Dex-Cool

Katoom

Registered User
Question:
Our hot rods came from the factory with green eth/glycol coolant in them.
This coolant is supposed to be replaced every 2 years, and PH is critical to maintain so that it's not eating gaskets.

Since this time, the orange coolant has come out and GM is using it in the factory. It is supposed to be good for 5 years. I've been using it in my Ranger 4X4 with really good results for quite a while now. I've heard GM is using it to eliminate gasket issues when sealing cast iron to aluminum, which would be a similar issue with our cars.
Is anyone using the Dex-Cool, and if so have they noticed an improvement of any kind?
I'm doing a complete cooling system overhaul this winter as my 90 still has all OEM on it, including the hoses!
I was going to pop for a new rad, T-stat, hoses, water pump, flush the heater core and put the 5 year coolant in it.
 
Changing and flushing the anti-freeze regularly is such a minor cost, it seems taking a chance with anti-freeze products that allow you to extend the interval is pointless.


Other than an extended interval, I don't see DexCool as benefiting our cars more than any other car.
 
I use it, no problem....

I'm using prestone 5yr/150,000miles coolant. It IS compatable with Green Coolant (says it on the package).

I've noticed that the car does take a little longer to kick the fan on when idling at 90degrees in traffic.

Dex-coolant (the red stuff) was created to specifically help alleviate the issue with head gaskets on iron block/ aluminum head engines.
 
Dex-coolant (the red stuff) was created to specifically help alleviate the issue with head gaskets on iron block/ aluminum head engines.

That alone sounds like good enough of a reason to switch over!!

Thomas
 
The reason I put it in my Ranger was the coolant came out filthy a few years ago. I bought the truck sencond hand. My friend was going to hook it up to his flushing machine, which recycles coolant and filters it down to 5 microns, and corrects PH levels etc. When he looked at the condition of the coolant....he dumped it! He didn't want to wreck his brand new Snap-On machine.
We flushed all the rust out of the system, then put new coolant in.
About 6 months later, I replaced the heater hoses, and all they had at the store that day was Prestone Long Life (Dex-Cool) I flushed the system again, to purge out the green stuff and put the Dex Cool in. It runs cooler on the Ford gauge than before.
4 years later, I did the water pump and the coolant came out like new.
This winter the XR-7 is going to get the same treatment.
 
If you plan on converting to Dexcool, be sure to flush ALL of the green coolant out of the cooling system. When these two coolants mix, they tend to form sludge, which needless to say, can turn into a major (and expensive) headache.
 
Although I personally have never seen any supporting evidence, two mechanics told me the GM dex-cool eats head gaskets when I wanted to switch over to it for my SC. They said it had been recalled by GM for some cars for this reason.

I would say the benefits would probably be minimal, if any. If the regular coolant is changed often, the head gaskets should last just as long.. Its all a matter of replenishing the additives that wear out over time.
 
I owned an auto repair shop for ten years & have worked on cars professionally for 25 years. I replaced many head gaskets on GM V6 & V8 engines that were a direct result of DEXCOOL. I wouldn't put that stuff in my worst enemies car. The head gaskets were just eaten away. The owners of two different machine shops agreed with my conclusion, they both said they were seeing the same problems as a result of dexcool. Just my two cents worth but coolant is cheap enough that I change mine every September.
My Cougar has 147,000 miles with original head gaskets and still pegs the speedometer.
Derek
 
Guestion? Is Dex-Cool and Prestone Extended Life (the Orange stuff) pretty much the same thing? I've been running Prestone Extended Life in my 95 SC for around three years so i'm a little concerned now.
 
I agree with SUMFEAR....DEXCOOL=CRAPOLA

Like everyone sez, as cheap is it is to flush and fill why riks it.
A girl I work with has a newer Chebby Malibu. It came with DEX from the factory. Her dipshit boyfriend changed over to green, and her radiator puke tank is full of brown sludge. They DO NOT mix. No matter how good you flush your rad out, there will still be some residual coolant in it. I say don't do it.
 
DexCool is not bad. Lawsuits have been completed, much research has been done.

DexCool can be mixed with standard anti-freeze with no problem what so-ever other than that the mixed coolant will now only have the life expectancy of regular coolant.

DexCool is an engineered product with a huge amount of anti-coorosion additives suspended in it. These are deposited over time giving the coolant a long life span.

You can certainly use it if you wish. But for how cheap coolant is, just replace it every 2 years and you'll never have a problem.
 
Exactly,,,

I'm still using the amount that I put in it about one year ago. So next summer I'll flush and fill again. For $9.99 at autozone for a gallon of the Prestone 5yr/150,00 miles coolant it's worth it.

Yes, I did hear the same rumors about the brown sludge when both products were mixed. However, those were the EARLIEST formulas of dex-cool. The cars that came equipped with it in 1995 had this prob.

Since then the Formula has been refined and tweaked. So the Red prestone stuff IS compatible with the leftover Green Coolant.

I however, did flush my system clean. I did this by running the engine, putting a hose into the rad filler neck and another hose on the bleed-off tower. When that hose ran clean I knew I was done. Filled it up with the Red stuff and I was happy and so was my temp guage.

This stuff is supposed to be more resistant to electrolysis, that is why it has the long change interval. As you all know, with a Iron block/Aluminum head combo, the coolant can become charged and eat away at the aluminum heads and erode the head gaskets. By resisting this phenomenon, it helps prolong the head gasket life on the coolant side of things.

Jimmy: certainly you wouldn't hurt anything if you keep the stuff in your car over the winter, but I would still stick with the traditional 2 year change interval with this stuff, just preventitive maintenence I guess. It's cheap enough anyway.


Now, the ORANGE coolant that comes in the ford vehicles (like the power stroke diesels) IS a different animal and you should not mix that stuff with the GREEN or the RED stuff.
 
The Ranger never had any trouble with sludge forming when I switched to the orange Prestone "Long Life" My cooling system is spotless. I did flush every thing though....overflow tank and heater core included.
 
Can't speak to Dex-Cool

But DO flush the coolant yearly. Like some have said it's cheap enough, and you won't have to worry about the effects of electrolysis. Distilled water is best too.

Yearly flushing/filling of the 'ole green stuff has kept mine on it's original radiator and headgaskets for 13 (almost 14 now ) years and about 210k miles. Cheers.
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I'm doing what Onequik does...

I'm staying "green" and changing mine every year.

People who "know" use green coolant. :loL

[joke]
 
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