OviedoBob

About to flush 96 Vet system.

You techs out there: Stay with Dexcool or go with the green stuff?

For the past 30 years I've used the green stuff on all my cars with not a problem.

Is it critcal and correct to stick with the Dexcool on Corvettes?

Do the C5/C6 still specify Dexcool or did they switch to "green"?

kwik_ta

I believe all new cars use Dexcool. It has qualities that are better than the "green stuff", but it also has experienced problems with "gelling up". Dexcool has had documented problems with excessive corrosion problems that has also lead to over heating and cooling problems. I personally went with the "green stuff" in my 96.

89sleeper

I use the green stuff in both my 89s

Strick

Rule of thumb has always been if it came with green stuff stay with it, if it came with Dexcool stay with it and NEVER mix the two.

aboatguy

A prior owner switched my 95 to green and I have no problems!
My 02 Impala has dexcool and I have problems, with the reservoir getting sludged up and the coolant looks like a$$ so I have flushed and installed dexcool a couple of times. Once the warranty is over I am going to try a different coolant.
Many people have cars that have no trouble with the Dexcool so if your 96 has no problems with the Dexcool there are benefits to keeping the dexcool (the reported long life and corrosion resistance)

If you like the green and want to switch make sure you completely/thoroughly flush the Dexcool out before installing green, unless you're using one of the new coolants that are compatible with Dex and Green

Mike

aboatguy

I take too long to type. When I started my reply there were zero responses!

c4cruiser

Unless you completley flush the red stuff out of the system, you could have problems swapping to the green. The two coolants are not compatible. Much easier to stay with the Dex-Cool (use the Havoline coolant, it's the same stuff that GM uses) and distilled water.

GM switched to the long-life coolant in 95 or so and it's in all of their car lines. Other car companies use a similar type of product and they usually specify a flush/refill after 5 years or 50K miles. These extended life coolants rely on a system that is tight doesn't let any air in. That's why you should never remove a pressure cap to top off the cooling system. Always fill through the overflow tank.

Slalom4me

Don't switch coolants.

There are too many sad tales in the archives.

.

Muffin

Trust the General. If it came green stay green. If it came what ever color Dexcool is supposed to be, keep it that way.

Z-07 freak

Bullseye!

NEVER mix the two types. That's why I'm weary about this new stuff that claims to be compatible with both.

runner140*

Your 1996 probably came with Dexcool. mine did. Its fine as long as you change, (full flush) once a year and replace with a 50/50 mixture.

VB Black Ice

This is what I heard about Dexcool from a Chevrolet dealer. He said that the biggest difference between them is the glycol content. As long as you use the plastic containers in the 'vette you'll need to use Dexcool as the green stuff will crack it. Thats why the REALLY expensive clear stuff is used in Mercedes and BMW, it has almost no glycol content. Stick with the orange

Casethecorvetteman

Aparently, and no doubt most of you with think this is wierd, but there is a particular brand of laundry powder (im not sure which one) is meant to be better than any kind of coolant as far as corrosion/wear protection goes, one of my mate's father swears by it, and has used it in every car and truck he has owned from the day he gets them, he reckons that it keeps the internals sparkling clean (it is laundry powder after all) and protects aluminum. I have no idea what kind of freeze/boil protection it would offer. Personally if it was me, id stick with manufacturer specific fluids,and yes the 96 Corvettes came with DEX-COOL acording to the Black Book and the service manual. Has anyone else ever heard of this laundry powder being used? If anyone is interested, i can find out the exact type it is....

PLRX

This is very important.

Do not mix them!!! Since 1995 corvettes came with DEXCOOL. If you have an older VETT you can switch to DEXCOOL as long you flush the cooling system. I used a modified thermo without the spring. This allowed all the water to exite the car. To answer your question, yes you can use DEXCOOL. Hope this helps you!!

Drivn2Fast

...just buy the "yellow stuff" it is supposed to be compatible with both.

Supposedly if you use the ethyl glychol "green" stuff it can be corosive to a coolant system meant for dexcool. Nobody likes dexcool because the sludge it develops, but supposedly that only happens when owners let the coolant level get low.

Yes, I used "supposedly" a lot, but I am not trying to pass this off as fact, just saying what the general consensus is.

Dave

Slalom4me

Unfortunately, due to the recent work here on the forums, the vast
numbers of threads about this issue no longer seem to be readily
available. Hopefully they will be restored in time.

Here is one thread I found. Note the key is the guy tore down his
engine and had new gaskets. Coolant seeps into the gaskets and
a flush won't get it out.

Also, read these two articles

Top it up with green? Or orange? Which antifreeze?
BY PATRICK BEDARD
June 2002

Dr. Turcotte writes a few coolant prescriptions.
BY PATRICK BEDARD
July 2002

If you still have any doubts, google Dexcool and see what you get.
While the number of issues that come up seem to be an indictment
of Dexcool, it makes me wonder how many of these cases occured
because the owner or some service person added non-Dexcool.

Bottom line - if it ain't broke, don't fix it !

.

OviedoBob

Thanks for all the responses.

My 96 Vet came with Dexcool, so I will stick with it. Bought it last month with only 6700 miles on it, no maint history, so as a minimum I'm replacing ALL fluids and filters.

I will do a full flush/drain (knock sensors out) with new thermostat about every 2 years at the max. I will also take out the radiator surge tank and coolant recovery reservoir and flush it out.

Its just that if you poke around a bit and talk to master mechs who have seen it all, about half of them hate Dexcool and have seen the damage done to car engines. But I also realize most non-car nuts just let the stuff sit in their engines for years and years and let it do the damage.

This is my first GM/Chevy car so might as well stick to Dexcool.

I have five other cars (foreign) and many other foreign cars in the past 25-30 years and have been always using the Prestone "green" stuff. Always flush every 3 years or so, never had a problem, no sludge, change radiator hoses every 4 years or so, never been stranded on the road with cooling problems.

I like preventive maintenance!

astock165

At the risk of getting OT and hijacking a thread, I've read this article on flushing the system using the knock sensors and it seems very convoluted as I read it. Is there an easier way to do this? Or am I over estimating the amount of effort?

OviedoBob

Service manual says for a complete flush of the engine block to unscrew the two knock sensors from the block to drain out all the coolant from the block.

Mr. Peabody

My 96 Yukon came with Dexcool. We lived up in the mountains of Upstate NY and temps ranged from -15 to +95. I let the Dexcool sit for 5 years. At the end of 5 years we opened it up and everything was nice and clean (that was at 100,000 miles) Put new Dexcool in and left it there until 2005 when I sold the Yukon.

Do not try to switch to the green unless you are sure that you can also drain the heater core as well .... if they mix, you end up with sludge.