![]() But when mixed in equal parts with water, it creates a coolant well-suited to year-round driving for most applications. Straight ethylene glycol freezes at about 8° F, boils at 330° F, and carries heat about 15% less efficiently than water. So it's important to know what type of antifreeze is in the system so you can add a compatible coolant, or replace it with one that provides equivalent or better protection.Įthylene glycol (EG) has been the main ingredient in almost all automotive antifreezes for many years, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Antifreeze chemistry has undergone some significant changes in recent years, and the familiar green antifreeze long used in most vehicles is being replaced with a spectrum of not-so-familiar antifreezes that range in color from red to orange to pink to blue. When you open a radiator cap these days, you're never quite sure what you're going to find. Today's Coolant Options Require Close Attention, Different Techniques Under The Cap, Larry Carley, Tire Review, November 2000 But heres' some interesting info that may answer your questions from an automotive industry guru: No questions on the forum are ever stupid. This may be a stupid question? (I hope not) It seems that DEXCOOL is only used in GM vehicles? Is that true? Did GM invent the stuff? If DEXCOOL is (according to GM) the latest and greatest, why haven't other car manufacturers come up with there own special brand? Or have they? I'm getting ready to switch over to the Prestone when the odometer on our Alero hits 50K miles. And its made specifically for domestic and foreign cars that have different composite engine and cooling system metals such as iron and aluminum. It can even be mixed with Dexcool without flushing the cooling system. Here's another variable to add to the equation and debate.Īs a matter of fact, companies like Prestone and others have come out with an extended life coolant compatible with Dexcool and based on the Organic Acid Technology similar to Dexcool. Most are opinions only and speculation at best. There are an equal number of people having water pump issues running Dexcool. :2cents:The debate on Dexcool and the green stuff will probably continue for years to come. I wouldn't take any chances with anything else. I stick to the Dexcool because EVERY part of the engine that comes in contact with coolant is designed for Dexcool. I have read posts in many GM forums (here and different websites) that talk about people having water pump issues after switching over. I wouldn't recommend switching to green coolant. After doing a cooling system service the air must be bled out.Ī lot of people with GM cars have their systems flushed of the Dexcool and put the good ole green stuff in. Dexcool could be corrosive to the cooling sytem and engine if contact is made with air. Anybody have any thoughts about dexcool being corrosive? I don't know if I believe that, but that's what I'm told?ĭexcool is supposed to be environmentally safe and thats the real reason GM uses it. They back that up buy stating they have switched out the dexcool for the normal green stuff when replacing the LIM gasket, and after another 60k miles (typical life of the gasket) no more leaks. Saying the dexcool is corrosive the gasket's material. It absorbs more heat than the old green stuff.Īlot of the local's here even attribute the infamous LIM gasket leak to the dexcool. The response I get is that it's supposed to help keep the engine cooler. It doesn't have problems when going 65MPH or so.I've asked local mechanics in my area the same question. How exactly should I go about switching to the proper Dexcool coolant? Would it do more harm than good to switch now?Īlso, my car is having problems in that it overheats when sitting in traffic or idling. So I've been running green coolant for about a year now. I took it to another mechanic and after fixing the leaks, he also filled it up with green coolant. Well, reading up more I realize that I'm wrong.Ībout 6 months ago, I had a wreck and got the radiator replaced(salvaged) and the mechanic(who I'm convinced now is an idiot) filled it up with green coolant along with leaving several leaks. I ignored the Dexcool warning in my manual as one of those "you also need to take it to a certified dealer to get the oil changed" type of warnings. ![]() At the bottom of the expansion tank was an orange crust(also the manual recommend DexCool. Hello I realized today after beating my head about my car's overheating problems that I have the wrong coolant in it.Ībout a year ago, my car ran dry. ![]()
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