flushing cooling system
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,165
Likes: 5
From: Coast MS
Are there any drawbacks to this?
I hear back and forth on my 96. Some say dump the dexcool, some say since it came that way just keep using it. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with it just yet.
The worst I've heard is that you do not want to mix dex and the green, and that's where many sludge problems come from.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 924
Likes: 10
From: Manteca Calif
''Are there any drawbacks to this?''
I didn't see any. I left the t-stat in, its goin to reach temp and the t-stat is goin to open, now your running clear water through the whole system....just remember to account for the clear water in your block when you add your antifreeze.
I didn't see any. I left the t-stat in, its goin to reach temp and the t-stat is goin to open, now your running clear water through the whole system....just remember to account for the clear water in your block when you add your antifreeze.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,858
Likes: 7
From: Santa Maria CA
If you add 50/50 right from the beginning you'll end up with a more deluted ratio of more than 3 parts water due to the water still in the block.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,351
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From: Delta B.C. Canada
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That looks like the automotive version of a heart attack! Dex-cholesterol.
[/QUOTE]
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Riverside County Southern California
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And some people will tell you that mixing both "colors" would not do that.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 828
Likes: 103
From: Olney MD
mixing coolant
Well, the LATEST coolant from Prestone is green and says on the bottle it works with anything. I would like to think the images shown are the result of mixing two colors of antifreeze of the old technology.
I have a 97 Saturn with DexCool, and While I wouldn't have picked Dexcool (If i'd had a choice), I've never had problems with it. I flushed it 3 years ago and replaced with fresh DexCool and it's been working happily past 150k miles.
I'm sorry to see a cooling system that clogged. I would normally think that there was something else at work here besides adequate flushing and replacing with wrong color/technology.
Myself, I managed to cook a transmission by putting GL4 synthetic oil in a GL3 only transmission. Cost me $3K to learn that lesson.
I have a 97 Saturn with DexCool, and While I wouldn't have picked Dexcool (If i'd had a choice), I've never had problems with it. I flushed it 3 years ago and replaced with fresh DexCool and it's been working happily past 150k miles.
I'm sorry to see a cooling system that clogged. I would normally think that there was something else at work here besides adequate flushing and replacing with wrong color/technology.
Myself, I managed to cook a transmission by putting GL4 synthetic oil in a GL3 only transmission. Cost me $3K to learn that lesson.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,858
Likes: 7
From: Santa Maria CA
The countless lawsuits GM has been fighting over Dex-Cool speak volumes. That set of lower intake gaskets had nothing but dex-cool in it. People will have their own opinions. But as for me I won't put this in any of my vehicles. And I flush it out and refill with green on every out of warranty I do cooling system work on.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,759
Likes: 8
The countless lawsuits GM has been fighting over Dex-Cool speak volumes. That set of lower intake gaskets had nothing but dex-cool in it. People will have their own opinions. But as for me I won't put this in any of my vehicles. And I flush it out and refill with green on every out of warranty I do cooling system work on.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,348
Likes: 2,272
From: Central Maryland
There are two on LT1 and LT4 engines. They are screwed into the threaded holes that had been capped with simple pipe plugs (the cooling system drain plugs) on older small-block Chevy engines.
They are located adjacent to where the downpipes attach to the exhaust manifolds, and on LT1/LT4, they are shielded by steel plates that attach using two of the oil pan fasteners.
Live well,
SJW
They are located adjacent to where the downpipes attach to the exhaust manifolds, and on LT1/LT4, they are shielded by steel plates that attach using two of the oil pan fasteners.
Live well,
SJW
