Coolant type Green or Dex-Cool

[454cid]

So I thought my system was sealed it just has an overflow tank so when it needs coolant It takes it out of the tank and that hose is above the bottom of the radiator cap.

It has a hot and a cold level on the overflow tank.

Yeah only the diesels got the sealed system in our trucks. The pressure cap is actually on the surge tank. There isn't one on the radiator. My Saturn is similar in that regard, although it has coolant hoses running everywhere.... more complicated system, I guess.

i’m replacing the radiator again now because the oil cooler is contaminated and I’m putting a new engine in didn’t wanna take a chance with trying to flush the oil cooler side out.

How is the oil cooler contaminated.... something in the oil from the old engine? The plastic on mine actually started cracking around the upper oil cooler port. That's why I replaced my last radiator. My original radiator broke in a similar manner, too, and then years later the oil cooler itself started leaking into the coolant. I think the upper hose tends to bounce around a bit weakening the area, so I zip-tied it down as best I could, this time.

 

[454cid]

Chiming in as one of the few Dex-Cool supporters/users...

I'm still running Dex-Cool in both of my '97s and it's never caused me any problems. Around 150K miles on each, both have been in the family since they were new. I think a lot of the issues people have with Dex are due to poor maintenance practices and general negligence. (Many times by a previous owner) As long as you change it every few years and fix any leaks that pop up it's fine in my experience. I did have issues with it in an Impala once, but it was the factory original coolant that was almost a decade old.

Have you ever had a leaking intake gasket? I keep reading that Dexcool can't take air in the system and that it does better in sealed systems. I suppose you could argue that the sealed systems still get air in them....we open the caps every so often after all. It's not like AC where we have to pull a vacuum before filling the system, if it's been opened. I've been using the term "designed" for a sealed system, but I don't know that to be GM's original intent. It could be that modern systems are designed that way for other reasons.

 

[alpinecrick]

Walmart has a brand called supertech that is green that is what i use

That's what I've been using for 25 years in my TBI and Vortec motors.

DexCool is recommended by GM. The alleged DexCool problems come from having green and DexCool mixed together. It happens often and frequently. It's a really good idea to drain--and even flush--any GMT400 and newer when buying a used truck.

 

[df2x4]

Have you ever had a leaking intake gasket? I keep reading that Dexcool can't take air in the system and that it does better in sealed systems. I suppose you could argue that the sealed systems still get air in them....we open the caps every so often after all. It's not like AC where we have to pull a vacuum before filling the system, if it's been opened. I've been using the term "designed" for a sealed system, but I don't know that to be GM's original intent. It could be that modern systems are designed that way for other reasons.

Nope, still factory intake gaskets on both. (Knock on wood)

You may be right about Dex-Cool being better in closed systems. But like I said earlier, I think as long as you change it out fairly regularly it's fine in these trucks. I have no plans to stop using it.

 

[Normand]

Either/or, just don't mix them. I've been running Prestone or any other similar green stuff for years in mine but, it was born before Dexcool ever was, LOL. I usually drain and refill with new every 2 years.

Dont use the green stuff, it’s hard on seals and it’s corrosive, get the TEXACO OR ANY LONG LIFE RED STUFF, the water jacket will be free of rust, your water pump wont leak and all the engine sensors will be free of contaminents !

 

[stutaeng]

Nope, still factory intake gaskets on both. (Knock on wood)

You may be right about Dex-Cool being better in closed systems. But like I said earlier, I think as long as you change it out fairly regularly it's fine in these trucks. I have no plans to stop using it.

My '99 4.3 made it to like 230,000 miles before the original intake gaskets went out on Dex-Cool. I think I may replaced it a 120,000 and maybe 175,000 miles. I'm still running Dex-cool on that engine. Only issue on cooling/heating system was at 120,000 with heater core, and I blame the "radiator cleaner" I used, but my friend had his go out at around the same time, so probably just confidence.

When I bought my '00 K3500/5.7, the radiator was leaking and I replaced it. It had green antifreeze, so that's what went back in.

As I understand it, it was the early 1994s(?) Buicks and some Chevy's that had the faulty gaskets and issue was resolved, but the Dex-cool had already gotten the infamous nickname. The intake gaskets fail after 100,00 miles most likely because that's what they were engineered to last, not so much from coolant type.

 

[Dirty Bird]

I've never heard that before. Where does this information come from?



The lower 5/8" port is for the heater core return line as some trucks have it there depending on year and engine. I've never seen anyone convert to a pressurized surge tank, but I did consider doing it using parts from the diesel cooling system.

[/QUOTE]
GM TSB 00-06-02-006 is just one of many TSBs on the subject. I also had a fleet of Astro Vans at one point. They all started doing the same thing after we had switched from Dexcool to the green (Glycol based)

 

[Dirty Bird]

I've never heard that before. Where does this information come from?



The lower 5/8" port is for the heater core return line as some trucks have it there depending on year and engine. I've never seen anyone convert to a pressurized surge tank, but I did consider doing it using parts from the diesel cooling system.

[/QUOTE]
I found the burban in the Boneyard with a gasoline engine that had a pressurised system using Outlet below the cap was not 5/8 in size but will take a picture next time I'm there if they have not crushed it yet...my Benzo was sweating bullets. That place is like the roach motel cars go in but they don't come out. Their loader was

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broken that day so they allowed me to drive in with the understanding that if I got a flat it was on me.

 

[454cid]

GM TSB 00-06-02-006 is just one of many TSBs on the subject. I also had a fleet of Astro Vans at one point. They all started doing the same thing after we had switched from Dexcool to the green (Glycol based)

All coolants are glycol based. Every single one of them that people generally speak of are mostly ethylene glycol. A very few of them (expesive non-standard stuff) are propylene glycol. It's the other ingredients that make one coolant Dexcool, another conventional green, and another G05.

 

[Dirty Bird]

All coolants are glycol based. Every single one of them that people generally speak of are mostly ethylene glycol. A very few of them (expesive non-standard stuff) are propylene glycol. It's the other ingredients that make one coolant Dexcool, another conventional green, and another G05.

Can we agree to disagree then? Dex Cool along with other organic acid antifreezes are not glycol based....