced in its vehicles in 1995 and sold in more than 35 million cars and trucks between 1995 and 2004. According to GM, 14 federal and state lawsuits seeking class-action status have been filed against GM over a variety of engine problems



From Detroit Free Press

A federal judge may soon rule whether General Motors Corp. will face a national class action suit accusing GM of selling millions of vehicles with a faulty coolant.

The suits stem from GM's use of Dex-Cool, a coolant it first introduced in its vehicles in 1995 and sold in more than 35 million cars and trucks between 1995 and 2004. According to GM, 14 federal and state lawsuits seeking class-action status have been filed against GM over a variety of engine problems linked to Dex-Cool.

Customers have complained of problems ranging from small coolant leaks to complete radiator and engine failure. Court documents show that GM has received tens of thousands of repair requests related to Dex-Cool and engine gaskets in the affected models and considered recalls for some models.

The company has issued several technical bulletins to its dealers about cooling-related problems in the engines, but says it prefers to handle customer complaints on a case-by-case basis.

When GM introduced the orange-colored Dex-Cool, it said in owners manuals that Dex-Cool could last up to five years or 100,000 miles without being replaced, and later extended Dex-Cool's life to 150,000 miles. Dex-Cool uses a different set of chemicals to protect engine parts than traditional green-colored coolant, which requires more frequent replacement, and GM was the first U.S. automaker to use it.

Attorneys for the owners say that clause means GM should repair any Dex-Cool-related problems, even if they crop up outside the engine's typical three-year or 36,000-mile engine warranty.

"What we're looking for is to have GM step up and honor its warranty obligation," said Eric Gibbs, a San Francisco attorney and one of the lead lawyers for the owners. "There's a significant public interest in this problem, no question about that."

GM claims that the owners manual clause was not a warranty, but a service interval. In its court filings, the automaker says Dex-Cool "has performed without problems in the vast majority of GM vehicles."

"The recent motion to certify a class action is unfortunate," said GM spokeswoman Geri Lama, "and the situation with our customers has been grossly overstated through unsubstantiated allegations in statements which have not been proven in court and will be vigorously defended."

Six of the federal lawsuits have been consolidated in a federal court in East St. Louis, IL, U.S. District Judge G. Patrick Murphy could rule at any time whether the cases, which have about 100 named plaintiffs, should be granted class-action status, meaning they could represent millions of former and current GM owners.

Three similar lawsuits has been filed in Canada, while a state lawsuit in Missouri has already won class-action status, a decision GM is appealing.

The troubles blamed on Dex-Cool range from leaking coolant to blown engines, and often include failed intake manifold gaskets, pieces that rest between the engine block and the air intake to prevent coolant and oil from leaking. Replacing a gasket usually runs about $700, but a bad gasket can cause enough damage that the engine has to be replaced.

Mixing Dex-Cool with another coolant can cause other problems, and GM doesn't recommend using other coolants in Dex-Cool engines, although some mechanics do swap coolants.

About 110 complaints of coolant leaks in the GM vehicles targeted by the lawsuit have been filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to a Free Press review. The agency rejected a call for a defect investigation in 2002, saying the problems weren't safety related and was therefore outside its purview.

Many of the complaints say the problems appear to begin around 60,000 miles, well beyond the engine's warranty but sooner than many customers believe they should have problems with their cooling systems. A few have been reported as early as 20,000 miles.

Mark Reynolds, a radiator repair shop owner in San Carlos, CA, says he sees one or two GM vehicles a week with Dex-Cool problems. A typical repair requires flushing the cooling system and in some cases taking the radiator apart.

"It's a shame -- vehicles in their fourth or fifth year with this awful, gooey mud attacking the top of the radiator cap and fouling up the radiator," he said.

GM has argued against certifying the lawsuit as a class action, noting that state courts in Michigan and California have already turned down similar lawsuits. It contends that the plaintiffs want to represent past and present owners who don't have any problems, and that they "complain of just about everything that can go wrong with a vehicle, attributing every bit of it to Dex-Cool."

Lama said if a GM customer has a problem beyond the warranty, GM has a process for dealing with it through its dealers.

"The first priority of General Motors and its dealers is helping our customers," Lama said.

Copyright 2006 Detroit Free Press. All Rights Reserved

samsonb

Haha. Sure Prestone does have some coolant that LOOKS green. But what I mean by "green" is the type of green coolant GM used pre-96. It is my understanding that Prestone doesn't make it. They just make Dexcool and Dexcool clones. I've never seen "green" coolant that says you can put it in whatever car you want.

samsonb

Haha. Thanks for showing a pic of what NOT to put in your pre-96 Vette. That isn't the "green" stuff. "Green" stuff isn't extended life, and doesn't mix with any make or model. That right there tells you it isn't the "green" stuff. So, why do I need my eyes checked?

RollaMo-LT4

Trust me, most people have.
But my statement still stands. For every "problem" you hear of, there are tens of thousands of users without any issues.

Dexcool has been in my '96 Corvette since it left the factory.
I now have have over 104,000 trouble free miles on it, with over 65,000 miles added myself.
So, I will continue to use Dexcool.

Ruling is near? You quoted a 4 year old article. What was the final outcome?