Question about Dex-Cool...
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,816
Likes: 0
From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,791
Likes: 3
From: Maine
Has anyone switched over from dex cool to the green coolant? Did you have any problems after? Anything to keep in mind besides giving it a good thorough flush? Is there any benefit in lower engine operating temperature if you switch?
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 132
Likes: 3
From: Springfield Ohio
from:
http://www.aa1car.com/library/2005/us90554.htm
from:
http://www.cartalk.com/content/featu...g/coolant.html
Hope this helps.
http://www.aa1car.com/library/2005/us90554.htm
With older "conventional" antifreeze products, the recommended replacement interval is usually every two years or 30,000 miles. The same recommendation applies to extended-life coolants that have been contaminated with ordinary coolant. If somebody uses ordinary coolant to top off a system that is filled with extended-life coolant, the additive packages can interact and reduce the service life to that of regular coolant. The trouble is, you can't always tell if extended-life coolant has been contaminated with regular coolant. Most long-life products are dyed orange while most ordinary coolant is dyed green or yellow. But color shifts can occur naturally as a coolant ages, and it takes a lot of cross-contamination to produce a noticeable color shift with some products.
OAT corrosion inhibitors provide excellent long-term protection for aluminum and cast iron, but may not be the best choice for older cooling systems that have copper/brass radiators and heater cores. It depends on the formula. One ACDelco spokesman said they do not recommend Dex-Cool for older vehicles with all-iron engines and copper/brass radiators.
http://www.cartalk.com/content/featu...g/coolant.html
There are two primary types of coolants available on the market today. The first is traditional, green-colored antifreeze, which can be used in any car. The second is a newer, long-life coolant, which comes in a variety of colors. It should only be used in recent-model cars because it may damage some of the engine gaskets in older cars. If you're not sure whether your car uses the new or old-style antifreeze, check with your manufacturer.
Several years ago, early formulations of Dexcool would form sludge after mixing with air, clogging cast-iron cooling passages and generally wrecking havoc on engines. GM seems to have fixed the problem, but why take a chance? Keep an eye on it.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,791
Likes: 3
From: Maine
This seems to indicate that dex cool may not be the best choice for the 12 year or older LT1 cast iron engines, despite GM putting it in later C4s when they were new. The main advantage seems to be longevity but with the small number of miles I drive every year there is no way I'm getting 50K or 100K miles between coolant changes. I have some sludge forming in mine that is evident in the overflow tank when the car has been sitting for a number of days and I just can't see a single good reason for staying with the dex cool.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: Fort Worth Texas
I also have a 96 and about a year ago got the notion that I should drain out the dex-coolant and put in the green stuff. I found a shop that would do the change out and I watched as they did the work to be sure they completely flushed out the dex cool and put in the green stuff. Within three months I had a coolant leak, and discovered a hole in the radiator because of the green stuff. I had to replace the radiator, replace the hoses, have the block flushed completely, and put the dex-cool back in. A costly mistake on my part! I will always run the dex-cool after this experience.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4,147
Likes: 452
From: Port St. Lucie West Florida
I also have a 96 and about a year ago got the notion that I should drain out the dex-coolant and put in the green stuff. I found a shop that would do the change out and I watched as they did the work to be sure they completely flushed out the dex cool and put in the green stuff. Within three months I had a coolant leak, and discovered a hole in the radiator because of the green stuff. I had to replace the radiator, replace the hoses, have the block flushed completely, and put the dex-cool back in. A costly mistake on my part! I will always run the dex-cool after this experience.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,791
Likes: 3
From: Maine
I also have a 96 and about a year ago got the notion that I should drain out the dex-coolant and put in the green stuff. I found a shop that would do the change out and I watched as they did the work to be sure they completely flushed out the dex cool and put in the green stuff. Within three months I had a coolant leak, and discovered a hole in the radiator because of the green stuff. I had to replace the radiator, replace the hoses, have the block flushed completely, and put the dex-cool back in. A costly mistake on my part! I will always run the dex-cool after this experience.
I think I'm just going to stay with it and flush and replace it every year.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 276
Likes: 0
From: Bayville New Jersey
i have 96 with 16000 miles which i purchased 2 years ago with 8000 miles ,i dont think it was ever changed, maybe its time do you have to remove the freeze out plugs or can i just drain what i can and replace
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