Stop blaming the car owners for not finding the leak. Dexcool is not bad only when everything else is working well. I purchased a brand new 2003 Chevrolet Venture 3.4L in 2003. Before the 3 years/ 36K miles warranty expired, I found one gasket is leaking antifreeze. It's a tiny leakage trace and the minivan still ran very well. No low coolant or overheating at all. I was lucky to catch the problem at an early stage. The dealership fixed the problem under warranty in 2006. The system was flushed with Dexcool but I still found the messy yellow brownish stuff inside the reservoir and radiator cap. All hell broke loose after that. The gasket was updated but the rocker arm bolts took turns stripping out almost every year until 2011. The dealership put the bolts back for free but they failed a few times. Then the dealership asked me to pay for helicoil but it only lasted for a while. The dealership finally gave up and asked GM to ship two new cylinder heads in 2011 for the dealership to work on. In 2018, I had to replace the thermostat and decided to switch to the universal long life antifreeze. You have to understand how Bill of MAHLE designed the gaskets to work with Dexcool. Dexcool doesn't like air and the cooling system always has a chance of exposing to air when something goes wrong. Why take chances with Dexcool while other products can serve your cooling system safer? Whenever you have a chance to switch, just do it and make sure you purge the whole cooling system a few times.
You don't want to wait until there is a problem, right? That's why its called preventative maintenance. I'm flushing my system out now. Today I drained coolant and filled with DI water. Overall I drained and filled about a gallon and a half. I'll drive it around on water for about a week then drain and fill again to see if there is a difference or what it is. Weather I cleaned out the crap buildup from years of neglect before I got the vehicle. If its all clear, (not likely on the first or second drain and fill, but when) I'll drain that then fill with my 50/50 mix of GM Approved Dex Cool by Prestone. At some point before the final fill I'm going to replace the thermostat because I live in Florida and it gets hot here. Like, a 3-7 dollar part that can prevent hundreds or thousands or be the deathknell of the vehicle, sure! Why not!
I realize this video is a few months old but I have to put in my two cents. First I have to say I've done repaired more cooling systems on vehicles that had dexcool than any others, sludge, gaskets, seals ECT. On my own 99 Tahoe, I replaced clogged radiator, intake gaskets, flushed the block and heater core multiple times, water pump had vanes that were eaten away. Second its hard to blame the operators of the vehicles in a world where things are promoted to be "maintenance free" as well as people who lease vehicles don't give a crap cause they're turning it in for another, screw the next guy kind of thinking. Third why use a coolant that is so sensitive to exposure to air? Its almost impossible to purge every air pocket in engine blocks, heads, heater cores and radiators. I think they were trying to appease the EPA and the Feds and their bottom line. Under ideal conditions its probably a good coolant but most people unlike tears ago gave gotten out of the habit of maintaining their vehicles with the intention of keeping them 10 years or more like our parents did. Personally I don't use it and after a cooling system repair flush like crazy and use something else and put a note under the hood so the next mechanic knows what's in it. Good video, I think you could have gone farther.
Finally someone said it! I love Dex cool. I use it in my 2002 chevy cavalier Z24 2.4L for 17 years without any problems. Its kept my cooling system clean and rust free. I only changed it 2 times in 20 years going to be 3x tomorrow. It is a good coolant. Thanks for this video!
Bob Holsopple If it works in my cheap Pontiac Grand Am then it’s gotta be good right. Cars 16 years old and dexcool hasn’t destroyed anything like everyone keeps saying it dose
@@ryans413 lol, I just put Dexcool in my 2009 Yamaha Fz6r street bike yesterday. Full system flush (that's the key) can never mix DeX cool with green stuff. But I trust it that much. Yep. Ironic that my last post was a year ago, and yesterday I put it in another vehicle.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor 2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this, and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems. As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
i think people think its an actual 150,000 mile coolant. its 5 yr. 150,000 miles whichever comes first. like any coolant it never loses its ability to not freeze but the additives that give it its anti corrosive properties depletes. i have a 13 year old GM vehicle changed it every 5 years and no issues so far.
neutrodyne If your thinking the coolant think again things ware out hoses don’t last forever radiators crack and leak water pumps go bad and leak and so on the coolant dosnt cause the leaks from age. That’s why as the driver you need to check these things as general maintenance and not blame the coolant
@@ryans413 You answered the question which was the point I was making. Many things can cause a leak. You find the cause and change whatever needs to be changed. However it is common knowledge that Dex kill caused a lot of those things to go bad in the beginning. Just ask any mechanic.
@@neutrodyne right, dexcool is terrible with iron engines. I changed out the dexcool to the green stuff over a decade ago on my 2003 grand am gt1 and have had zero cooling system issues. Still to this day . And everyone I know who has had a grand am and had dexcool in there, it deteriorated their head gaskets. Not mine!! Switch to green ! *It also ruined my Chevy engine too.
Just changed the water pump on my 18 years old 73000 miles GM/Suzuki Dexcool equipped car (and only as a matter of preventive maintenance) and the only dirt inside there is the sealant that was put in 7 years ago in order to postpone a leaky radiator replacement. Otherwise it's clean as a whistle and the impeller looks new. Rarely used GM Genuine Dexcool either. Commercial equivalents such as Petronas Paraflu UP and even really obscure OAT coolants replaced the original Dexcool over time. Yet the heater core is still there, fully functional and leak free. Never ever let the coolant get past 5 years without a flush.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor 2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this, and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems. As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
I bought a new Chevy truck in late '96 as a '97 model. All kinds of problems with dex-kill. Ate thru my intake manifold gasket CAUSING LEAKS. My mechanic flushed the death-cool and put in the green stuff. Absolutely no problems since then.
@@mackey-5438 According to what I've read, the lower end cost models of GM, from 1996 to 2006, came with "nylon gaskets" which get eaten up by Dexcool, like my sisters 1997 Lumina, who had 2 gaskets go, and 2 costly engine rebuilds. I have a 2001 Olds Aurora, and it has the Cadillac Northstar engine in it, and the machine shop I went to that rebuilds engines, said these engines have higher quality gaskets. I'm thinking of flushing and refilling with Dexcool, but not sure what to do ??
But why not switch to a coolant that doesn't result in catastrophic problems when you get a leak? I see no compelling reason to stay with Dexcool when the time comes to replace it.
It’s so easy to do you can drain the radiator remember you won’t ever get all the coolant out there will still be some in the engine block and the heater core but you will get most of it out. Then add new coolant to the cold max line on the overflow bottle start the car let the water pump suck some coolant into the engine then add some more coolant until it stops getting sucked down. Then check your heat if the engines not overheating and there’s nice heat out of the dash your good if not you’ll have to bleed some air out.
You also need to measure the amount drained and compare the quantity to the system capacity in the owner's manual. If you only are able to drain half the system, the replacement interval becomes 2-1/2 years/50,000 miles.@@ryans413
My GM has run flawlessly for over 20 years with AC Delco Dexcool. Its a '98 K1500 5.7 with 359,120KM (223,146mi). I have never seen this orange sludge in my truck, had the dreaded intake gasket leak, nor had a plugged heater core. I know this as I'm the 2nd owner and the previous owner is a good buddy who bought it brand new. I have had several coolant leaks, due to bad design, such as the plastic rad tank cracking at the oil cooler inlet and those brittle plastic heater core quick connects snapping. I quickly address every leak repair myself and flush the system twice, adding only ACDelco Dexcool. I have to ask myself, are people simply not changing their Dexcool at proper intervals or buying a cheaper non GM product? Are they ignoring leaks too long or adding Stop Leak which gums up the system instead of fixing the leak? I just cant figure out why my truck is so special and everyone else is hating on Dexcool. Thats my 2¢
My Tahoe (97) has the 5.7 and I had the engine re-manufactured and demanded Dex-Cool, the shop used Prestone and mixed it with tap water (WTF?) and it leaked coolant since it left their shop. The bypass hoses on the water pump were never replaced, a heater hose was leaking and I am convinced that every gasket used is low quality because the timing cover started leaking at 100 miles... I am considering washing the DEX out of the truck because it has had air in the cooling system since it was repaired by a shop who employs mechanics with no experience.
I'm about ready to change the coolant in my newly bought 01 suburban and 04 Yukon with 105k and 82k miles respectively. Now I'm not sure what to do anymore. I'm still leaning towards Dex.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor 2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this, and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems. As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
@@grantp4022 I replaced my 01 with DexCool. It had DexCool the past 20 years with no leaks, so why change now I thought. I did hear though there were certain models in the early years of DexCool that were not compatible with the gaskets.
Dexcool was originally rubbish in early 2000's. Two storys In a PERFECT cooling system, dexcool destroyed the intake manifold gaskets causing leaks and sometimes coolant sucked into compression chamber. only real solution, replace gaskets and change to old green Gm coolant .. eventualy aftermarket gasket companys developed a new gasket that was dex cool resistant.. In a IMPERFECT cooling system with slight leak and SMALL amount of air in system. Dex-cool reacts with the air and trys to "plug the leak" by forming a sludge INSIDE the cooling system, everything gets blocked with sludge over time.. radiator , heater core, engine block...yes disaster. Later Gm changed dex-cool but they have not made clear what the changes were. GM settled a dex-cool class action law suit allowing US $ 150 MILLION.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor 2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this, and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems. As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
If the other coolants don't sludge up your engine when their is a leak, then they are superior, any system is going to leak at some time or other, it does not justify a death sentence to the car's engine for an owner to not to be on a constant lookout.
I have a 2008 HHR SS all stock and the coolant resovior has a direct to atmosphere overflow drain. What keeps air contamination from happening in this system, and others like it.
I have 200,000 miles on my G6 with Dexcool and absolutely no cooling problems whatsoever. Keeping the cooling system maintained properly is the big key for longevity. Heck, proper maintenance of anything is a major factor of how long something will last.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor 2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this, and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems. As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
very informative....you did not talk over my head...but you were technical enough for me to understand the science....I think I get it.....dont let dexcool get contaminated by air or any other additive....I love my 2015 tahoe
I have a 98 Tahoe. I understand about not allowing the Dexcool to become contaminated but how does or will it effect the aluminum heads with it being full of acid.
I read in my owner's manual that Dexcool should be changed every five years. (Drain, flush and refill cooling system (or every 60 months since last service, whichever occurs first).
informative but i dont know how something can be called good if its so picky as to its conditions like no exposure to atmosphere ,different gaskets ,and can't be mixed. the good ol green shit dont care, about atmosphere or being mixed with a universal or what gaskets u use. seems much easier to use.
The old green was only in a car for 20k or 2-3 years, dex is in there for 100k or 5 years. The gasket issue was not an issue with the coolant but an issue with GM not changing material over to match the coolant. The Simple fact is if the system is maintained without contamination, aka some lubber goober topping off the slightly low coolant or the owner of the vehicle not repairing a leaking, it will last without issues for 5 years or 100k, one of the biggest issues is that lubber goober contaminating the system with green or universal, more so than leaks
Flat Rate Master People don’t follow the schedule. Most people do 5 plus years with traditional and never change the dex, oat, hoat, this is just reality.
in my truck with 275000 miles from 02 the only cooling system issue I've ever had with dex cool is the stupid plastic fittings that GM put on the heater core. What possesed them to do that I'll never know but theres a metal replacement part available for that. My first truck is a classic with its convential green coolant for its copper/led readiator and that shit destroyed everything it touched. Since i swapped in an aluminum radiator when I swap the motor in a year or so I'm switching it to dex cool
I took my car in for a leak and they didn't fix the problem....BAM still end up with sludge. So I had them switch to the green after fixing the problem. I rather run the risk with the green than letting the sludge run through my system.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor 2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this, and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems. As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
If you look a the SDS, the regular yellowish Prestone you buy that is for all makes/all models all colors. it's SDS is pretty much the same as dexcool.
No, Prestone is a Hoat Coolant, Hybrid Organic Technology based coolant , while Dexcool is a OAT Organic ACID Tech based coolant, very different chemical make ups between them
I have been using DEXCOOL in my 1996 Chevy Lumina, no problems....our 1996 Chevy Impala SS came with the green stuff off the line....All of our other vehicles including 2002 Envoy, 2005 Yukon XL, Chevy Express Cargo Van , and Silverado all have the DEXCOOL....never an issue...The only time i saw issues with DEXCOOL were certain cars that were designed for the green that started using the orange.
OK so this vid was 6 years ago. DO you still feel the same about Orange coolant? Ford has switched over to yellow and they say you can substitute it out directly, no need for a flush and fill. Thoughts on that? Also Ford recommends first service at 100k miles then every 50k after that. What do you think? Is 30k better after the first service?
I have a Cadillac ATS which uses the dexcool. I got a agree with you I don't really think the coolant is as bad as what people make it out to be. I don't believe in the hundred fifty thousand mile interval though. It might be excessive but I change mine every 15 to 20 thousand and the cooling system is clean as can be. My Philosophy is instead of waiting until you have to flush it just change it before being you only get about 50% of it out anyway and if you keep it turned over like that you'll just replenish some of the additives lost. I do the same thing on my transmission I don't wait until the end of the interval because you're only going to get about half out anyway. I know that it's not compatible with cast iron engines which at the time I know the 4.3 V6 was a cast-iron setup. I think any aluminum engine now as long as it's changed frequent you should have no problems.
If GM is like any other large company, they KNEW exactly what they were doing when they brought this stuff out. Their R&D department probably told 'em that! You touched on one of the reasons around 3:05 of your video. Leaks! Less than stellar maintanance habits of customers. "Oh, I got a leak! Better get me some PRESTONE an' top it off!" Haha!
I know this is an old vid but Ford nixed their orange dex cool derivative in place of their new yellow POAT coolant. The good thing about the new coolant is it’s backwards compatible with the orange. It is recommended to swap the orange with the yellow in vehicles that have the orange.
I think everyone should just drain and fill their coolant once a year with an oil change. That’s what I do. I never have to do flushes anymore with distilled water and cleaners. I just drain and fill once a year and keep it fresh. Works like a charm. Coolant is a quick change on most cars anyways I don’t see why people wait
Most of the problems I've come across are intake manifold gaskets. And by now replacement gaskets have been made to replace the reactive gasket. A pain in the ass but it's a simple, perfect fix.
I'm looking at a 2007 Buick with a 4.6 Northstar engine and 70,000 miles. It still had the original coolant. Is that going to be a problem I should know about before buying the car?
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor 2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this, and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems. As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
I just got a GTO and someone put green coolant in it. The owners manual says Dexcool only. Should I leave it in there or flush completely and change to Dexcool? I'm just afraid there will still be old green coolant in the block after flushing a ton.
Good points, and I have had the same experience with all my GM cars/trucks. Change it out about every 75K and there are zero issues. People who proactively change fluids are more likely to fix leaks, change hoses before they swell or split and not overheat badly when this go sideways because they are the same folks who actually look at their gauges and open the hood regularly. That said, I have been religiously dumping the DEX-COOL from all my machines at my rental yard and replacing it with green, for the same reasons you mentioned. Many, many smaller/mid sized construction and Ag tractors, chippers, skidders and excavators are coming with Dex from the factory. The vast majority do not have closed systems or de-gas bottles built in.....just plain old open systems, like cars did 40 years ago. Many even still have brass radiators. Combine that with a long term rental, and customers who didn't give a sh*t because its not their machine, and its a recipe for destruction.
I like dexcool. I also like the green stuff. I don't do flushes regularly. I'm a fluid and filter guy, oil and transmission. I have flushed cooling systems before, but never with a machine. I always did it the old fashioned way where you drain it into the gutter and let the rain wash it away...
one of the reasons green coolant is no longer used is because of silicate drop out. as long as silicates stayed in suspension things were fine. over time you get what's called silicate drop out. if you've had a gallon of green coolant and let it set for a long time shake it up you will hear the silicates rattle around. these pieces of silicate can be quite abrasive and can wear out water pump seals and bearings. also silicates in green coolant is the main corrosion inhibitor. but it coats the cooling system creating an insulation trapping heat reducing the efficiency of the cooling system to transfer heat also if the coating of the silicates is not perfect it can create localized hot spots within the coolant passages.
calvin webb .... that’s why you don’t use old coolant and you change your coolant it’s very cheap and very easy to do I’d rather do that every time then pay for the headache of dex kill. There’s no way to fix it.I’d rather replace the water pump and flush my system out then buy a new motor
So what would your suggestion be for an older GM (93 camaro with a 350) that has an open to air overflow tank? Dexcool and know that it will break down due to the open to air overflow tank and change frequently, or go with the green since it sounds like it is less susceptible to air? The car currently has dexcool as it is what was in it when I bought it used (probably switched by a previous owner), and I have always just continued using it. But being a 93 i'm assuming it came from the factory with green?
I have a 07 Saturn outlook, What if your car has an overflow cap with a tiny hole in the center of it? also how do you know if you have a leak if you can smell coolant yet you don't see anything and your over flow is often needing to be filled?
I STRONGLY disagree with GM owners are bad at maintaining \ maintenance on their vehicles. Most GM owners have enough money to take care of their car. Ford or Chrysler, not so much. That's why you see so many ragged Ford and Dodge products.
Getting rid of DEXCOOL in my Buick switching to green after a complete flush. Why the F do I want a dexcool that’s going to fail quicker with any air in system…
Not bad is not good enough!! Use this coolant as long as u change it before the manufacturer says too and oh yea also dont get any leaks. Makes no sense. No offense to you as a mechanic but in the real world a better scenario would be not to use it.
Hey, i need your help ! I have a 1997 3.8 V6 Camaro, and winter is coming in România. So i whant to do a flush and refil. Is DEX cool good or should i use something else ?! Is it ok to use something else or stick with what the manual says DEX COOL ? Thank you !
I would flush it 3x and switch to prestone oat! Dexcool deteriorated my Chevy's head gasket. In all 3 Pontiacs I own, I have switched to the green antifreeze a decade ago and have had zero cooling system/head gasket problems! That Chevy was the one example it took for me to make the switch! When the mechanic took the heads off (to replace head gaskets) there was thick orange sluge (coolant/water/rust from iron engine) and it was dexcool! After the head gaskets were changed I continued using dexcool as recommended by GM and my radiator got clogged, needed replace, then my thermostat went, needed replace then the last straw was the heater core getting clogged . All coolant system issues because of dexcool. Ever since all my Pontiacs have been switched to green ever since with zero coolant system issues. So, YES, I would flush dex out 3 times then switch to oat coolant.
Hi. I would like to inquire about the engine temperature of the Dodge Gearney 2013 in summer conditions at temperatures of 50C in Iraq. When the air conditioner is operating, the engine temperature rises to 120 c. All Dodge cars. Use Acdelco coolant. Is there a solution for this condition?
I agree on dexcool and to never mix. I use dexcool in my Chrysler and had it from day one and now it has 350,000 miles. My coolant looks new and I change it every 100,000 miles atleast. Sometimes in between for other reasons.
I had been under the impression that Dex cool was the best stuff around. No more. I disagree with Flat Rate. My 99 Blazer was well maintained. System was flushed completely in 01 and then there after. The intake manifold still went. That is because GM did not design the intake manifold for DEX cool. The replacement gaskets are good. It is at least a 5 hour job and that is if you are fast to replace the intake manifold gasket. Your choice. Do that or stay away from Dex cool. As to maintenance as flat rate says. Sure if you love to constantly check for little leaks go ahead, or avoid Dex cool. I recently purchased a used 2003 blazer. The stuff in the bottle looked light orange but sample out of bottle looked light green. I have no idea what they did so I went with a universal for now. But on this car they told me the radiator had been replaced because of crack in the plastic at the top. Seems to happen with those radiators. Maybe it was the Dex cool. Anyway air must have gotten in. Around the inside channels and around the neck it looked like a heavy build up of rust. I thought they had put the old radiator back in, but upon examination it was hardened Dex Cool, because it had been exposed to air. To be fair, they probably did not flush the system. Still, All and all I am staying away from Dex Cool forever. It is just not worth it. It has to be flushed and changed just like ethylene glycol anyway. So there is no advantage. I am going with the Evans waterless. Worth it. Lifetime antifreeze. Get rid of the car take the coolant with you. BTW GM had many service bulletins saying do not use Dex Cool in certain vehicles. Flat Rate never mentions this.
Dex is a fine coolant. A lot of problems people had with it is because GM used to recommend to put in those Barrs pellets which over time if the coolant wasn't changed would gum up and block coolant passages and cause overheating and yes blown head gasket. On top of that people would add more of those pellets or powder thinking more must be better. GM had a bulletin years ago stating not to mix ANYTHING with Dex. Old news.
i think one of the issues with dexcool was people were leaving it in too long. it states 5 years / 150,000 miles. which means if you have 5 miles on it and its been 5 years you change it. if its been 2 years and you have a 150,000 miles you change it. antifreeze never loses its ability to not freeze what it loses over time is its ability to lubricate the cooling system and inhibit corrosion. any coolant left in too long will sludge and corrode the system.
in my shop we only stock a red and blue coolant, mabee its different here in the uk but i very rarely see cars coming in the shop with different coloured coolants other than the ones i just stated, Renault use a yellow coolent but thats the only european manufacture that does. GP
I put in a toyota 22re after flushing then was leaking out from the top or the radiator tank gasket. Cheap radiator i guess cuz it wan new at some point . Kept adding full strength dex cool orange untill a new radiator goes in . Gonna change to yellow this time.
Its just a guess but since the air in the tank is sealed then it might be okay. Because you can not overfill the tank or it runs out of a discharge spout at the top corner is why I think this. I hope this helps.
Having the cap open for a few seconds to fill the radiator won’t do no harm. Now if you fill the radiator and forget to put the cap back on and leave it sitting overnight then you’ll have issues. Also it’s a good idea anyways after filling the radiator to bleed the system of any air.
my 03 olds silhouette is dex cool....at five years of owning it ...150k dex serviced.....now 270k and head gasket leaking..........should have serviced it at 3 yrs and 200k miles...now i have a 2000 repair bill.........not too thrilled about dex cool service claims
Soooo....... What's your point ???? THE ONLY ADVANTAGE TO DEXCOOL IS DOUBLING THE CHANGE INTERVAL. The additive package STILL WEARS-OUT with time. And I would say that the DexCool package doesn't last any longer than other types of coolants. Meaning that you "should have" changed it sooner, but you can "get-away-with" extending the change interval. COOLING SYSTEM LEAKS DO HAPPEN. CUSTOMERS ARE QUITE OFTEN NEGLIGENT, OR TOO POOR, TO DO PROPER MAINTENANCE. DUMBASS MECHANICS DO MIX COOLANT TYPES, RESULTING IN A TOTAL DISASTER WHEN DEXCOOL IS INVOLVED. STANDARD GREEN COOLANT DOES NOT TURN INTO STICKY SLUDGE THAT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE EVEN WITH BRUTALLY HARSH CHEMICAL FLUSHES THAT WILL DESTROY ALUMINUM AND BRASS WITHIN HOURS. STANDARD GREEN COOLANT DOES NOT ATTACK INTAKE AND HEAD GASKETS, which DexCool is PROVEN to do. I have worked on cars where the only viable repair was to replace the head and intake manifold gaskets, the heater core, water pump, thermostat, all hoses, and the radiator and cap. AND YOU STILL CAN"T GET THE WATER PASSAGES IN THE BLOCK CLEAN. I have NEVER seen this much damage with standard "green" coolant, ever, and I've worked on cars and hot-rods for over 40 years. . This guy probably works in a dealership, or a very high-end repair shop, where he doesn't see any cars over 5 years old, and 95% of what he works on is still under warranty, or just out of warranty, and they have all been scrupulously maintained with ANY "warranty required" or "recommended" service always immediately agreed-to and performed. . IT IS STUPID to risk the expense of major, multiple parts replacement, just to extend the recommended coolant change interval. Especially if you engine cooling system has already been trashed because of the properties of DexCool. There are no other advantages to DexCool that I am aware of. It is not better at inhibiting corrosion. It is not better at protecting the water pump seals. It does not have superior freezing or boiling properties. It just "lasts longer"...... . On another note. "Ethylene Glycol" is the base for virtually ALL coolants. What makes difference between most coolants is the chemistry of the "Additive Package". The problem that most people and regulatory agencies have with coolants, is the fact that Ethylene Glycol is deadly poisonous to all animal life. Ethylene Glycol is an INDUSTRIAL WASTE BYPRODUCT THAT NOBODY WANTS. Ethylene Glycol is relatively very expensive to make non-poisonous, when compared to most other industrial waste byproducts. Big industrial giants want to get rid of this stuff any way they can, and back in the 1950's they figured out how they could GET RID OF THE STUFF AND PROFIT AT THE SAME TIME !!! Yeah, that's it, that's the ticket, we'll sell it as "anti-freeze" to all the car makers, and get them to insist that owners use nothing else, and they must change it regularly !!! . Whadya wanna bet ? ..... "OTA" is probably an industrial waste byproduct as well. And nobody wants the stuff...... . Propylene Glycol, on the other hand, is so safe that it is used as a FOOD ADDITIVE. ( that's right, you've ingested LOTS of it during your life, and you didn't even know it ) Propylene Glycol has virtually the exact same "anti-freeze/anti-boil" properties as Ethylene Glycol, but the price of Ethylene Glycol is always kept lower than Propylene Glycol, so that's what you're going to get, unless you go for some of the stupid expensive, specialty aftermarket coolants, like Evans, or a few others. You do the math.......... . Also, If you live where your car will not experience sub-freezing temperatures for extended periods, you would be better off using strait distilled water, and a "water-pump lubricant/corrosion inhibitor", which you can get in a 12oz bottle, from any auto parts store, or even Walmart. You can use 2 bottles if you want extra corrosion insurance, it won't hurt anything, and, while drinking it will probably make you very sick, or might even kill you if you drink the whole bottle, it's still no where NEAR as poisonous as Ethylene Glycol. Ethylene Glycol kills thousands of pet dogs and cats each year, because it tastes and smells "sweet" to animals, and so they will quickly lick-up a coolant leak on a driveway, and then die from it. And, distilled water has FAR more heat carrying capacity than ANY Glycol-based coolant. Just make sure you have a NEW radiator cap, rated for at least 12psi, and preferably, 16psi, and a properly functioning coolant recovery bottle to keep air out of the system. Plain water can run at 242F with a 12psi cap, and 252F with a 16psi cap. This is what i run in my hot-rod truck, zero problems, but I live in Florida, so no freezing worries.
I own a 2001 s10 blazer 2002 Silverado 4.8 2005 Tahoe 5.3 All well over 200k miles. I’m the second owner of all of these vehicles. They all had less than normal maintenance done by the original owners. I have no dexcool issues. When I bought each of these vehicles they got new AC Delco water pumps, thermostats and rad caps with AC Delco branded dexcool........never an issue. Original radiators and heater cores still work fine. I’m sure the blazer had the intake done under warranty I eventually will do it again as the silicone is leaking in the front. But i agree with frm. Just use the oem spec equivalent, or oem fluid for everything. There are still so many people who buy new Silverado’s and come to the gm dealer saying they don’t want synthetic oil, they request conventional and we tell them. Either we will see you every 3k Miles or your warranty is gone! They usually come back at the 6-9k mile mark after resetting there light twice. 30k miles needs a motor. A mentor of mine who is a master tech via ASE, once told me. “When in doubt oem and out!” Then if something happens and it’s not installation error, it’s an oem part issue, it covers a lot of asses. Check out my channel, I did a side job to install a head on a 2010 cobalt. That the customer tore down. We told him, call the dealer, oem, head gasket, timing chain set, and other gaskets, with dexcool. This was a complete hack job that the customer was well aware of. They are still driving this car last I spoke to them a year after the repair.
Finally, a rational discussion regarding DexCool! I run it in all of my GM cars with ZERO problems, because I maintain my cooling systems per factory spec. Liked and subscribed.
Don Z but what happens when the vehicle has 250k miles and just isn't worth it to maintain. A antifreeze engine with issues and degraded reservoir caps will work just fine but dex cool is just another point of failure. Just because something works doesn't make it good. Its a good coolant but an inferior product.
@@chaselewis3819 If you keep up with the vehicle from the start then it is still worth it to maintain at 250K miles. Plenty of cars and trucks that make it way past that with proper care. Usually the vehicles that are junky by then weren't properly maintained. It all comes down to how long you want to keep it and whether you'd rather spend a little as you go or a whole lot all at once. Just my two cents brother. Everybody's situation is different and opinions are typically based on your own experience. Peace.
i need to flush my system 130k on my 08 5.3. my 2000 s10 blazer zr2 4.3 had 300k+ with dexcol every 5 years flush and fill had it for 14 years. it all goes to maintaining your vehicle. its like using cheap oil and filter. and changing them every 10,000 miles and wondering why it broke down.
Dave Tumbleson But when the manufacturer tells you it's good for 100k, and the engine dies suddenly because of all the gasket problems and internal corrosion, what are you supposed to do? That's what we were faced with in the late 90's. I've never bought a GM car since, so I don't know if the problem has been fixed. Inlet manifold gasket leaks we're endemic on just about all GM V type engines back then, even before Deathcool.
Like Flat Rate Master said, GM simply replaced green with Dexcool. The regular gaskets couldn't take it and they started to compromise. After 2000, GM upgraded all engine gaskets and closed the cooling system, and the problem was no more. Ignorant people stop buying GM and go to another manufacturer. I replaced the infamous intake manifold gaskets on a supercharged 3800 series 2 V6, no big deal. That was a great car with a ton of torque and that car will go way past 200,000 miles no problem.
Yep I knew it in my experience with Dex Cool I've had no problems but one because someone mixed green with it.. And you're right people do not maintain their vehicles whatsoever again I've had many high mileage GMS that were properly maintained and the trucks go off-road all the time with no problems...
as a tech who works at a BUICK GMC DEALEARSHIP we use dexcool with everything (GM MADE) its an extended life coolant 5yrs or 100,000 however we do a coolant flush service as part of our 60k maintenance package service most of the cars we use a flush machine that you mix 50/50 dexcool and water into the container on the machine hook the machine up in series to the coolant system ( one hose to the coolant tank and one to the smaller upper hose off the tank and do a flush with the machine this way no air is introduced into the system... i have a terrain on the rack right now im doing a 60k service on... did this exact service of the coolant system the vehicle has right at 50,000
What we'll do is introduce a new product to an established market and keep its negitive effects a secret,you my corprate friend deserve a million dollar bonus.Its not our fault that single wemon and other non mechanical layman will ruin ther engine by topping off with green coolant or stop leak.
I just do regular maintenance. That’s all you need to do to make things work right. If you’re lazy and don’t fix a problem, something else is bound to break.
I seen coolant come out a car the was almost black. It scares me to see it that way, didn't even know that coolant can change color like that. Love you videos
Dexcool is garbage. I am a professional mechanic with 38 years of experience, and I have torn down a lot of engines that had been completely destroyed by Dexcool. Everything was plugged up with this brown gooey waxy substance, including the coolant passages in the heads and block. There is no way to get this stuff out. Nothing will dissolve it. The engine is ruined. I own a 2013 Sonic turbo, which came with Dexcool. I bought it when it was 2 years old from the original owner. The cooling system had never been touched. GM claims Dexcool lasts 5 years. No way in hell. This car was 2 years old with 31,000 miles on it. I found a couple of leaks at hose connections, where this brown waxy stuff had dripped out on the engine. I removed the hoses and found a heavy buildup of this crap. I replaced the hoses, and flushed the system with about 20 gallons of distilled water. I then put in non Dexcool coolant. I will flush and refill the coolant every year. I'm sure there is more of that brown wax in the engine, but there is no way to get it out. Hopefully I caught it in time before it plugged up everything. The heater still works, so that is a good sign. It is NOT the OAT formulation that causes this problem, though I prefer pure green ethylene glycol. It is the best coolant ever developed. However, Ford uses OAT coolant as well (Ford Motorcraft Gold) and I have never seen any issues with Ford cooling systems. You said BMW has had no problems either. Most of the industry now uses this stuff, yet GM is the only one to have major problems. That means the problems are caused by Dexcool, and not because it uses OAT. There is some other issue with Dexcool that does not exist with any other manufacturers coolant. BTW, the 2013 Sonic, a car that was designed long after the Dexcool fiasco showed up, is still having issues with it. And like all cooling systems, it has a reservoir that is open to the atmosphere. Just how are you supposed to keep air out of coolant? When you replace coolant, you are also getting air into the system, which has to be bled out. On most cars that is easy. You just leave the lid off the reservoir, let the engine run, and the air will come out through the reservoir opening. I have seen many vehicles with pure green ethylene glycol coolant left in them for over 10 years, without any issues. The problem with GM cars is definitely caused by Dexcool. I know this for a fact, not only because of my own experience, but also because of a lot of research. Just put Dexcool in a BMW or Ford, and the same thing will happen that happens to GM cars.
Petro based liquids breakdown petro based solids, hoses and the plastic head gaskets by GM. That's where the gooey waxy stuff comes from. The master bater's full of shit.
My 96 Camaro had to have a motor swap because dex ate the gaskets which eventually let it mix with the oil. The motor overheated a few times and I lost 2 lifters and that was that. My 97 Camaro I flushed dex out of it asap and put green prestone in it and I drove that car for 8 years no issues. I had a 98 WS6 with 29xxxkm on it and dex started to gum up around the cap and such but no major issues there. My 2008 Cobalt SS has it and so far no issues there either but I might still get it out of there I can't trust it. My friend had a 2002 I think Malibu and dex went bad in that and that car only had 30xxxkm. He had a 2000ish Monte Carlo and dex went completely nuts in that car and gummed up the rad and everything. Dex is garbage. Prestone green has never given me trouble so probably what i'll go with again.
GM hasn't had any issues with dexcool since the early 2000s. I work at a GM dealership and haven't seen any problems related directly to the coolant. What you saw in your 2013 sonic must have been coolant stop leak. Its the turbo so it has the 1.4L, which they commonly leak from the hose on the left side of the engine that goes from the water outlet junction to the reservoir. Ive seen vehicles leak for tens of thousands of miles from that hose and not cause any sludge buildup when you open up the cooling system. Dexcool does NOT attack seals. It does NOT attack any metal parts in your engine. These are all myths from the early dexcool formula used in engines with shitty intake designs. Don't believe me? Catepillar runs the same coolant formula in some of their heavy duty equipment, and CAT performed a quality test on the coolant, and found that the coolant from some heavy duty vehicles with a MILLION miles on them still had adequate PH levels and freeze protection. Dexcool is NOT a bad coolant, it had a bad premiere though. And that is why every other manufacturer is following GM
Good video you can't contaminate by just opening the purge tank and adding more dexcool can you ? I have a 2013 Sonic RS only has 20 k miles on it only around town and to and from work so I have a long way to go before my first flush 4 years 20 k miles .... Although I will say one thing my a/c never really worked well if it's over 85 here in so cal it almost don't blow cold air under 70 it works fine that another subject but see that problem all over the net ....
It's horrible because it's a petroleum based liquid. Petro based liquids break down pertoleum based solids, such as rubber hoses, plastic head gaskets, etc. The breakdown of head gaskets creates the obvious blown head gaskets as demonstrated in GM's 3.1 and 3.4 v6 engines. Some of those engines blew head gaskets at 65,000 miles. Every 2nd year painters helper knows petro based liquids dissolve petro based solids. Expensive repairs don't justify the so called lifetime antifreeze.
Dex Cool is not the greatest stuff on the market though to me it's not worth the problems and with Dexcool I had severe problems cooling problems where I've had to change heater cores radiators and give the block a good Flushing I've also seen what Dexcool does when not maintained if left alone I can actually eat aluminum and I was a really common issue on the 3800's
@@flatratemaster Feel the same way, running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor 2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this, and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems. As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
Turns into an orange goo with the early 4.8,5.3,6.0 and 6.2 engines which the heads were casted wrong,castec and non castec.I have seen it with one 5.3 where the customer was losing coolant with no outside leaks,
So, regular maintenance.. Every 2 years for a flush n fill ok? I have an 04 S10 2.2l with a petcock at the bottom corner of the radiator. I cant seem to figure the radiator cap removal even when the thing is cold! But, that's okay. I thoroughly believe I may be the first in its 130k mile lifespan to have drained the fluid. I think they may not have used DI water since I got red chunks of what appear to be plankton. At first I was thinking chunks of red rubber or gasket!! Ha-ha-ha-ha!! I just fill from the reservoir and flush at the radiator until I get the clear-clear, DISTILLED water. Thanks for the vid!
I have an older car a 1994 Roadmaster and I wasn’t sure witch coolant would be safe to use in this car being that it’s older but still under a 100k not sure what was used back in them days..
i have my owner's manual for my 1994 3.1L i think this is when they decided to use DEX on these vehicles but the gaskets could not handle it. Anyways use green , i have always used green and no problems.
The problem with DEXCOOL is that GM used Nylon carriers on their intake manifold gaskets (best example is the GM 3800). Not a good idea when DEXCOOL eats Nylon. If they just used the aluminum carrier gaskets life would have been fine.
True but the first years of the switch over the gasket itself, the rubber part, failed due to dexcool, other wise it should have never even gotten to the nylon part
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor 2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this, and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems. As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
I did a ton of repairs thanks to people using dexcool wrong it's one of those things if you don't know about it let someone else do it I had to read hours of service guides on dexcool to learn the proper way to use it
It's not so good when it fucks up at the slightest hint of contamination or a small leak because these things eventually happen to any car even if the owner is careful, from experience the green or universal works fine and doesn't have these problems
Um there tester kits you can get and you can test it from the radiator cap or most cars now don’t have radiator caps so test from the coolant expansion bottle
So you said that the gm take off is to blame for dexcools being misunderstood, and you say that leaks and exposure to air are the main problems. But you quickly glance over the fact that if you have an open to the air reservoir like say almost every gym in the 90s to 2005 !! Maybe switching that artery clogging junk is a good idea whether you maintain those vehicles or not.
well make it better so it dose not make brown s***t after 2 1/2 years on a $70,000.00 truck with only 19000 miles on it and yes it was check out. my 2013 GMC 5.3l tahoe had the same s***t happen to it too and my older TransAm was even worse like you said was not made for it but i still have the car and put evens water less coolant in it problem solved. make it better like evens water less coolant or better. and is there realy a flush that takes the brown stuff out of the heater cores hoses and raidator. i have tride a lot of stuff.
Totally agree! Works good on a sealed system. Sealing 3 different materials- iron,aluminum&plastic is the trick. Heat cycles on GM vehicles is the killer.
Its not that i dont like dexcool, ive just had nothing but bad luck with it, air in the system, small leak, didn't notice it till it was too late cooling system gunked up
Yep it’s so easy it can last 5 years or 200,000 miles depending on the state of the coolant it’s a fantastic coolant my radiator been kept clean using this stuff the car still has the original water pump hoses and seals no leaks no problems. All people gotta do is change out the coolant with the same stuff you can get it at any automotive store all it requires is for you to read lol like seriously. I got Dexcool that was already 50/50 mixed I didn’t have too do anything extra but just pour it in.
Man, as a fellow ASE master, I've flushed, changed intake Gaskets, water pumps in so many GM vehicles. I put G05 in them. Remember everyone else is using HOAT not a straight OAT like GM. Ford even moved away from their OAT. The switch was largely moved away from IAT due to pressure toward a more environmentally friendly coolant. As well as longer service life. When I see red coolant I just want to flush it out!
Thanks for the video. Answered all my questions regarding Dexcool.
Stop blaming the car owners for not finding the leak. Dexcool is not bad only when everything else is working well. I purchased a brand new 2003 Chevrolet Venture 3.4L in 2003. Before the 3 years/ 36K miles warranty expired, I found one gasket is leaking antifreeze. It's a tiny leakage trace and the minivan still ran very well. No low coolant or overheating at all. I was lucky to catch the problem at an early stage. The dealership fixed the problem under warranty in 2006. The system was flushed with Dexcool but I still found the messy yellow brownish stuff inside the reservoir and radiator cap. All hell broke loose after that. The gasket was updated but the rocker arm bolts took turns stripping out almost every year until 2011. The dealership put the bolts back for free but they failed a few times. Then the dealership asked me to pay for helicoil but it only lasted for a while. The dealership finally gave up and asked GM to ship two new cylinder heads in 2011 for the dealership to work on.
In 2018, I had to replace the thermostat and decided to switch to the universal long life antifreeze. You have to understand how Bill of MAHLE designed the gaskets to work with Dexcool. Dexcool doesn't like air and the cooling system always has a chance of exposing to air when something goes wrong. Why take chances with Dexcool while other products can serve your cooling system safer? Whenever you have a chance to switch, just do it and make sure you purge the whole cooling system a few times.
You don't want to wait until there is a problem, right? That's why its called preventative maintenance. I'm flushing my system out now. Today I drained coolant and filled with DI water. Overall I drained and filled about a gallon and a half. I'll drive it around on water for about a week then drain and fill again to see if there is a difference or what it is. Weather I cleaned out the crap buildup from years of neglect before I got the vehicle. If its all clear, (not likely on the first or second drain and fill, but when) I'll drain that then fill with my 50/50 mix of GM Approved Dex Cool by Prestone. At some point before the final fill I'm going to replace the thermostat because I live in Florida and it gets hot here. Like, a 3-7 dollar part that can prevent hundreds or thousands or be the deathknell of the vehicle, sure! Why not!
I realize this video is a few months old but I have to put in my two cents. First I have to say I've done repaired more cooling systems on vehicles that had dexcool than any others, sludge, gaskets, seals ECT. On my own 99 Tahoe, I replaced clogged radiator, intake gaskets, flushed the block and heater core multiple times, water pump had vanes that were eaten away. Second its hard to blame the operators of the vehicles in a world where things are promoted to be "maintenance free" as well as people who lease vehicles don't give a crap cause they're turning it in for another, screw the next guy kind of thinking. Third why use a coolant that is so sensitive to exposure to air? Its almost impossible to purge every air pocket in engine blocks, heads, heater cores and radiators. I think they were trying to appease the EPA and the Feds and their bottom line. Under ideal conditions its probably a good coolant but most people unlike tears ago gave gotten out of the habit of maintaining their vehicles with the intention of keeping them 10 years or more like our parents did. Personally I don't use it and after a cooling system repair flush like crazy and use something else and put a note under the hood so the next mechanic knows what's in it. Good video, I think you could have gone farther.
I am a GM owner, and love my GM vehicles of the past. I am a huge on maintenance
Finally someone said it! I love Dex cool. I use it in my 2002 chevy cavalier Z24 2.4L for 17 years without any problems. Its kept my cooling system clean and rust free. I only changed it 2 times in 20 years going to be 3x tomorrow. It is a good coolant. Thanks for this video!
Bob Holsopple If it works in my cheap Pontiac Grand Am then it’s gotta be good right. Cars 16 years old and dexcool hasn’t destroyed anything like everyone keeps saying it dose
@@ryans413 lol, I just put Dexcool in my 2009 Yamaha Fz6r street bike yesterday. Full system flush (that's the key) can never mix DeX cool with green stuff. But I trust it that much. Yep. Ironic that my last post was a year ago, and yesterday I put it in another vehicle.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and
never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The
gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper
GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool
ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the
oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor
2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this,
and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and
filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems.
As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny
bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as
my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because
of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac
Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
Still have GM vehicles since 2004 and 2013. Only use dexcool. Never had an issue because I maintain my shit.
Elios Electric but this guy said GM owners don’t maintain.... the guy on the video needs to read a script
I actually love dexcool it works well my cars 16 years old and I’ve had no issue cause I look after the vehicle
i think people think its an actual 150,000 mile coolant. its 5 yr. 150,000 miles whichever comes first. like any coolant it never loses its ability to not freeze but the additives that give it its anti corrosive properties depletes. i have a 13 year old GM vehicle changed it every 5 years and no issues so far.
Shyt is garbage don't let this clown lie to u
He says the problem is leaks in the cooling system. My question is what caused the leak in the first place.
neutrodyne If your thinking the coolant think again things ware out hoses don’t last forever radiators crack and leak water pumps go bad and leak and so on the coolant dosnt cause the leaks from age. That’s why as the driver you need to check these things as general maintenance and not blame the coolant
@@ryans413 You answered the question which was the point I was making. Many things can cause a leak. You find the cause and change whatever needs to be changed. However it is common knowledge that Dex kill caused a lot of those things to go bad in the beginning. Just ask any mechanic.
@@neutrodyne right, dexcool is terrible with iron engines. I changed out the dexcool to the green stuff over a decade ago on my 2003 grand am gt1 and have had zero cooling system issues. Still to this day . And everyone I know who has had a grand am and had dexcool in there, it deteriorated their head gaskets. Not mine!! Switch to green ! *It also ruined my Chevy engine too.
DEXCOOL.
@Cyclone Bravo yeah I'm not sure about nowadays , I only drive older cars , ya know ? Lol
Just changed the water pump on my 18 years old 73000 miles GM/Suzuki Dexcool equipped car (and only as a matter of preventive maintenance) and the only dirt inside there is the sealant that was put in 7 years ago in order to postpone a leaky radiator replacement. Otherwise it's clean as a whistle and the impeller looks new. Rarely used GM Genuine Dexcool either. Commercial equivalents such as Petronas Paraflu UP and even really obscure OAT coolants replaced the original Dexcool over time. Yet the heater core is still there, fully functional and leak free. Never ever let the coolant get past 5 years without a flush.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and
never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The
gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper
GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool
ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the
oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor
2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this,
and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and
filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems.
As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny
bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as
my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because
of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac
Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
been using dexcool since 96, have NOT had ANY issues
Rob S Have it in my car right now no issues cause I do maintenance checks it’s that simple people are lazy
I haven't owned my car for it's entire life but there is no reason it should gum up in the throttle body or anywhere for that matter at 100,000 miles.
I bought a new Chevy truck in late '96 as a '97 model. All kinds of problems with dex-kill. Ate thru my intake manifold gasket CAUSING LEAKS. My mechanic flushed the death-cool and put in the green stuff. Absolutely no problems since then.
@@mackey-5438 According to what I've read, the lower end cost models
of GM, from 1996 to 2006, came with "nylon gaskets" which get
eaten up by Dexcool, like my sisters 1997 Lumina, who had 2 gaskets
go, and 2 costly engine rebuilds. I have a 2001 Olds Aurora, and it has
the Cadillac Northstar engine in it, and the machine shop I went to
that rebuilds engines, said these engines have higher quality gaskets.
I'm thinking of flushing and refilling with Dexcool, but not sure what to
do ??
But why not switch to a coolant that doesn't result in catastrophic problems when you get a leak? I see no compelling reason to stay with Dexcool when the time comes to replace it.
There are so may people who believe Dexcool is a 100,000 mile coolant. The change interval is five years or 100,000 miles whichever comes FIRST.
So thats why we beleve! Cause that what is says..iam confused!
No confusion: if five years passes before the odometer gets to 100, 000, then do the coolant change maintenance at that point.
It’s so easy to do you can drain the radiator remember you won’t ever get all the coolant out there will still be some in the engine block and the heater core but you will get most of it out. Then add new coolant to the cold max line on the overflow bottle start the car let the water pump suck some coolant into the engine then add some more coolant until it stops getting sucked down. Then check your heat if the engines not overheating and there’s nice heat out of the dash your good if not you’ll have to bleed some air out.
You also need to measure the amount drained and compare the quantity to the system capacity in the owner's manual. If you only are able to drain half the system, the replacement interval becomes 2-1/2 years/50,000 miles.@@ryans413
Doesn't the dexcool come in contact non stop with air in the expansion tank? Its half full of air. How come it doesn't mess up when that happens?
I asked my opel dealer for price of replacing dexcool. they said that replacement wasnt needed ever with dexcool. I find that hard to believe.
My GM has run flawlessly for over 20 years with AC Delco Dexcool.
Its a '98 K1500 5.7 with 359,120KM (223,146mi). I have never seen this orange sludge in my truck, had the dreaded intake gasket leak, nor had a plugged heater core. I know this as I'm the 2nd owner and the previous owner is a good buddy who bought it brand new. I have had several coolant leaks, due to bad design, such as the plastic rad tank cracking at the oil cooler inlet and those brittle plastic heater core quick connects snapping. I quickly address every leak repair myself and flush the system twice, adding only ACDelco Dexcool. I have to ask myself, are people simply not changing their Dexcool at proper intervals or buying a cheaper non GM product? Are they ignoring leaks too long or adding Stop Leak which gums up the system instead of fixing the leak? I just cant figure out why my truck is so special and everyone else is hating on Dexcool.
Thats my 2¢
How do you fix the leaks how much does it cost?
My Tahoe (97) has the 5.7 and I had the engine re-manufactured and demanded Dex-Cool, the shop used Prestone and mixed it with tap water (WTF?) and it leaked coolant since it left their shop. The bypass hoses on the water pump were never replaced, a heater hose was leaking and I am convinced that every gasket used is low quality because the timing cover started leaking at 100 miles... I am considering washing the DEX out of the truck because it has had air in the cooling system since it was repaired by a shop who employs mechanics with no experience.
I'm about ready to change the coolant in my newly bought 01 suburban and 04 Yukon with 105k and 82k miles respectively.
Now I'm not sure what to do anymore. I'm still leaning towards Dex.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and
never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The
gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper
GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool
ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the
oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor
2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this,
and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and
filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems.
As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny
bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as
my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because
of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac
Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
@@grantp4022 I replaced my 01 with DexCool. It had DexCool the past 20 years with no leaks, so why change now I thought. I did hear though there were certain models in the early years of DexCool that were not compatible with the gaskets.
Dexcool was originally rubbish in early 2000's. Two storys
In a PERFECT cooling system, dexcool destroyed the intake manifold gaskets causing leaks and sometimes coolant sucked into compression chamber. only real solution, replace gaskets and change to old green Gm coolant .. eventualy aftermarket gasket companys developed a new gasket that was dex cool resistant..
In a IMPERFECT cooling system with slight leak and SMALL amount of air in system. Dex-cool reacts with the air and trys to "plug the leak" by forming a sludge INSIDE the cooling system, everything gets blocked with sludge over time.. radiator , heater core, engine block...yes disaster.
Later Gm changed dex-cool but they have not made clear what the changes were.
GM settled a dex-cool class action law suit allowing US $ 150 MILLION.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and
never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The
gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper
GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool
ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the
oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor
2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this,
and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and
filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems.
As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny
bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as
my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because
of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac
Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
If the other coolants don't sludge up your engine when their is a leak, then they are superior, any system is going to leak at some time or other, it does not justify a death sentence to the car's engine for an owner to not to be on a constant lookout.
I have a 2008 HHR SS all stock and the coolant resovior has a direct to atmosphere overflow drain. What keeps air contamination from happening in this system, and others like it.
I have 200,000 miles on my G6 with Dexcool and absolutely no cooling problems whatsoever. Keeping the cooling system maintained properly is the big key for longevity. Heck, proper maintenance of anything is a major factor of how long something will last.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and
never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The
gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper
GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool
ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the
oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor
2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this,
and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and
filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems.
As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny
bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as
my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because
of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac
Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
very informative....you did not talk over my head...but you were technical enough for me to understand the science....I think I get it.....dont let dexcool get contaminated by air or any other additive....I love my 2015 tahoe
+bestcramden glad you enjoyed the video, I love my silverado
I have a 98 Tahoe. I understand about not allowing the Dexcool to become contaminated but how does or will it effect the aluminum heads with it being full of acid.
I read in my owner's manual that Dexcool should be changed every five years. (Drain, flush and refill cooling system (or every 60 months since last service, whichever occurs first).
informative but i dont know how something can be called good if its so picky as to its conditions like no exposure to atmosphere ,different gaskets ,and can't be mixed. the good ol green shit dont care, about atmosphere or being mixed with a universal or what gaskets u use. seems much easier to use.
The old green was only in a car for 20k or 2-3 years, dex is in there for 100k or 5 years. The gasket issue was not an issue with the coolant but an issue with GM not changing material over to match the coolant. The Simple fact is if the system is maintained without contamination, aka some lubber goober topping off the slightly low coolant or the owner of the vehicle not repairing a leaking, it will last without issues for 5 years or 100k, one of the biggest issues is that lubber goober contaminating the system with green or universal, more so than leaks
Flat Rate Master People don’t follow the schedule. Most people do 5 plus years with traditional and never change the dex, oat, hoat, this is just reality.
@@flatratemaster But that is exactly what fuzzy is saying in his comment. That you need the right gaskets to match the coolant.
in my truck with 275000 miles from 02 the only cooling system issue I've ever had with dex cool is the stupid plastic fittings that GM put on the heater core. What possesed them to do that I'll never know but theres a metal replacement part available for that. My first truck is a classic with its convential green coolant for its copper/led readiator and that shit destroyed everything it touched. Since i swapped in an aluminum radiator when I swap the motor in a year or so I'm switching it to dex cool
I took my car in for a leak and they didn't fix the problem....BAM still end up with sludge. So I had them switch to the green after fixing the problem. I rather run the risk with the green than letting the sludge run through my system.
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and
never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The
gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper
GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool
ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the
oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor
2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this,
and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and
filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems.
As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny
bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as
my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because
of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac
Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
If you look a the SDS, the regular yellowish Prestone you buy that is for all makes/all models all colors. it's SDS is pretty much the same as dexcool.
No, Prestone is a Hoat Coolant, Hybrid Organic Technology based coolant , while Dexcool is a OAT Organic ACID Tech based coolant, very different chemical make ups between them
@@flatratemaster Is Dexcool somehow superior to HOAT coolant? Because I haven't heard of any problems with HOAT.
Dex Kill is a joke anyone who tells you different is a fool,the sooner it's outta your engine the better
and the sooner you start mixing it with other chemical coolants the worser.
So you don't know how to maintain your coolant system?
I have been using DEXCOOL in my 1996 Chevy Lumina, no problems....our 1996 Chevy Impala SS came with the green stuff off the line....All of our other vehicles including 2002 Envoy, 2005 Yukon XL, Chevy Express Cargo Van , and Silverado all have the DEXCOOL....never an issue...The only time i saw issues with DEXCOOL were certain cars that were designed for the green that started using the orange.
OK so this vid was 6 years ago. DO you still feel the same about Orange coolant? Ford has switched over to yellow and they say you can substitute it out directly, no need for a flush and fill. Thoughts on that? Also Ford recommends first service at 100k miles then every 50k after that. What do you think? Is 30k better after the first service?
I have a Cadillac ATS which uses the dexcool. I got a agree with you I don't really think the coolant is as bad as what people make it out to be. I don't believe in the hundred fifty thousand mile interval though. It might be excessive but I change mine every 15 to 20 thousand and the cooling system is clean as can be. My Philosophy is instead of waiting until you have to flush it just change it before being you only get about 50% of it out anyway and if you keep it turned over like that you'll just replenish some of the additives lost.
I do the same thing on my transmission I don't wait until the end of the interval because you're only going to get about half out anyway.
I know that it's not compatible with cast iron engines which at the time I know the 4.3 V6 was a cast-iron setup. I think any aluminum engine now as long as it's changed frequent you should have no problems.
ej Christian Probably just because it’s a GM coolant so people think it’s bad automatic
If GM is like any other large company, they KNEW exactly what they were doing when they brought this stuff out. Their R&D department probably told 'em that! You touched on one of the reasons around 3:05 of your video. Leaks! Less than stellar maintanance habits of customers. "Oh, I got a leak! Better get me some PRESTONE an' top it off!" Haha!
Oh I am sure their engineers told them and were ignored
Flat rate master
What year did GM change the gaskets to take dexcool without self destructing ?
Please and thank you
Great video
dangerprone911 2003 and up.
2003 I have a 2004 Pontiac that uses Dexcool and it’s had no problems at all
I know this is an old vid but Ford nixed their orange dex cool derivative in place of their new yellow POAT coolant. The good thing about the new coolant is it’s backwards compatible with the orange. It is recommended to swap the orange with the yellow in vehicles that have the orange.
Make the coolant orange so you cant tell when its dirty because of iron block and rust turning it orange, genius...
Dexcool is not used in iron blocks it eat it away it’s used in aluminum blocks
@@ryans413What does GM use in their iron blocks? Hint, it's dexcool
@@deerhunter5305 that was back in the day and they had issues but most vehicles today have aluminum blocks
@ryans413 Not sure about 2014 and up but from 95 to 2013 mostly iron blocks with dexcool.
Why is the coolant on my New GMC pink but they tell me to buy DEX-COOL and its orange????
Come scrape the sludge out of my heater core while bragging about how "great" it is for mechanic's business
@2:28 What about the air in the tank reservoir?
I think everyone should just drain and fill their coolant once a year with an oil change. That’s what I do. I never have to do flushes anymore with distilled water and cleaners. I just drain and fill once a year and keep it fresh. Works like a charm. Coolant is a quick change on most cars anyways I don’t see why people wait
Most of the problems I've come across are intake manifold gaskets. And by now replacement gaskets have been made to replace the reactive gasket. A pain in the ass but it's a simple, perfect fix.
my 2013 sierra does not have a drain on rad so this procedure becomes much more work to perform
@@jmtexican pull the lower hose. My moms chevy has no drain but you can pull one of the hoses off the water pump and all the coolant drains
MOST people don't do their own maintenance so what you suggest is too expensive as well as uneccesary.
I'm looking at a 2007 Buick with a 4.6 Northstar engine and 70,000 miles. It still had the original coolant. Is that going to be a problem I should know about before buying the car?
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and
never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The
gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper
GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool
ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the
oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor
2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this,
and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and
filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems.
As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny
bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as
my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because
of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac
Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
I just got a GTO and someone put green coolant in it. The owners manual says Dexcool only. Should I leave it in there or flush completely and change to Dexcool? I'm just afraid there will still be old green coolant in the block after flushing a ton.
Seems to run fine the way it is, but it looks like it was recently changed.
@@CoDisafishy I would leave the green for sure. All my Pontiacs have green with no issues.
Good points, and I have had the same experience with all my GM cars/trucks. Change it out about every 75K and there are zero issues. People who proactively change fluids are more likely to fix leaks, change hoses before they swell or split and not overheat badly when this go sideways because they are the same folks who actually look at their gauges and open the hood regularly.
That said, I have been religiously dumping the DEX-COOL from all my machines at my rental yard and replacing it with green, for the same reasons you mentioned. Many, many smaller/mid sized construction and Ag tractors, chippers, skidders and excavators are coming with Dex from the factory. The vast majority do not have closed systems or de-gas bottles built in.....just plain old open systems, like cars did 40 years ago. Many even still have brass radiators. Combine that with a long term rental, and customers who didn't give a sh*t because its not their machine, and its a recipe for destruction.
I like dexcool. I also like the green stuff. I don't do flushes regularly. I'm a fluid and filter guy, oil and transmission. I have flushed cooling systems before, but never with a machine. I always did it the old fashioned way where you drain it into the gutter and let the rain wash it away...
:0
Hard Knocks Forge I just put my oil down the sewer a lot less work
Soon you will be fusing the whole system if there's dex Kill in it don't worry
one of the reasons green coolant is no longer used is because of silicate drop out. as long as silicates stayed in suspension things were fine. over time you get what's called silicate drop out. if you've had a gallon of green coolant and let it set for a long time shake it up you will hear the silicates rattle around. these pieces of silicate can be quite abrasive and can wear out water pump seals and bearings. also silicates in green coolant is the main corrosion inhibitor. but it coats the cooling system creating an insulation trapping heat reducing the efficiency of the cooling system to transfer heat also if the coating of the silicates is not perfect it can create localized hot spots within the coolant passages.
calvin webb .... that’s why you don’t use old coolant and you change your coolant it’s very cheap and very easy to do I’d rather do that every time then pay for the headache of dex kill. There’s no way to fix it.I’d rather replace the water pump and flush my system out then buy a new motor
I love dexcool too much that I have every morning instead of orange juice
So what would your suggestion be for an older GM (93 camaro with a 350) that has an open to air overflow tank? Dexcool and know that it will break down due to the open to air overflow tank and change frequently, or go with the green since it sounds like it is less susceptible to air? The car currently has dexcool as it is what was in it when I bought it used (probably switched by a previous owner), and I have always just continued using it. But being a 93 i'm assuming it came from the factory with green?
it came with green, flush out the dex cool and put standard green back in it
I have a 07 Saturn outlook, What if your car has an overflow cap with a tiny hole in the center of it? also how do you know if you have a leak if you can smell coolant yet you don't see anything and your over flow is often needing to be filled?
Thank you sir after looking at multiple videos you answered all my questions inregards to my Malibu
An otherwise good engineering solution that falls over in a relatively common situation is not a good engineering solution.
I STRONGLY disagree with GM owners are bad at maintaining \ maintenance on their vehicles. Most GM owners have enough money to take care of their car.
Ford or Chrysler, not so much. That's why you see so many ragged Ford and Dodge products.
Getting rid of DEXCOOL in my Buick switching to green after a complete flush. Why the F do I want a dexcool that’s going to fail quicker with any air in system…
Not bad is not good enough!! Use this coolant as long as u change it before the manufacturer says too and oh yea also dont get any leaks. Makes no sense.
No offense to you as a mechanic but in the real world a better scenario would be not to use it.
Exactly. I'll be switching from Dexcool to a coolant without any caveats to it's use.
Hey, i need your help ! I have a 1997 3.8 V6 Camaro, and winter is coming in România. So i whant to do a flush and refil. Is DEX cool good or should i use something else ?! Is it ok to use something else or stick with what the manual says DEX COOL ? Thank you !
I would flush it 3x and switch to prestone oat! Dexcool deteriorated my Chevy's head gasket.
In all 3 Pontiacs I own, I have switched to the green antifreeze a decade ago and have had zero cooling system/head gasket problems! That Chevy was the one example it took for me to make the switch!
When the mechanic took the heads off (to replace head gaskets) there was thick orange sluge (coolant/water/rust from iron engine) and it was dexcool! After the head gaskets were changed I continued using dexcool as recommended by GM and my radiator got clogged, needed replace, then my thermostat went, needed replace then the last straw was the heater core getting clogged . All coolant system issues because of dexcool.
Ever since all my Pontiacs have been switched to green ever since with zero coolant system issues.
So, YES, I would flush dex out 3 times then switch to oat coolant.
Hi. I would like to inquire about the engine temperature of the Dodge Gearney 2013 in summer conditions at temperatures of 50C in Iraq. When the air conditioner is operating, the engine temperature rises to 120 c. All Dodge cars. Use Acdelco coolant. Is there a solution for this condition?
I agree on dexcool and to never mix. I use dexcool in my Chrysler and had it from day one and now it has 350,000 miles. My coolant looks new and I change it every 100,000 miles atleast. Sometimes in between for other reasons.
I had been under the impression that Dex cool was the best stuff around. No more. I disagree with Flat Rate. My 99 Blazer was well maintained. System was flushed completely in 01 and then there after. The intake manifold still went. That is because GM did not design the intake manifold for DEX cool. The replacement gaskets are good. It is at least a 5 hour job and that is if you are fast to replace the intake manifold gasket. Your choice. Do that or stay away from Dex cool.
As to maintenance as flat rate says. Sure if you love to constantly check for little leaks go ahead, or avoid Dex cool. I recently purchased a used 2003 blazer. The stuff in the bottle looked light orange but sample out of bottle looked light green. I have no idea what they did so I went with a universal for now. But on this car they told me the radiator had been replaced because of crack in the plastic at the top. Seems to happen with those radiators. Maybe it was the Dex cool. Anyway air must have gotten in. Around the inside channels and around the neck it looked like a heavy build up of rust. I thought they had put the old radiator back in, but upon examination it was hardened Dex Cool, because it had been exposed to air. To be fair, they probably did not flush the system. Still, All and all I am staying away from Dex Cool forever. It is just not worth it. It has to be flushed and changed just like ethylene glycol anyway. So there is no advantage.
I am going with the Evans waterless. Worth it. Lifetime antifreeze. Get rid of the car take the coolant with you.
BTW GM had many service bulletins saying do not use Dex Cool in certain vehicles. Flat Rate never mentions this.
Q
Dex is a fine coolant. A lot of problems people had with it is because GM used to recommend to put in those Barrs pellets which over time if the coolant wasn't changed would gum up and block coolant passages and cause overheating and yes blown head gasket. On top of that people would add more of those pellets or powder thinking more must be better. GM had a bulletin years ago stating not to mix ANYTHING with Dex. Old news.
i think one of the issues with dexcool was people were leaving it in too long. it states 5 years / 150,000 miles. which means if you have 5 miles on it and its been 5 years you change it. if its been 2 years and you have a 150,000 miles you change it. antifreeze never loses its ability to not freeze what it loses over time is its ability to lubricate the cooling system and inhibit corrosion. any coolant left in too long will sludge and corrode the system.
I still use dexcool in my grand am 2001 vehicle and running strong. Regular flushes
in my shop we only stock a red and blue coolant, mabee its different here in the uk but i very rarely see cars coming in the shop with different coloured coolants other than the ones i just stated, Renault use a yellow coolent but thats the only european manufacture that does. GP
Very Interesting
I put in a toyota 22re after flushing then was leaking out from the top or the radiator tank gasket. Cheap radiator i guess cuz it wan new at some point . Kept adding full strength dex cool orange untill a new radiator goes in . Gonna change to yellow this time.
How am I supposed to add this coolant to my reservoir without letting air into the cooling system?
How can you add coolant if you cannot properly bleed your system???
Its just a guess but since the air in the tank is sealed then it might be okay. Because you can not overfill the tank or it runs out of a discharge spout at the top corner is why I think this. I hope this helps.
Buy any other coolant and replace the cap and close the hood for 100,000 miles, or use dexcool and check it every single day and stress.
Having the cap open for a few seconds to fill the radiator won’t do no harm. Now if you fill the radiator and forget to put the cap back on and leave it sitting overnight then you’ll have issues. Also it’s a good idea anyways after filling the radiator to bleed the system of any air.
HOAT (Hybrid OAT) coolants are superior to OAT coolants.
No
my 03 olds silhouette is dex cool....at five years of owning it ...150k dex serviced.....now 270k and head gasket leaking..........should have serviced it at 3 yrs and 200k miles...now i have a 2000 repair bill.........not too thrilled about dex cool service claims
Soooo....... What's your point ????
THE ONLY ADVANTAGE TO DEXCOOL IS DOUBLING THE CHANGE INTERVAL.
The additive package STILL WEARS-OUT with time.
And I would say that the DexCool package doesn't last any longer than other types of coolants.
Meaning that you "should have" changed it sooner,
but you can "get-away-with" extending the change interval.
COOLING SYSTEM LEAKS DO HAPPEN.
CUSTOMERS ARE QUITE OFTEN NEGLIGENT, OR TOO POOR, TO DO PROPER MAINTENANCE.
DUMBASS MECHANICS DO MIX COOLANT TYPES,
RESULTING IN A TOTAL DISASTER WHEN DEXCOOL IS INVOLVED.
STANDARD GREEN COOLANT DOES NOT TURN INTO STICKY SLUDGE
THAT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE EVEN WITH
BRUTALLY HARSH CHEMICAL FLUSHES THAT WILL DESTROY ALUMINUM AND BRASS WITHIN HOURS.
STANDARD GREEN COOLANT DOES NOT ATTACK INTAKE AND HEAD GASKETS,
which DexCool is PROVEN to do.
I have worked on cars where the only viable repair was to
replace the head and intake manifold gaskets,
the heater core, water pump, thermostat, all hoses, and the radiator and cap.
AND YOU STILL CAN"T GET THE WATER PASSAGES IN THE BLOCK CLEAN.
I have NEVER seen this much damage with standard "green" coolant, ever,
and I've worked on cars and hot-rods for over 40 years.
.
This guy probably works in a dealership, or a very high-end repair shop,
where he doesn't see any cars over 5 years old, and 95% of what he works on is
still under warranty, or just out of warranty, and they have all been scrupulously maintained
with ANY "warranty required" or "recommended" service always immediately agreed-to and performed.
.
IT IS STUPID to risk the expense of major, multiple parts replacement,
just to extend the recommended coolant change interval.
Especially if you engine cooling system has already been trashed because of the properties of DexCool.
There are no other advantages to DexCool that I am aware of.
It is not better at inhibiting corrosion.
It is not better at protecting the water pump seals.
It does not have superior freezing or boiling properties.
It just "lasts longer"......
.
On another note.
"Ethylene Glycol" is the base for virtually ALL coolants.
What makes difference between most coolants is the chemistry of the "Additive Package".
The problem that most people and regulatory agencies have with coolants, is the fact that
Ethylene Glycol is deadly poisonous to all animal life.
Ethylene Glycol is an INDUSTRIAL WASTE BYPRODUCT THAT NOBODY WANTS.
Ethylene Glycol is relatively very expensive to make non-poisonous,
when compared to most other industrial waste byproducts.
Big industrial giants want to get rid of this stuff any way they can,
and back in the 1950's they figured out how they could
GET RID OF THE STUFF AND PROFIT AT THE SAME TIME !!!
Yeah, that's it, that's the ticket, we'll sell it as "anti-freeze" to all the car makers,
and get them to insist that owners use nothing else, and they must change it regularly !!!
.
Whadya wanna bet ? .....
"OTA" is probably an industrial waste byproduct as well. And nobody wants the stuff......
.
Propylene Glycol, on the other hand, is so safe that it is used as a FOOD ADDITIVE.
( that's right, you've ingested LOTS of it during your life, and you didn't even know it )
Propylene Glycol has virtually the exact same "anti-freeze/anti-boil" properties as Ethylene Glycol,
but the price of Ethylene Glycol is always kept lower than Propylene Glycol,
so that's what you're going to get,
unless you go for some of the stupid expensive,
specialty aftermarket coolants, like Evans, or a few others.
You do the math..........
.
Also, If you live where your car will not experience sub-freezing temperatures for extended periods,
you would be better off using strait distilled water, and a "water-pump lubricant/corrosion inhibitor",
which you can get in a 12oz bottle, from any auto parts store, or even Walmart.
You can use 2 bottles if you want extra corrosion insurance, it won't hurt anything, and,
while drinking it will probably make you very sick, or might even kill you if you drink the whole bottle,
it's still no where NEAR as poisonous as Ethylene Glycol.
Ethylene Glycol kills thousands of pet dogs and cats each year,
because it tastes and smells "sweet" to animals, and so
they will quickly lick-up a coolant leak on a driveway, and then die from it.
And, distilled water has FAR more heat carrying capacity than ANY Glycol-based coolant.
Just make sure you have a NEW radiator cap, rated for at least 12psi, and preferably, 16psi,
and a properly functioning coolant recovery bottle to keep air out of the system.
Plain water can run at 242F with a 12psi cap, and 252F with a 16psi cap.
This is what i run in my hot-rod truck, zero problems, but I live in Florida, so no freezing worries.
I own a 2001 s10 blazer
2002 Silverado 4.8
2005 Tahoe 5.3
All well over 200k miles. I’m the second owner of all of these vehicles. They all had less than normal maintenance done by the original owners. I have no dexcool issues. When I bought each of these vehicles they got new AC Delco water pumps, thermostats and rad caps with AC Delco branded dexcool........never an issue. Original radiators and heater cores still work fine. I’m sure the blazer had the intake done under warranty I eventually will do it again as the silicone is leaking in the front. But i agree with frm. Just use the oem spec equivalent, or oem fluid for everything. There are still so many people who buy new Silverado’s and come to the gm dealer saying they don’t want synthetic oil, they request conventional and we tell them. Either we will see you every 3k Miles or your warranty is gone! They usually come back at the 6-9k mile mark after resetting there light twice. 30k miles needs a motor. A mentor of mine who is a master tech via ASE, once told me. “When in doubt oem and out!” Then if something happens and it’s not installation error, it’s an oem part issue, it covers a lot of asses. Check out my channel, I did a side job to install a head on a 2010 cobalt. That the customer tore down. We told him, call the dealer, oem, head gasket, timing chain set, and other gaskets, with dexcool. This was a complete hack job that the customer was well aware of. They are still driving this car last I spoke to them a year after the repair.
Finally, a rational discussion regarding DexCool! I run it in all of my GM cars with ZERO problems, because I maintain my cooling systems per factory spec. Liked and subscribed.
Same here!
Don Z but what happens when the vehicle has 250k miles and just isn't worth it to maintain. A antifreeze engine with issues and degraded reservoir caps will work just fine but dex cool is just another point of failure. Just because something works doesn't make it good. Its a good coolant but an inferior product.
Don Z
Same here. I have a 2001 impala (la1) with 226000+ miles. Dexcool has been run in it since day one, no problems.
Chase lewis 2 questions.. How is Dexcool a point of failure? What is Dexcool inferior to?
@@chaselewis3819 If you keep up with the vehicle from the start then it is still worth it to maintain at 250K miles. Plenty of cars and trucks that make it way past that with proper care. Usually the vehicles that are junky by then weren't properly maintained. It all comes down to how long you want to keep it and whether you'd rather spend a little as you go or a whole lot all at once. Just my two cents brother. Everybody's situation is different and opinions are typically based on your own experience. Peace.
i need to flush my system 130k on my 08 5.3.
my 2000 s10 blazer zr2 4.3 had 300k+ with dexcol every 5 years flush and fill had it for 14 years.
it all goes to maintaining your vehicle. its like using cheap oil and filter. and changing them every 10,000 miles and wondering why it broke down.
It does all come down to maintenance!
Dave Tumbleson But when the manufacturer tells you it's good for 100k, and the engine dies suddenly because of all the gasket problems and internal corrosion, what are you supposed to do? That's what we were faced with in the late 90's.
I've never bought a GM car since, so I don't know if the problem has been fixed. Inlet manifold gasket leaks we're endemic on just about all GM V type engines back then, even before Deathcool.
Like Flat Rate Master said, GM simply replaced green with Dexcool. The regular gaskets couldn't take it and they started to compromise. After 2000, GM upgraded all engine gaskets and closed the cooling system, and the problem was no more. Ignorant people stop buying GM and go to another manufacturer. I replaced the infamous intake manifold gaskets on a supercharged 3800 series 2 V6, no big deal. That was a great car with a ton of torque and that car will go way past 200,000 miles no problem.
Replacing an intake manifold gasket is a big deal if you are paying someone 100 dollars and hour to do it.
Yep I knew it in my experience with Dex Cool I've had no problems but one because someone mixed green with it..
And you're right people do not maintain their vehicles whatsoever again I've had many high mileage GMS that were properly maintained and the trucks go off-road all the time with no problems...
as a tech who works at a BUICK GMC DEALEARSHIP
we use dexcool with everything (GM MADE) its an extended life coolant 5yrs or 100,000
however we do a coolant flush service as part of our 60k maintenance package service
most of the cars we use a flush machine that you mix 50/50 dexcool and water into the container on the machine hook the machine up in series to the coolant system ( one hose to the coolant tank and one to the smaller upper hose off the tank and do a flush with the machine this way no air is introduced into the system...
i have a terrain on the rack right now im doing a 60k service on... did this exact service of the coolant system the vehicle has right at 50,000
What we'll do is introduce a new product to an established market and keep its negitive effects a secret,you my corprate friend deserve a million dollar bonus.Its not our fault that single wemon and other non mechanical layman will ruin ther engine by topping off with green coolant or stop leak.
Battery current runs through the block. Not changing it for 5 years ensures it becomes acidic.
I just do regular maintenance. That’s all you need to do to make things work right. If you’re lazy and don’t fix a problem, something else is bound to break.
I seen coolant come out a car the was almost black. It scares me to see it that way, didn't even know that coolant can change color like that. Love you videos
Dexcool is garbage. I am a professional mechanic with 38 years of experience, and I have torn down a lot of engines that had been completely destroyed by Dexcool. Everything was plugged up with this brown gooey waxy substance, including the coolant passages in the heads and block. There is no way to get this stuff out. Nothing will dissolve it. The engine is ruined. I own a 2013 Sonic turbo, which came with Dexcool. I bought it when it was 2 years old from the original owner. The cooling system had never been touched. GM claims Dexcool lasts 5 years. No way in hell. This car was 2 years old with 31,000 miles on it. I found a couple of leaks at hose connections, where this brown waxy stuff had dripped out on the engine. I removed the hoses and found a heavy buildup of this crap. I replaced the hoses, and flushed the system with about 20 gallons of distilled water. I then put in non Dexcool coolant. I will flush and refill the coolant every year. I'm sure there is more of that brown wax in the engine, but there is no way to get it out. Hopefully I caught it in time before it plugged up everything. The heater still works, so that is a good sign.
It is NOT the OAT formulation that causes this problem, though I prefer pure green ethylene glycol. It is the best coolant ever developed. However, Ford uses OAT coolant as well (Ford Motorcraft Gold) and I have never seen any issues with Ford cooling systems. You said BMW has had no problems either. Most of the industry now uses this stuff, yet GM is the only one to have major problems. That means the problems are caused by Dexcool, and not because it uses OAT. There is some other issue with Dexcool that does not exist with any other manufacturers coolant. BTW, the 2013 Sonic, a car that was designed long after the Dexcool fiasco showed up, is still having issues with it. And like all cooling systems, it has a reservoir that is open to the atmosphere. Just how are you supposed to keep air out of coolant? When you replace coolant, you are also getting air into the system, which has to be bled out. On most cars that is easy. You just leave the lid off the reservoir, let the engine run, and the air will come out through the reservoir opening. I have seen many vehicles with pure green ethylene glycol coolant left in them for over 10 years, without any issues. The problem with GM cars is definitely caused by Dexcool. I know this for a fact, not only because of my own experience, but also because of a lot of research. Just put Dexcool in a BMW or Ford, and the same thing will happen that happens to GM cars.
Petro based liquids breakdown petro based solids, hoses and the plastic head gaskets by GM. That's where the gooey waxy stuff comes from. The master bater's full of shit.
My 96 Camaro had to have a motor swap because dex ate the gaskets which eventually let it mix with the oil. The motor overheated a few times and I lost 2 lifters and that was that. My 97 Camaro I flushed dex out of it asap and put green prestone in it and I drove that car for 8 years no issues. I had a 98 WS6 with 29xxxkm on it and dex started to gum up around the cap and such but no major issues there. My 2008 Cobalt SS has it and so far no issues there either but I might still get it out of there I can't trust it. My friend had a 2002 I think Malibu and dex went bad in that and that car only had 30xxxkm. He had a 2000ish Monte Carlo and dex went completely nuts in that car and gummed up the rad and everything. Dex is garbage. Prestone green has never given me trouble so probably what i'll go with again.
GM hasn't had any issues with dexcool since the early 2000s. I work at a GM dealership and haven't seen any problems related directly to the coolant. What you saw in your 2013 sonic must have been coolant stop leak. Its the turbo so it has the 1.4L, which they commonly leak from the hose on the left side of the engine that goes from the water outlet junction to the reservoir. Ive seen vehicles leak for tens of thousands of miles from that hose and not cause any sludge buildup when you open up the cooling system. Dexcool does NOT attack seals. It does NOT attack any metal parts in your engine. These are all myths from the early dexcool formula used in engines with shitty intake designs. Don't believe me? Catepillar runs the same coolant formula in some of their heavy duty equipment, and CAT performed a quality test on the coolant, and found that the coolant from some heavy duty vehicles with a MILLION miles on them still had adequate PH levels and freeze protection. Dexcool is NOT a bad coolant, it had a bad premiere though. And that is why every other manufacturer is following GM
I have a 263,000 mile gm. Only changed the coolant once.
yeah about that, you're a lying scum bag,,,,I have only owned GM products and never have I had issues
Good video you can't contaminate by just opening the purge tank and adding more dexcool can you ? I have a 2013 Sonic RS only has 20 k miles on it only around town and to and from work so I have a long way to go before my first flush 4 years 20 k miles .... Although I will say one thing my a/c never really worked well if it's over 85 here in so cal it almost don't blow cold air under 70 it works fine that another subject but see that problem all over the net ....
It's horrible because it's a petroleum based liquid. Petro based liquids break down pertoleum based solids, such as rubber hoses, plastic head gaskets, etc. The breakdown of head gaskets creates the obvious blown head gaskets as demonstrated in GM's 3.1 and 3.4 v6 engines. Some of those engines blew head gaskets at 65,000 miles. Every 2nd year painters helper knows petro based liquids dissolve petro based solids. Expensive repairs don't justify the so called lifetime antifreeze.
Dex Cool is not the greatest stuff on the market though to me it's not worth the problems and with Dexcool I had severe problems cooling problems where I've had to change heater cores radiators and give the block a good Flushing I've also seen what Dexcool does when not maintained if left alone I can actually eat aluminum and I was a really common issue on the 3800's
Both my vehicle will have dexcool in them until they are traded in after about 200k, it will be serviced every 50k though and any leaks fixed
@@flatratemaster Feel the same way, running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and
never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The
gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper
GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool
ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the
oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor
2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this,
and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and
filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems.
As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny
bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as
my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because
of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac
Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
Turns into an orange goo with the early 4.8,5.3,6.0 and 6.2 engines which the heads were casted wrong,castec and non castec.I have seen it with one 5.3 where the customer was losing coolant with no outside leaks,
wafrederick that was a prosperity problem with the head castings not a coolant problem
The middle head bolt hole was not casted with a middle support and cracks there which coolant gets in there
wafrederick still not the coolant fault
So, regular maintenance.. Every 2 years for a flush n fill ok? I have an 04 S10 2.2l with a petcock at the bottom corner of the radiator. I cant seem to figure the radiator cap removal even when the thing is cold! But, that's okay. I thoroughly believe I may be the first in its 130k mile lifespan to have drained the fluid. I think they may not have used DI water since I got red chunks of what appear to be plankton. At first I was thinking chunks of red rubber or gasket!! Ha-ha-ha-ha!! I just fill from the reservoir and flush at the radiator until I get the clear-clear, DISTILLED water. Thanks for the vid!
I have an older car a 1994 Roadmaster and I wasn’t sure witch coolant would be safe to use in this car being that it’s older but still under a 100k not sure what was used back in them days..
+Joshua Whitecloud 94 would be old fashion green
Alright 10-4 I really appreciate the reply man
i have my owner's manual for my 1994 3.1L i think this is when they decided to use DEX on these vehicles but the gaskets could not handle it. Anyways use green , i have always used green and no problems.
The problem with DEXCOOL is that GM used Nylon carriers on their intake manifold gaskets (best example is the GM 3800). Not a good idea when DEXCOOL eats Nylon. If they just used the aluminum carrier gaskets life would have been fine.
True but the first years of the switch over the gasket itself, the rubber part, failed due to dexcool, other wise it should have never even gotten to the nylon part
SATAMAN Schmidt
3100 and 3400 also
I feel the same way, I'm running Dexcool in my 2001 Olds Aurora, and
never had a problem. It's the Cadillac Northstar engine but smaller. The
gaskets can withstand the acidic content of Dexcool, whereas the cheaper
GM models like from 97 to 2003, used a nylon type gasket, and the Dexcool
ate them up, causing intake manifold leaks, and the coolant got into the
oil, and the engine seized. My sister had a 97 Lumina, and rebuilt her motor
2 times because of this. I still have a 97 Lumina, but after reading all this,
and what happened to my sister, I drained the Dex from the 97 Lumina, and
filled it with the standard old green coolant. So far, no problems.
As for my 2001 Aurora, it has about 62,000 miles on it, and leaks a tiny
bit but not much, and I'd like to have it flushed, and refilled with Dexcool, as
my coolant looks very good, and clean. I'm a little scared to do that, because
of what happened to my sister's Lumina, but the gaskets in the Cadillac
Northstar engines can handle the Dexcool -- so I'm told ?? Don't quite know ??
I did a ton of repairs thanks to people using dexcool wrong it's one of those things if you don't know about it let someone else do it I had to read hours of service guides on dexcool to learn the proper way to use it
It's not so good when it fucks up at the slightest hint of contamination or a small leak because these things eventually happen to any car even if the owner is careful, from experience the green or universal works fine and doesn't have these problems
What is the benefit of Dexcool?
Can you mix top off red dexcool with an orange dexcool? I wonder why the old dexcool used to be on red Vs the new one witch is now orange!!
dexcool killed 3 of my vw. blown headgaskets.
Good information Mike and I'm sure it will help the customers and the young techs out there! 👍
Thank you!
How do you check the Ph in dexcool? The Ph level is what decides when you change it, correct?
Um there tester kits you can get and you can test it from the radiator cap or most cars now don’t have radiator caps so test from the coolant expansion bottle
Haha, i love all the stupid comments.
If dexcool is so bad, why does my 2001 impala (la1) with 226000+ miles still run dexcool and has since day one?
You have just been lucky, dexkill is unforgiving as opposed to green coolant. I've seen it with my own eyes.
@@JohnSmith-oi2vi Same here.
??? What about coolant overflow cloont tank open to air ???
It's just not needed green coolant does fine
So you said that the gm take off is to blame for dexcools being misunderstood, and you say that leaks and exposure to air are the main problems. But you quickly glance over the fact that if you have an open to the air reservoir like say almost every gym in the 90s to 2005 !! Maybe switching that artery clogging junk is a good idea whether you maintain those vehicles or not.
Flat rate master , if you had to swap a gm vehicles coolant to another brand which brand of coolant would you use ?
well make it better so it dose not make brown s***t after 2 1/2 years on a $70,000.00 truck with only 19000 miles on it and yes it was check out. my 2013 GMC 5.3l tahoe had the same s***t happen to it too and my older TransAm was even worse like you said was not made for it but i still have the car and put evens water less coolant in it problem solved. make it better like evens water less coolant or better. and is there realy a flush that takes the brown stuff out of the heater cores hoses and raidator. i have tride a lot of stuff.
06'1500...456k 5.3 change every two years...zero issues....
Skepticism owns all manners of speech, what ever happened to being confidence and having trust towards the integrity of automotive creed.
Mix the green with some hard water you won't get orange more of a brown color really.
Yep, the famous dexcool mud;)
Is the dexcool Prestone the same as acdelco?
Yes
I believe Prestone Dex-Cool is the only GM approved Dex-Cool (besides the original ACDelco).
Totally agree! Works good on a sealed system. Sealing 3 different materials- iron,aluminum&plastic is the trick. Heat cycles on GM vehicles is the killer.
Just gotta stay up on the maintenance
Its not that i dont like dexcool, ive just had nothing but bad luck with it, air in the system, small leak, didn't notice it till it was too late cooling system gunked up
Well every coolant will get old and you’ll have too change the fluid but it’s not something just Dexcool dose
dexcool is good keep it pure dont mix other stuff
Yep it’s so easy it can last 5 years or 200,000 miles depending on the state of the coolant it’s a fantastic coolant my radiator been kept clean using this stuff the car still has the original water pump hoses and seals no leaks no problems. All people gotta do is change out the coolant with the same stuff you can get it at any automotive store all it requires is for you to read lol like seriously. I got Dexcool that was already 50/50 mixed I didn’t have too do anything extra but just pour it in.
Man, as a fellow ASE master, I've flushed, changed intake Gaskets, water pumps in so many GM vehicles. I put G05 in them.
Remember everyone else is using HOAT not a straight OAT like GM. Ford even moved away from their OAT.
The switch was largely moved away from IAT due to pressure toward a more environmentally friendly coolant. As well as longer service life.
When I see red coolant I just want to flush it out!
i just run the new silicate fluid and no issues