To DEXCOOL or not to DEXCOOL?

That IS the question!!

Did I finally get your attention???

I need some opinions from real users on what you would put in your OWN cars..........not what GM says, I have heard all the BS about that.

KISS: Keep It Short and Sweet :~()

Thanks
Deb

I converted mine to the green stuff, no more issues in either car. With dexcool one had gel and the other had tons of scale.

Thanks for your reply.
:~()

I converted mine to green stuff....no more problems.

If you want to convert you need to do a very thorough flush and get out all traces of the dexcool. If you don't, you will have more problems than if you had just left the dexcool in.

Thanks Blazee
I was going to have a friend help me do it but now maybe I think I should take it to my mechanic.
Is there a product we could use to flush it out completely with?
Deb :~()

Converting may void your warranty.

If you want to do it yourself:

Buy the following:
Distilled water
Antifreeze
Prestone Flush 'N Fill kit $4
Prestone Radiator "Flush" $4

Turn your heater on and leave it on for the entire process

Drain the anitfreeze from the system.

Install the "T" from the Flush 'N Fill kit and follow the directions that came with it.

Disconnect the water hose, close all the drains, add the Prestone Flush, fill with water, get engine up to operating temperature and run for 20 minutes, allow to cool then, drain the system.

Connect your water hose to the Flush 'N Fill "T" and flush one more time. Drain.

Fill the system with a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and distilled water. Continue to fill the system over the next few days as the air is worked out of the system.

I have decided to keep the DexCool in my cooling system,BUT instead of following the now proven wrong timeschedule of 5/150, I will flush and refill every 2 years/ 24000 miles. DexCool's protection package is better for these engines and as long as you keep up on it there shouldn't be any issues. I have done extensive research both online and through other sources including speaking with radiator shops and cooling system experts, and weighing the pros and cons before coming to the conclusion to continue to use the DexCool.

The research I have seen shows that the standard green protects much better than Dexcool, due to the silicates that it contains. The silicates protect worn and pitted engine parts, Dexcool offers no protection for these parts.

I run Dexcool in my aluminum radiator on the Eldo. Why? Two independent mechanics' experience and my independent radiator A/C shop I been going to for 25 years said it was better.

Dexcool will stand up to long mileage without change and not lose its protection integrity. I was told the 50,000 mile+ in system green stuff was the one they find turning to jelly not Dexcool.

Maybe more important in aluminum rads is the fact that it does not produce low power electrical field the way green stuff can and interfere with the zillion electrical thongs in today's cars. This is what these three shops have mentioned.

I use the greenie stuff on my old cars with copper rads but not the aluminum one.

Unless anyone foresees lots of coolant replacement incidents the cost diff is negligable amortized on a per mile basis for the life of the car.

They are right about the Dexcool being better for aluminum than the green stuff, but the green stuff is much better for the engine. Even though GM (and a few people on here) denies this.....Dexcool has been linked to intake gasket failure. Ford made an announcement, when Dexcool first came out, not to use it in their engines, because their tests show it damages intake gaskets......this was before GM had any problems.

Even though it is suppose to, dexcool will not last any longer than the green stuff, because it is so easily contaminated.

Dexcool will definitely turn to sludge without the assistance of the green antifreeze. GM has made annoucements about this issue, stating that it is caused by air getting into the system and blamed two main causes:
The faulty AC DELCO radiator caps allowing the system to lose pressure and causing thousands of cars to sludge up.

People not maintaining their coolant level, thus allowing air into the system.

I understand you trusting a shop you have been going to for 25 years, but Dexcool has only been around ten years and the problems don't start immediately. So basically the only thing the shop that has 25 years experience knows about Dexcool is from the few GM car radiator problems it has seen in the last 5 years.

You can do a simple web search on "Dexcool" and get tons of info about the pros and cons of dexcool.

Feel like reading??

MACS 2001: GM and Texaco Bare All About DEX-COOL® (http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/redir?src=websearch&requestId=a98d2331e706b6f8&clickedItemRank=18&userQuery=dexcool+problems&clickedItemURN=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imcool.com%2Fartic les%2Fantifreeze-coolant%2Fdexcool-macs2001.htm)

http://www.macsw.org/pdf/200410MS.pdf

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/gm_dexcool.html

http://www.wcpo.com/wcpo/localshows/dontwasteyourmoney/20299ce7.html

Thanks guys
Blazee very intersting reading indeed.
Deb :~()

They are right about the Dexcool being better for aluminum than the green stuff, but the green stuff is much better for the engine. Even though GM (and a few people on here) denies this.....Dexcool has been linked to intake gasket failure. Ford made an announcement, when Dexcool first came out, not to use it in their engines, because their tests show it damages intake gaskets......this was before GM had any problems.

Even though it is suppose to, dexcool will not last any longer than the green stuff, because it is so easily contaminated.

Dexcool will definitely turn to sludge without the assistance of the green antifreeze. GM has made annoucements about this issue, stating that it is caused by air getting into the system and blamed two main causes:
The faulty AC DELCO radiator caps allowing the system to lose pressure and causing thousands of cars to sludge up.

People not maintaining their coolant level, thus allowing air into the system.

I understand you trusting a shop you have been going to for 25 years, but Dexcool has only been around ten years and the problems don't start immediately. So basically the only thing the shop that has 25 years experience knows about Dexcool is from the few GM car radiator problems it has seen in the last 5 years.

You can do a simple web search on "Dexcool" and get tons of info about the pros and cons of dexcool.


from the first site on your list
What was said at the presentation? Besides the video, Jay and Stede included their personal observations about the study. At the end, they fielded several questions from the audience. Here’s a recap of their entire presentation.

1. Keep the cooling system filled. In fact, fill the reservoir bottle to “Hot” level when the system is cold. Problems arise when a system’s coolant level is not maintained. (Fleet vehicles receiving regular maintenance, and with reservoirs kept slightly above normal, do not show signs of contamination. This even applies to the specific “problem” vehicles.)

2. The coolant problems found in this survey were caused by system contamination, and not due to the breakdown of DEX-COOL.

3. Check and keep the pressure cap clean and functioning. A contaminated and/or malfunctioning cap causes low coolant levels, which in turn causes overheating and a greater loss of coolant: the notorious vicious cycle. No matter what the vehicle, if the cooling system acts suspiciously, test the pressure cap.

4. On the ST vehicle models mentioned in the GM DEX-COOL video, you “must” replace all suspect radiator caps, especially those with a Drop-Center design, with a Stant Model 10230 or 11230 (Spring-Center type). (Just do it.)

5. Make sure that the coolant is at a 50-50 mix. Often, the flush water was not being removed from the engine block. Consequently, when a 50-50 mix is added to the system the resultant mixture could approach 30-70. Like any fluid that has been diluted beyond its recommended levels, the lowered level of inhibitors will not be able to protect the coolant system effectively. Low levels of inhibitors can cause pitting on aluminum surfaces and general corrosion of cooling system metals.

this little report kinda takes away from the slamming of dexcool not that i support it or that i dont but im sure the issue GM has is a defective gasket material right

but wait theres more...........

7. Mixing a “green” coolant with DEX-COOL reduces the batch’s change interval to 2 years or 30,000 miles, but will otherwise cause no damage to the engine. In order to change back to DEX-COOL however, the cooling system must first be thoroughly drained and flushed.

8. Bacteria cannot live in a hot, Ethylene Glycol environment and is therefore not a threat to DEX-COOL.

9. While there have been intake gasket failures on CK Series, V8 powered vehicles for various reasons, DEX-COOL has never been found as a cause.

10. Use a refractometer to check the condition of DEX-COOL. Its inhibitor package is strong enough that if the batch still provides proper freeze protection, it is probably still providing proper corrosion protection as well.

11. DEX-COOL can handle the minerals in hard water better than silicated conventional chemistry coolants. Drinkable water is suitable for top off.

12. In ST Blazer applications where the radiator cap is mounted at an angle to the ground, the vehicle is more susceptible to radiator cap contamination and its related problems. The Stant 10230 is a wise choice for these vehicles. $$$

Yes that's what it says....what's your point?

Monster no need for long quotes........we all can read, Honey.
You did not answer my original question???
Why not?
Can't commit?
Deb "~()

No other replies.....
C'mon guys, don't all talk at once!

:~()
Deb

I have had DexCool in my vehicles since new. I do one thing that some don't, and that's keep my puke tank (overflow) tank 1/2 full at all times AND replace my radiator cap every year.

I have read, studied, and even sent in a Dexcool sample to a lab for analysis....

One vehicle has 160K on it and zero problems. Flushed once at 110K and will do again soon.

second vehicle is new with 20K and system remains clean.....

Secret: Don't let air into your system, hence keep the puke tank with coolant in it and periodically change you cap and you shouldn't have any problems....

The whole theme of this may be valid if you plan to run one filled stytem for 150,000 miles for some stupid reason. Douching out your system every two years and putting ANY kind of coolant in isn't going to break any of us cheapasses and is the best maintenence possible. Do that and no one will have a problem.

Thanks for your replies!
The debate continues......
:~()
Deb

I flushed and went with green cause my cooling system was
a mess when I bought it and needed to be messed with alot.
If I could be sure it wouldn't be exposed, I would have kept
the DexCool.

My 2001 Blazer is the first car I owned with Dexcool. It presently has 36,XXX miles on it. I haven't had to add coolant once and it still has the original radiator cap which has never been opened. I plan on doing a flush this summer and refilling with Dexcool. I'll probably change the cap to be safe but wonder if it's really necessary if it looks clean and tight. It obviously is working fine and has not leaked coolant or allowed air to be drawn into the system.

My 2001 Blazer is the first car I owned with Dexcool. It presently has 36,XXX miles on it. I haven't had to add coolant once and it still has the original radiator cap which has never been opened. I plan on doing a flush this summer and refilling with Dexcool. I'll probably change the cap to be safe but wonder if it's really necessary if it looks clean and tight. It obviously is working fine and has not leaked coolant or allowed air to be drawn into the system.
I see your point, but wouldn't it be worth the extra few dollars to replace it and have the peace of mind in knowing you did preventative maintenance before the part had the chance to fail? It's kind of like an insurance policy to ward off premature failure of the part. It's like the thermostat. You wouldn't believe how many people I see flush and refill their systems and do not put in a new thermostat. Some say they don't want to spend any more money than they have to, while some others say that it's still working fine. What's there to say the thermostat won't fail tomorrow, or next week?