Dex coolant

[cutlasscrazy]

I am reading alot about the negative affects of the dex coolent. my question is: is it that bad? is there anything you can to to fight aginst its effects with out flushing the system and changeing it over to the Green stuff?.....Just trying to get a better idea cause my car runs on DEX...so i may need to be looking out for some soon to come problems....opcorn:

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by cutlasscrazy

I am reading alot about the negative affects of the dex coolent. my question is: is it that bad? is there anything you can to to fight aginst its effects with out flushing the system and changeing it over to the Green stuff?.....Just trying to get a better idea cause my car runs on DEX...so i may need to be looking out for some soon to come problems....opcorn:

Dex Cool really isn't as bad as many are saying about it. It is used in 1996 and later GM vehicles as it contains a different composition and protection package than the old ethylene glycol based (green coolant). It was developed to meet the increasing needs of modern engines with the different metals that make up it's composition among other factors. The big issue has been with intake gaskets for certain engines. This has been traced to faulty design and composition materials which cause the gasket to fail over time. GM has released an updated gasket to correct this issue. Another problem that has been reported is that the coolant can gel and cause clogs n the cooling system. This has been known to be caused by air infiltration into the cooling system through a faulty radiator cap or letting the level in the overflow tank get too low. The best way to maintain your cooling system with Dex Cool is to keep an eye on the level and check for leaks if it goes down for no reason. Flushing and refilling with fresh Dex Cool every 2 to 3 years or 30,000 to 40,000 miles is another way to prevent any future issues. Many people neglected their cooling systems as GM had recommended changing it out at 5 years or 150,000 miles, so they never bothered to check it until a problem developed. I have Dex Cool in many of my GM vehicles and maintain it properly and have not had any other issues come up. I wouldn't change it to the green coolant because the green coolant doesn't have the proper protection package for your engine and problems could result over time.

[xeroinfinity]

Yeah Tom that DEX change @ 5 years/50k miles is whats getting GM into troubles!!
http://www.modexcool.com/

Thier are alternatives to DEX and the green, several companies make different ones, preston is a yello color and mixes with either dex or the green glyco.

That too is what causes problems, mixing dex and the green. It becomes a sludge that just doesn' pump well in the cooling system , then clogsyour heater core, how fun

[hueroloco]

GM is going through a class action lawsuit right now over their DEXCOOL crap coolant. In Missouri the people won and the people will probably win in the pending cases in other states and in Canada.

In Missouri, anybody with a 3.1 or 3.4 with DEXCOOL that had coolant sealing problems or coolant sludge problems can submit their receipt for the repair and be reimbursed through GM.

I'm not sure why the lawsuit is limited to 3.1 and 3.4's. The 5.7's and 4.3's come into our shop with just as many leaking intake gaskets and sludged up cooling systems.

Is it bad? Anytime I see a car with DEXCOOL come into my workbay, I recommend a flushed, and flush in green coolant. The old reliable.

There is the yellow global stuff which is OK for some people to use because you can alledgedly mix it with any coolant, whereas it's not OK to mix coolants normally. But I prefer the green stuff, but it is important to flush out all of the orange stuff. From the block, the radiator, heater core, all of it.

Oh yeah, BTW, I read the article about the lawsuit in a magazine we get at our shop called "Cool Profits". I'm sure you can find the information online. I saw a link somewhere to some lawyer website looking for people to join their class action suit, but I can't find it now.

['97ventureowner]

I think years from now we might realize that Dex Cool really wasn't that bad. We might find that the recommendations on maintaining were incorrect and some of the parts used with it were wrong,( composition of gaskets/materials used, etc.)I saw an article last year and I'm kicking myself for not saving it. It was written by a scientist involved in the automotive industry that said something to the effect of whenever we come out with a new product ( ex.Dex Cool) there is a "trial and error" period where we discover incompatibilities with the product and technology, and then we have to catch up to this new technology. We then have to modify those parts,( i.e. gaskets) to be compatible with the new technology. He cited many examples similar to this dating back to the early '60s not only dealing with cars but other industries. Sounds logical.

Originally Posted by hueroloco

Oh yeah, BTW, I read the article about the lawsuit in a magazine we get at our shop called "Cool Profits". I'm sure you can find the information online. I saw a link somewhere to some lawyer website looking for people to join their class action suit, but I can't find it now.

If you've seen some of my posts regrading this issue you'd see I"m not a big fan of these so-called "class action" lawsuits. These lawyers seek out people to join because they know that if they are successful, they end up with most of the money from their "legal fees" which are paid from the award first, then the rest is divided up amongst all of the members of the lawsuit. The more members who join mean the less award money you receive.It seems everywhere you turn today you see ads to join this class action suit or another. They target the pharmaceutical industry, construction industry and others it seems just to pad their pockets. Having been part of some class action suits dating back to the '80s I can say with experience that the most I received was $20 and most of the time it was either a small monetary amount or coupons. I just tell people this to not get their hopes up of a big "cash reward" that some lawyers tout if they win because it all depends on their cut and how many people are part of it.

[hueroloco]

The fact that in Missouri anyone with coolant related issue repair gets reimbursed is a pretty clear sign that the lawsuit isn't a frivolous lawsuit. The lawsuit is expected to win in Canada soon, too. Over $$1 billion expected to be awarded to the same type of GM purchasers with similar DEXCOOL issues.

Ford actually used DEXCOOL for one or two years on their Mercury Cougar. Guess why they didn't continue their use of it??? Sludge build up, decaying gaskets maybe??

It seems to me that GM has been sidestepping the crappiness of their product for a long time.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by hueroloco

The fact that in Missouri anyone with coolant related issue repair gets reimbursed is a pretty clear sign that the lawsuit isn't a frivolous lawsuit. The lawsuit is expected to win in Canada soon, too. Over $$1 billion expected to be awarded to the same type of GM purchasers with similar DEXCOOL issues.

1 Billion dollars may be awarded, but after the lawyers get their cut and the rest of the proceeds are distributed to all of the claimants, I wonder how much the total award will be to all the plaintiffs? will it be enough to cover the repairs, or just enough to fill your gas tank?. I didn't infer it was a frivolous lawsuit, I just said that usually the plaintiffs don't get enough after the lawyers get their hefty legal fees.

Ford actually used DEXCOOL for one or two years on their Mercury Cougar. Guess why they didn't continue their use of it??? Sludge build up, decaying gaskets maybe??

From my understanding, Ford wanted to do more research. They liked the idea of the OAT coolant and it's longer maintenance interval, but they wanted more and have settled on a coolant similar to Dex Cool and that is a HOAT or Hybrid Organic Acid Technology. It combines the "best of both worlds" , in that it contains the protection package of Dex Cool and longer life, plus the addition of silicates( which is a component of the green, ethylene glycol based coolants) to provide greater aluminum protection than regular Dex Cool and other OAT coolants.