antifreeze

just noticed the infamous orange drip. Not a bad leak at all just an occasision drip. Had an intake gasket set done 2 years ago and no problems since. That is until now. Did all new hoses and thermostat then also. I havent had a chance to crawl under and trace the leak yet. Now the questions. Has anyone used the new prestone "yellow" really yellow green antifreeze? Wondering if that is the way to go? When i had it done before I used prestone dexcool approved and distilled water. Also the felpro gasket set. Are there any better gasket sets out there? ps my driverseat problem may be on hold till i get this leak fixed. I was thinking also of using a 7 pound cap rather than the 16 pounder. less pressure to loose coolant. I know dexcool doesnt like oxygen that is why I am asking about the new prestone yellow. If the leak is minimized and using yellow i wont have a jelling problem. any thoughts out there??? funny how things go in cycles. My wifes volvo v70 is leaking antifreeze now. at least it is green!!!

bump

Find out where its coming from! I would not change to the 7lb cap as it could cause problems, if its leaking you need to find out where from. Maybe its a freeze plug leaking? Where does the leak seem to be coming from? I perfer the old green style antifreeze myself but you should have no problem with any of the dexcool types as long as you keep air out of the system and keep the level checked.

as soon as i can i plan on getting under the beast. right now is is just a drop or two under it after all night. what i want is to head off a failure which is why i asked about the 7 # cap. I would rather live with a drop or two of the new green and not have the risk of gel than stick with dexcool and the potential of gel.

other than changing the boiling point (lowering it) what effect would a 7# cap have??? the overflow tank should work. I f it doesnt then that is a reason for not putting a 7 #cap on any thoughts?

other than changing the boiling point (lowering it) what effect would a 7# cap have??? the overflow tank should work. I f it doesnt then that is a reason for not putting a 7 #cap on any thoughts?

Your cooling system was not made for a 7 lb cap. :nono:
And if you us one you will run the risk of overheating or throwing out the coolant.
The system uses the higher pressure cap because it needs it to keep the coolant from boiling.
MT

Ix-nay on the 7 lb. cap. You could have a slight drip coming from the weeper hole in the water pump, or any one of a hundred different places. Don't try to bastardize your system with juryrigging. The 7 lb. cap is not the answer. The answer is the Pressure tester that you can borrow from Auto Zone for free. Pump up your system when the engine is cool and turned off, and look for the leak. I just had to replace my entire radiator due to a 3 inch crack in the radiator side tank, that I couldn't find until I pumped up the system, because the crack was on the side of the Rad that it was mounted up against the bracket, not the side you could see.

Ix-nay on the 7 lb. cap. You could have a slight drip coming from the weeper hole in the water pump, or any one of a hundred different places. Don't try to bastardize your system with juryrigging. The 7 lb. cap is not the answer. The answer is the Pressure tester that you can borrow from Auto Zone for free. Pump up your system when the engine is cool and turned off, and look for the leak. I just had to replace my entire radiator due to a 3 inch crack in the radiator side tank, that I couldn't find until I pumped up the system, because the crack was on the side of the Rad that it was mounted up against the bracket, not the side you could see.

:iagree:

find the leak first off, no to the low pressure cap (its dirty, but thats what you do when you know you have a problem and want to pawn the car off on someone) and yes, gm makes the best gaskets, they are now aluminum, and felpro and victor are still and will be for a while plastic

right now my dexcool is clean, no gum or gell. I did put a new 7 # cap on and added a mall amout of alumiseal. both small leaks have stopped. as soon as i can i will service correctly . I got the point about sealers. now the question , has anybody used the new (2 years old now)prestone "yellow" rather than the prestone dexcool? since the "yellow " is compatable with dexcool i was wondering how is it for a full fill? comments

ive used it at the shop for a year now after my suppliers quit the ornge stuff, no complaints or returns so far

, has anybody used the new (2 years old now)prestone "yellow" rather than the prestone dexcool? since the "yellow " is compatable with dexcool i was wondering how is it for a full fill? comments

I haven't, but I did mix some Peak with Dexcrap .
(had to do it, a hose cracked on my Daughter's Sunfire on a Sunday night, and the local gas station only had Peak. Flushed out the whole system the next week when I replaced the water pump, now running on Napa Green :wink: )
I posted a link to a thread a while back from Havoline, that states you can mix any type Antifreeze with Dexcool (as long as it's not the Original Dexcool that came with the vehicle is 1995/96/or 97)

Edit;
I found the original thread where I posted the link, and guess what? It's from you (berniescout). It's post #9 in this thread.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=323673&highlight=Havoline

as I understand it, the old green does not mix with orange. the new green "yellow" mixes with anything. at my p/t job (AZ) we have stopped carrying prestone green. I assume they have stopped making it. We do carry our "own" AZ green, prestone "yellow", peak "yellow" and prestone dexcool. labelling suggests the above mixing is ok. when i do fix my leak probs will probbaly go to prestone "yellow"