Dex Coolant Question
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 354
Likes: 193
Dex Coolant Question
what is the effect/consequences of only using 4 qts of Dex instead of the 4.5 recommended amount?
i cannot imagine half a quart makes a difference.
i live in San Diego, so i am not worried about freezing temps.
i drive in the desert, where it is often 110 to 120 degrees.
would the car overheat at speed?
thx
i cannot imagine half a quart makes a difference.
i live in San Diego, so i am not worried about freezing temps.
i drive in the desert, where it is often 110 to 120 degrees.
would the car overheat at speed?
thx
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,379
Likes: 3,262
From: Hartford WI
what is the effect/consequences of only using 4 qts of Dex instead of the 4.5 recommended amount?
i cannot imagine half a quart makes a difference.
i live in San Diego, so i am not worried about freezing temps.
i drive in the desert, where it is often 110 to 120 degrees.
would the car overheat at speed?
thx
i cannot imagine half a quart makes a difference.
i live in San Diego, so i am not worried about freezing temps.
i drive in the desert, where it is often 110 to 120 degrees.
would the car overheat at speed?
thx
Capacity is 11.8
Specification is 40% coolant and 60% water.
What you have is 4 quarts which gives a 33.898% vs 40.67. Sorry. Engine is wasted.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 354
Likes: 193
in response to kodpkd,
who asked,
Is this because you don't want to purchase another quart of DEX?
several answers for you.
1. no, i originally purchased two gals of Dex because i cannot find it in quarts at any of my local auto stores
2. was simply curious if and why half a quart would make a difference.
many people on the forum are apparently physics and chemistry professors,
so i was hoping for someone to educate me
3. i do not look forward to either wasting 3.5 quarts
or
letting it sit in the garage for 5 years.
who asked,
Is this because you don't want to purchase another quart of DEX?
several answers for you.
1. no, i originally purchased two gals of Dex because i cannot find it in quarts at any of my local auto stores
2. was simply curious if and why half a quart would make a difference.
many people on the forum are apparently physics and chemistry professors,
so i was hoping for someone to educate me
3. i do not look forward to either wasting 3.5 quarts
or
letting it sit in the garage for 5 years.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,379
Likes: 3,262
From: Hartford WI
in response to kodpkd,
who asked,
Is this because you don't want to purchase another quart of DEX?
several answers for you.
1. no, i originally purchased two gals of Dex because i cannot find it in quarts at any of my local auto stores
2. was simply curious if and why half a quart would make a difference.
many people on the forum are apparently physics and chemistry professors,
so i was hoping for someone to educate me
3. i do not look forward to either wasting 3.5 quarts
or
letting it sit in the garage for 5 years.
who asked,
Is this because you don't want to purchase another quart of DEX?
several answers for you.
1. no, i originally purchased two gals of Dex because i cannot find it in quarts at any of my local auto stores
2. was simply curious if and why half a quart would make a difference.
many people on the forum are apparently physics and chemistry professors,
so i was hoping for someone to educate me
3. i do not look forward to either wasting 3.5 quarts
or
letting it sit in the garage for 5 years.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,032
Likes: 9,790
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
what is the effect/consequences of only using 4 qts of Dex instead of the 4.5 recommended amount?
i cannot imagine half a quart makes a difference.
i live in San Diego, so i am not worried about freezing temps.
i drive in the desert, where it is often 110 to 120 degrees.
would the car overheat at speed?
thx
i cannot imagine half a quart makes a difference.
i live in San Diego, so i am not worried about freezing temps.
i drive in the desert, where it is often 110 to 120 degrees.
would the car overheat at speed?
thx
To make sure I get the ratios correct in the cooling system, I repeatedly drain/refill with water/run the engine until the thermostat opens/drain until the drained fluid runs clear. Then I close the petcock and add the amount of Dex I calculated and top off with water. Then I run the engine at 2500 rpm for a couple of minutes after the thermostat opens to burp out any air.
Bill
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 2,135
Likes: 1,024
From: North Texas
I always use an AirLift to remove any trapped air in the system.
If air is trapped, running the engine will develop hot spots and can warp the Al heads.
AirLift assures that all the trapped air is removed.
If air is trapped, running the engine will develop hot spots and can warp the Al heads.
AirLift assures that all the trapped air is removed.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 11,132
Likes: 1,905
From: Missouri City, TX
Bingo. Heat capacity of water is 1.0 BTU per lb-degF. Only 0.60 for pure EG. So a typical 50/50 mix gives you 0.80. So more water than EG has greater heat transport capacity than increasing the EG content.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 954
Likes: 376
From: Louisiana
The service manual also recommends vacuum filling the system. I just use a knock-off kit with tons of adapters.