antifreeze
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,554
Likes: 33
From: Not on either liberal coast.
DEXCOOL is just fine despite the old (some was/is exaggerated) horror stories from the late '80s and early '90s. Maintain an air tight, clean system and it'll work as intended.
If the name still worries you, many of the major manufacturers offer extended life (orange) antifreeze products now. PRESTONE is popular.
Don't use green unless it's specified safe for aluminum components!
If the name still worries you, many of the major manufacturers offer extended life (orange) antifreeze products now. PRESTONE is popular.
Don't use green unless it's specified safe for aluminum components!
Last edited by hotwheels57; Jun 4, 2010 at 08:30 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,332
Likes: 31
From: Silver Spring MD
Dexcool but don't believe the 150000 mile claim
Dexcool is supposedly good for 5 years OR 150000 miles. Mine looked very murky at only 40 or 50k. I flushed out system with running water while draining radiator and adding water to the system after first draining all I could from the radiator. Stopped engine and drained as much as possible and repeated several times till it ran out clear.
Don't ruin your engine for $25-$30 of antifreeze.
Have 80k on now and will drain and refill this summer.
BIGHANK
Don't ruin your engine for $25-$30 of antifreeze.
Have 80k on now and will drain and refill this summer.
BIGHANK
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,937
Likes: 21
From: Waldorf MD
Dexcool is great. I have changed it twice in my 1998 C5, it was very clean both times. I always use distilled water with Dexcool, although you don't have to.
Problems (thick, muddy) come when air gets in system, as in when you have a leak. If you start loosing coolant, check it out and fix it. Also bad gaskets caused early problems with Dexcool.
Problems (thick, muddy) come when air gets in system, as in when you have a leak. If you start loosing coolant, check it out and fix it. Also bad gaskets caused early problems with Dexcool.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 11,119
Likes: 672
From: SE Pennsylvania
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Oldtimer
DEXCOOL is just fine despite the old (some was/is exaggerated) horror stories from the late '80s and early '90s. Maintain an air tight, clean system and it'll work as intended.
If the name still worries you, many of the major manufacturers offer extended life (orange) antifreeze products now. PRESTONE is popular.
Don't use green unless it's specified safe for aluminum components!
If the name still worries you, many of the major manufacturers offer extended life (orange) antifreeze products now. PRESTONE is popular.
Don't use green unless it's specified safe for aluminum components!
Oh come on now. There is NOTHING wrong with the chemical construction of DexCool. Flush your system, and fill 50/50 with DexCool and drinkable water and so long as you don't have any leaks, and the reservoir doesn't go below the low fill mark, your set for the next five years. A whole lot of the problems people have had in the past is due to poor maintenance, or in the V6 engines it was a poorly designed intake maifold gaskets and or inferior V6 3800 intake manifold cracks. But that's not a fault of the DexCool.
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DexCool is fine - just change it at the proper intervals.
