Hello All, a newbe here

I am in charge of maintaining quite a few vehicles and the Girl Friends 96 S10 came up with the typical no heat. She bought it last summer with just over 100K on it and all I've done is the oil changes, filters etc. Felt the hoses and they are just warm so I suspect the core is clogged (temp OK) I then found this great site and read though 15 pages of posts and it seems this is a common problem. The cap looks orginal GM and that will get changed along with a flush next week. Thanks to all for the info. Now I would like to share a thing I do with all my rides, I'm not posting this to start anything as besides my other toys I do have a Corvette 350 TPI powered XJS Jag that I built. :)

http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread?forumid=119417&messageid=1097264512

come-on let us see some photo's of the Jag

come-on let us see some photo's of the Jag

It seems I don't have any photos of the Jag as a file, I will correct that as soon as it's winter's sleep is over. We are in the middle of a blizzard right now:eek7: But here is what I did with the V-12 that was removed.

http://www.crayonmedia.com/wayne/projects/jag%20table%202.jpg

Good Idea, a table like that would sure go good in my shop

I am in charge of maintaining quite a few vehicles and the Girl Friends 96 S10 came up with the typical no heat. She bought it last summer with just over 100K on it and all I've done is the oil changes, filters etc. Felt the hoses and they are just warm so I suspect the core is clogged (temp OK) I then found this great site and read though 15 pages of posts and it seems this is a common problem. The cap looks orginal GM and that will get changed along with a flush next week. Thanks to all for the info. Now I would like to share a thing I do with all my rides, I'm not posting this to start anything as besides my other toys I do have a Corvette 350 TPI powered XJS Jag that I built. :)

http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread?forumid=119417&messageid=1097264512

Just a stupid question,,,,, If BOTH hoses were warm, have you checked your thermostat? You never mentioned it.

Just a stupid question,,,,, If BOTH hoses were warm, have you checked your thermostat? You never mentioned it.


Not stupid at all, they are both the same temp (way to cool) and this is why I think the flow is almost completely blocked. I should been clearer in the first post about the systems coolant temperature, instead of just saying (temp OK). Had to run to the airport this am and even at 70mph and 12 degrees the needle was sitting around 190. Air bound shouldn't be an issue as today was the first time I pulled the AC Delco cap and the rad was full. My younger son has the same no heat problem with his 95 Caprice 9C1 police package. He blames the LT4 alloy heads he put on, but now that my education improves about the dexcool we need to have a talk.

the bi pass thing is kinda cool, i have a vaccume leak so i just shut mine off in the summer (meaning i put a ball valve onto the in hose of my rad core), are you saying thats bad?

Flush the heater core, probably blocked.... Then do a complete system flush and replace with normal green stuff.

Flush the heater core, probably blocked.... Then do a complete system flush and replace with normal green stuff.

Haha are you serious? Lets see flush a dex cool system then replace it w/ a normal coolant. haha wow im guessing you have never seen what happens when you do this? You cant do that on a 96. Its ok to go from green to dex but you cant go dex to green. Dex is one of the best coolants, short of G-05. As long as you take care of dex it does not gel up. Replace the radiator cap every 30k and you'll be cool.
hope you didnt flush yours w/ green rlith. Or your going to run into BIG problems down the road.

Haha are you serious? Lets see flush a dex cool system then replace it w/ a normal coolant. haha wow im guessing you have never seen what happens when you do this? You cant do that on a 96. Its ok to go from green to dex but you cant go dex to green. Dex is one of the best coolants, short of G-05. As long as you take care of dex it does not gel up. Replace the radiator cap every 30k and you'll be cool.
hope you didnt flush yours w/ green rlith. Or your going to run into BIG problems down the road.

You've got to be kidding..... A lot of us have gone from dex-sludge back to green. In fact 2 dealerships locally offer the option. Several friends that have bought new trucks have had the dealership do this prior to delivery. Absolutely nothing wrong with switching out coolants as long as the previous stuff is completely flushed...
:screwy:

You've got to be kidding..... A lot of us have gone from dex-sludge back to green. In fact 2 dealerships locally offer the option. Several friends that have bought new trucks have had the dealership do this prior to delivery. Absolutely nothing wrong with switching out coolants as long as the previous stuff is completely flushed...
:screwy:

Well have fun with that, in a couple of years you will see what happens when you put a Hightly corrosive coolant in a system designed for non corrosive. Ive seen this in my industry. green will eat your heater core away and your radiator as well as your headgasket. have fun when your trucks F**KED.

okay guys along that coolant thing... so we shouldnt put the normal green stuff in a s-10...i have a 98 s-10 and i added coolant once of the green kind...was the bad...what should i do..and where can i get that other coolant

verry verry verry bad, when dex and green mix they will foam up, flush your system (a flush kit is under $5 at advanced auto or equiv.) and put in Dex-Cool from advanced auto or autozon is where i get it, im sure other automotive stores carry it

well shit i wish i knew that when i bought the truck...

but thanks for you help

hey dont feel bad, i wasnt thinking about it and put green in with my dex one day, it lead to buying a flush kit (<$5) 2 gallons of dex ($20) and then a water pump, $46, only because i get a "prefurred customer" discount, otherwise the pump is 86... it wasnt my smoothest move

Well have fun with that, in a couple of years you will see what happens when you put a Hightly corrosive coolant in a system designed for non corrosive. Ive seen this in my industry. green will eat your heater core away and your radiator as well as your headgasket. have fun when your trucks F**KED.


There is no difference in the gasket materials used from 10 years ago to today in our trucks... There is no difference in the materials used in the radiator materials, seal materials, etc. To say green will eat through a core (rad or heater) is just plain BS. If that were the case every old truck would have an over heated motor. Dealerships wouldn't swap them out and continue to provide warranty.... Dunno what yer smokin man, but I want some!

I know a number of guys that have changed from Dex to green. No problems years later and they are really happy with the change. Chevy didn't change anything in there motor's with dexcool engines, they just thought it would be better for aluminum blocks. As Chevy found out, and we all now know, Dexcool really sucks and can hurt an engine if not watched.

I was reading my Haynes manuel about this. It recommends using dex cool. That is what it is designed for. The only thing it says is not to mix the two coolants, i dont remember it saying that the other coolant is bad for it. If you are really set on using something else then flush the other stuff out first. It will screw things up if you mix the two... Why not just use what the manafacturer says. Wouldnt that be the easiest and most logical descision?

Isn't that what I said in the 1st place? I never said mix the two, I said flush, then change.

Yes i was agreeing with what you said to xtrememeasures10. I just added to your response. I was just saying that maybee it would blow up or something if you mix the two.

if you mix the two it foams up, kinda cool looken, but really bad on the wp and internals

Sweet. Im gonna try it on someones car i dont like....

No reason to go to green on a system designed for Dexcool.

Dexcool is not the cause of the sludge, the bad stock rad caps are.

Read and learn:

http://www.imcool.com/articles/antifreeze-coolant/dexcool-macs2001.htm

Well I didn't mean to start the orange/ green thing, but thanks for all the input. Here is what I will be doing, once the outside temps get above 35. Back flush the core first to get flow back, then a clean and back flush of the whole system. I will be adding my signature hose ends to the heater hoses. A new Stant 10230 has been purchased. Now for the anti-freeze, since I like the girl friend I sprang for the $9 a gallon stuff. But not Dex-Cool, it's getting Peak Global. Call it yellow and can be mixed with either my old green or Dex-Cool. It meets the GM spec 6277M and this way down the road, in a pinch, it could take a shot of green. This is the second S10 she has owned and it drives alot nicer than her last one, that was a 91 4.3. Here is a picture of my everyday beater:lol:

http://www.crayonmedia.com/wayne/Ranchero&Cocoa

Tell them blazer. This dude on here doesnt wanna believe me. but do what ever you want go ahead n put green in there because a mechanic or customer service person said its ok. They dont know jack. An ENGINEER DESIGNED THE SYSTEM. not a mechanic. The engineer knows that if you put a highly corrosive substance in a system that is designed for a non corrosive substance its going to corrode. Now come on thats day one stuff. I stand by my post before and just like blazer is tellin you. Dex is not bad. switch your rad cap and you'll be cool. Or go to green at your own risk and end up with some major problems.

So do tell, what was engineered between 92-current 4.3's that's radically different in the cooling system? Hmm, gasket materials? Nope, Radiator construction? Very little redesign, same materials. Block? Nope, freeze plugs? nope, still aluminum (why they didn't use brass is beyond me, shrug), so tell me, in what oh so special way was the engine specifically designed for dex-crap?

freeze plugs? nope, still aluminum (why they didn't use brass is beyond me, shrug), so tell me, in what oh so special way was the engine specifically designed for dex-crap?
its all about the mighty doller a doller they screw us out of by useing aluminum instead of brass is a doller in their pocket

The base fact is that there is NOTHING wrong with dexcool.

The problems have come about mostly due to poor rad caps and poor maintanence by drivers.

Tell them blazer. This dude on here doesnt wanna believe me. but do what ever you want go ahead n put green in there because a mechanic or customer service person said its ok. They dont know jack. An ENGINEER DESIGNED THE SYSTEM. not a mechanic. The engineer knows that if you put a highly corrosive substance in a system that is designed for a non corrosive substance its going to corrode. Now come on thats day one stuff. I stand by my post before and just like blazer is tellin you. Dex is not bad. switch your rad cap and you'll be cool. Or go to green at your own risk and end up with some major problems.

Modern Engineeres aren't like in the old days when they had to know the trade before they could design crap.

Look at all the plastics designed to brake right apart after so many years, and all the polution control junk designed to make our cars burn more fuel, and not perform like they can. How can a car that burns more fuel be better on the enviroment? It can't It's just better for those rich gas companies
Not to mention remember when you could fix any car with a basic wrench set, and a test light.

For every 1 thing that an engineer does right, like Dex they probably do 10 things wrong, and this won't change until engineers have to swing wrenches for 6 months out of every 5 years that they design cars, and they stop taking payouts from the big companies

You lost me there, put more stuff on that makes it burn more fuel?

You lost me there, put more stuff on that makes it burn more fuel?

Get rid of your cat converter, air pump, and put on an non EGR intake manifold... then get the computer re-programed to compensate for the missing junk (or switch to the old style engine management) and you'll not only get better mileage, but you'll have more performance.

If you do this in most places in both Canada and the U.S. you'll have some really pissed off people telling you to put it back on your truck

Actually most cars are more fuel effecient than they ever have been. I dont think there going out of there way to make us burn more fuel or rob us of performance. In some cases who ever said it is right also. Being a mechanic you see a lot of stupid designs. If you noticed they have changed the dex cool system quite a bit since they first put it into our cars. The pressure cap has now been taken off the radaitor and now they put them on the reserve tank. I have never seen a problem with dex-cool in this design. no sludging up or anything. Because they do not loose the pressure. Get a new 16psi rad cap. Im done arguing about this. You do it your way and ill do it mine.

Its not easy being green. The dex/green argument aside, how would you all recommend back flushing a cooling system? I have never done it to my truck with 139,000 miles so figure it couldn't hurt. Thanks everyone.

Get rid of your cat converter, air pump, and put on an non EGR intake manifold... then get the computer re-programed to compensate for the missing junk (or switch to the old style engine management) and you'll not only get better mileage, but you'll have more performance.

If you do this in most places in both Canada and the U.S. you'll have some really pissed off people telling you to put it back on your truck

If you would understand, those things are there for a reason, and they do not hurt performance at all if maintained properly.

Also, people love to give you 5000 dollar charges when they catch you.

O rileys has a chemical you put in your radaitor called Prestone Cooling system flush. Its pretty cool to see all the crap come of your radiator after you run it with that in there. Heres what i did.

Warmed the truck up
Drained the radiator
Poured the flush bottle in the radaitor and filt it up with water.
Ran the truck for 15 min with the heater on full blast.
Then drained the radaitor again. Then took a garden hose and poured water in the radiator as it was running that way it would flush everything out of the block and heater core that didnt come out when you drained it until water continued to come out of the drain.
The heater core and block together hold approx 1/2 to 3/4 of a gallon. so i mixed my mixture 70% antifreeze, 30% water to compensate for the water. Run the engine for a little while then test the antifreeze with a hydrometer after a few days to make sure your mixture is cool. Make sure you get a new rad cap. have fun though.
On the 2.2 radaitor drain is under the airfilter housing. Accessable from up top. most of them at least.
the 4.3 is on the passenger side accessable from under the car.
Have fun.

xtrememeasures10: What you described is a regular flush, I was wondering what a BACK flush is. I have flushed the radiator before as you explained but always wondered how the pieces can get out of the radiator from the little drain hole. Should I be disconnecting the bottom radiator hose? BTW, make sure you let your truck cool down before draining coolant from it, you can crack or warp the block/heads/intake manifold if drained hot.

draining it hot shouldnt be a problem, its refilling it with the cold water thats bad

Yeah i forgot to mention letting it cool a little bit. not too much tho.
No dude if you turn your heater on full blast with a new rad cap on there. Your going to be flushing it with 16lbs of pressure. That will be sufficent enough to unclog your heater core. it unclogged mine. And as far as pouring cold water in your warm radaitor i dont know it worked fine when i did it. I guess if your worried let the car cool off. or use hot water.