Dexcool or Green?
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 257
Likes: 0
From: Overland Park Kansas
My 02 Z06 had the dexcool changed after 3 years. It looked brand new inside the tank and inside the thermostat housing. When I sold the car last year it still looked brand new and the car was 7 years old.
My daughters 96 Blazer with 160,000 miles and has had the dex cool changed twice. The cooling system still looks brand new in the tank and in the intake manifold.
With that said I have seen several dex cool cars with sludge in them????? I have also read that low coolant level causes them to sludge up. I regularly check the EME voltage in the cooling system to make sure it is not getting too high.
The bottom line is the cooling system like anything else needs to be inspected periodicly and the coolant changed when needed. I can assure you that the sludge did not appear overnight. If it had been caught early it would be a minor problem. I think the 5 year-150,000 mile change interval seems to be way to long for most cars.
It is kind of like checking the oil every 5 years and than saying oh crap this thing is out of oil.
My daughters 96 Blazer with 160,000 miles and has had the dex cool changed twice. The cooling system still looks brand new in the tank and in the intake manifold.
With that said I have seen several dex cool cars with sludge in them????? I have also read that low coolant level causes them to sludge up. I regularly check the EME voltage in the cooling system to make sure it is not getting too high.
The bottom line is the cooling system like anything else needs to be inspected periodicly and the coolant changed when needed. I can assure you that the sludge did not appear overnight. If it had been caught early it would be a minor problem. I think the 5 year-150,000 mile change interval seems to be way to long for most cars.
It is kind of like checking the oil every 5 years and than saying oh crap this thing is out of oil.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,537
Likes: 1,403
From: Bethesda MD
5 bottles of WW seems a bit much, but I haven't read the instructions for that brand in a while. I thought they recommended about 2.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,526
Likes: 0
From: Warrick County IN
CI 3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 Veteran
Not sure how it affects the LS engines but in my 96 Impala I've replaced the radiator and added the green anti-freeze. Within a year I had to replace a water pump for a bad seal. Put in a brand new water pump and one year later again had to replace the pump. I flushed the system and switched back to an orange Prestone with no issues besides the heater core is plugging up again.
One of the radiator shops had an article about the DexCool and how it sludged up the engines, two pages back the next article talked about the affects green anti-freeze has on the water pump seals.
One of the radiator shops had an article about the DexCool and how it sludged up the engines, two pages back the next article talked about the affects green anti-freeze has on the water pump seals.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,847
Likes: 795
From: Longview Texas
I have several cars with Dexcool, and only one has developed a brown residue. Even the Impala that has Dexcool in an overflow tank that is exposed to air, does not form a film. My Z06 has never formed any residue. I think it has to do with the design of the coolant system, and if it is maintained at the proper fill level. Our Malibu has two small return hoses that do not seem to ever be totally air tight, and there is brown residue in the overflow tank.
Also, even though Dexcool is supposed to last 5 years or 100,000 miles, I never let mine go over 2-3 years. I just changed my Z06 coolant last week at 2-1/2 years.
Also, even though Dexcool is supposed to last 5 years or 100,000 miles, I never let mine go over 2-3 years. I just changed my Z06 coolant last week at 2-1/2 years.
