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So my Dexacool coolant is 5 years old. Maybe have driven 10,000-12,000 is this time.
No track just highway cruising for the most part.
Took into a dealer who is very well respected on in the corvette community. Told them the situation and to check on the condition. The rep said it looked like new and I was still good.
I asked them to check the condition and assumed they would test the fluid.
Now I am wondering if this happened, the testing part.
Reading lots of older threads about GM's Dexacool when it first came out, all horror stories.
I know GM quotes 5 years or 150,000 miles. It was originally designed to be a for life fluid.
I asked if just being in the system for 5 years contaminates the fluid and I was told not the way I have driven.
Brake fluid is 4 years old and they said will a little dark but it is fine.
I would think that they wold jump on replacement if marginal, after all it is a dealership and it wasn't busy like I have seen in the past.
Out of all the cars I've owned, several being POSs, I have never had any of them overheat due to the age of the coolant. It was always a mechanical failure, bad thermostat, ruptured hose, leaking radiator, etc. Never due to coolant, other than it not being present. If there is a concern for it turning to sludge, I guess there could be some validity to that. But if it visually looks good still then it's obviously not sludge. Unless you're racing regularly I wouldn't be worried. But I'm certainly not an expert.
I normally just changed all my fluids except engine oil every 5 years just for the peace of mind. It's probably not needed but makes me feel better. Cheap insurance I guess. It certainly doesn't hurt the car to change to new coolant. My car is street driven also.
Sounds like this dealership is honest and not out to make a quick buck - which is good. When it comes to coolant, I don't worry about it not being able to prevent freezing or boilover, but corrosion. I change mine every five years. It's not that hard to do. On the Vette, I ran the hose that returns coolant to the surge tank into a bucket, started car and put the new stuff in as the level dropped. This way I don't have to get under the car or worry about getting air in the system. It probably doesn't get all the old out, but it freshens it up pretty well. Follow the instructions on Dexcool (I only buy the dealership supplied Dexcool). It doesn't say to mix with distilled water (which is acidic). Mix it with bottled drinking water - the pH is not as acidic. Best regards.
Out of all the cars I've owned, several being POSs, I have never had any of them overheat due to the age of the coolant. It was always a mechanical failure, bad thermostat, ruptured hose, leaking radiator, etc. Never due to coolant, other than it not being present. If there is a concern for it turning to sludge, I guess there could be some validity to that. But if it visually looks good still then it's obviously not sludge. Unless you're racing regularly I wouldn't be worried. But I'm certainly not an expert.
Even before we were old enough to legally drive and were ramming POS lot cars around, the above was true (and we beat them mercilessly).
And we often ran just water (in warm weather) because we had enough trouble scrounging up change for gasoline, screw wasting money on antifreeze.
It isn't that the coolant becomes contaminated, after all it is in an enclosed system. The main issue is whether or not it becomes more acidic or basic which will lead to electrolysis problems and failed cooling components.
If the dealer tested the ph level of the coolant and said it was fine and you didn't want to replace it, I would check the ph level more frequently or replace the coolant. After all, it isn't an expensive proposition. I'll have mine replaced this year even though it has low miles as it is a 2012, along with a brake fluid flush.
Not true - the DexCool on my wife's Sonic starting turning to brown sludge and there was no mixing of coolant.
To the OP - I would change it after the five years - just did my 07's for the second time as a precaution - it is very easy to do at home - I was probably able to get out 75% of the old coolant.
Originally Posted by puzzleboy
The Dexcool "horror" stories, are only when it is mixed with a dissimilar coolant.
This ones gonna go along with the ol "depends on who you ask". Left the old style stuff in my 77 for a long time (6-7 years) thinking it probably never really went bad. Just by chance I looked in the rad once and the stuff was turning into something that looked kinda like baby poop, all brown and sludgey looking. I'm guessing it still had most of its anti-freeze properties, but it couldn't have been good for the system. Not sure about this new fangled stuff. I'm just keeping an eye on mine at at the first sign of it looking like baby poop I guess i'll be changing it.
This ones gonna go along with the ol "depends on who you ask". Left the old style stuff in my 77 for a long time (6-7 years) thinking it probably never really went bad. Just by chance I looked in the rad once and the stuff was turning into something that looked kinda like baby poop, all brown and sludgey looking. I'm guessing it still had most of its anti-freeze properties, but it couldn't have been good for the system. Not sure about this new fangled stuff. I'm just keeping an eye on mine at at the first sign of it looking like baby poop I guess i'll be changing it.
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that is Oil in the Dexcool that is your seeing in the tank and on your finger. To prove it, light it on fire and you will see that it will burn, hence oil.
This the mess you end up up with when someone mixes standard radiator fluid (green) with Dexcool instead.
As for Dexcool sludging (not enough dexcool in the system with too much air in the system instead, or just left too long before flushes, you end up more with this,
I'll be brief: do replace the antifreeze now, no matter what it looks like. And, do replace the brake fluid every two years.
Now, if someone told us they were thinking of replacing the coolant every year, and brake fluid every month, that'd be extreme. But, five years and four years is not "doing it too soon."
I gotta say that all this "sealed system", fluid looks good, etc. is nice to think about. But really, isn't this fluid being USED? Heat and extreme heat, flows thru different metals, flowing thru system, cold, etc.? It's not like it's sitting in a hermetically-sealed container, in a climate-controlled environment, on a shelf somewhere. Even Mobil1 full synthetic oil has a "shelf life" that says replace and don't use after X years from just sitting on the shelf.
I say, don't waste money or fluids, but don't be foolish either (not saying anyone's being foolish). As that advertisement once said about paying for it now, or pay for it later. Later is always good, as long as it's not way, way more than paying for it now.
In the past I have errors on the side of to a frenzy probably.
I have become somewhat laz in the recent few years due to so few miles driven.
I initially wanted the fluids tested, And I am not sure this was done.
I looked at the coolant and it does look brand new.
Remember I am the guy who changes his diff fluid every year with low miles driven and no track time.
Just trying not to spend so much money uselessly. Wife goes off every year.
I have gone to,every other year now in the diff and it comes out pure with no sparkal of metal.
I tend to agree with everyone. And I am disappointed in my service at Abel In Rio Vista.
I've never racked up a lot of miles on any vehicles I've ever had, but the most was on a '79 Datsun pickup at 102k. I had to junk it around 1985 because the body was literally falling off, and floorboard under the clutch/brake pedals had a big hole in it. When it was raining and I went over a puddle I had to hold one foot over the hole or I would get sprayed, lol.
I kept the engine oil/filter changed regularly; the engine was as clean as a whistle, didn't burn any oil, and ran great.
The tranny and rear end oil had never been touched since it left the factory and they were fine. When I was young, I don't remember anybody changing stick or diff fluid. They're not like the engine oil.
I would just change the antifreeze every 5 years, too easy and cheap not too and a lot cheaper than replacing premature water pump failures or radiator and any other cooling components as some of the above pic's show., Also i don't think i have ever heard that antifreeze was designed to be a for life fluid
Can't speak for any pics and opinions above, but the sludge in my past cases hasn't been oil. Oil in a rad "USUALLY" (keep in mind we must be clear as this is CF...LOL) is an ongoing process that keeps going into the system due to bad H-gasket, cracked head...etc. So this process will "USUALLY" show up via the typical oil & water sludge and possibly a dwindling level on the dip stick. I'm guessing the sludge in some of these rads is just the process of the properties in the anti-freeze just finally breaking down into some kind of....well...sludge. And as always whenever I see a recommendation that the brake fluid should be changed every two years I say....if your system is operating correctly it's a waste of time and fluids and $$$$.....
Coolant
