01 S-10 coolant flush-A question

[hink12341234]

I need to have the coolant flushed on my 01 S-10 with the 6 cyl. I checked with the local mechanic and he said since it has Dexcool he would need to add some "pellets" to the anti-freeze and they cost $20. Is this true? Is the coolant flush any different than the typical green coolant? Thanks!

[old_master]

GM recommends Dexcool cooling systems to be flushed every 100,000 miles or 5 years. In the real world, every 75,000 miles or 3 years is more like it. If there's a leak, fix it; don't put a "band-aid" on it, (that's all the pellets are for). No need for them, he's trying to sell you a "bill of goods", totally unnecessary, and not recommended. Very important: DO NOT change over to the ethylene glycol, (green antifreeze); it will ruin the seals in the water pump, among other things. There are a lot of shops and back alley mechanics that are way behind the times when it comes to technology. The entire cooling system, (water pump, radiator, heater core, block, gaskets, etc) was designed to use a 50/50 mix of Dexcool and water, use it.

When flushing, remove the thermostat and all hose connections. Flush each component, (heater core, radiator, and engine block) in both directions on each hose until the water comes out clear.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by hink12341234

I need to have the coolant flushed on my 01 S-10 with the 6 cyl. I checked with the local mechanic and he said since it has Dexcool he would need to add some "pellets" to the anti-freeze and they cost $20. Is this true? Is the coolant flush any different than the typical green coolant? Thanks!

do not use those pellets they will plug up your heater core.. GM put out service notice to stop using these pellets... i got some you can have for free.....just kidding i won't give them to any one .... i paid 6.oo for them and my heater core got plugged.. when i forced flushed heater core the pellet remains were in the bucket as proof.......if you change to non dexcool now you will damage your system, also why flush if coolant is clear just drain and refill with the proper amount of dexcool...use 1.5 gallons of dexcool as that system is 3gallons total you can only drain out 2gallons... and replace thermostat as this coolant is good for 5years thats how long i go since 1995. no problems on both vehicles with sludges....