Coolant type Green or Dex-Cool

[Pinger]

That's funny, I've had green stuff in my truck since 2002, when my Mr Goodwrench long block was installed. Hasn't leaked or burned any liquids including coolant since (until the head gaskets blew). When I tore down the engine to the short block a couple years ago, it was perfectly clean internally - no rust. All of the sensors still work fine. Here's a pic right after tear down with 16 years of use in the hot climates of CA and AZ. Even the valley was perfectly clean with no sludge.

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Is that a 5.7 Vortec in the photo?
Are all eight pistons identical and installed with an arrow pointing in the same direction?

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

Is that a 5.7 Vortec in the photo?
Are all eight pistons identical and installed with an arrow pointing in the same direction?

No, it was a Mr Goodwrench (new in 2001, made in Meheeco) TBI long block. A couple of the pistons are discolored from burning coolant but, other than that, they're all the same.

 

[Pinger]

No, it was a Mr Goodwrench (new in 2001, made in Meheeco) TBI long block. A couple of the pistons are discolored from burning coolant but, other than that, they're all the same.

All installed pointing the same way?

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

All installed pointing the same way?

I'm not sure what you mean, with valve reliefs on both sides, the piston can go in either way. I didn't see any arrows.

 

[Schurkey]

I'm not sure what you mean, with valve reliefs on both sides, the piston can go in either way. I didn't see any arrows.

Your pistons don't have an "arrow", they've got a recessed area in the crown that would be towards the front of the engine.

Most visible in the photo in cylinder 6.

Cast pistons sometimes have the piston pin offset from center by ~.060 or thereabouts. The offset is to keep the piston from knocking as the rod-angle causes the load to transfer from one thrust side to the other thrust side. An old hot-rodder's trick was to reverse the piston on the rod. Made the piston knock pretty bad, but was said to offer horsepower advantages. I've never tried it.

Forged pistons typically don't have the pin offset; and I wouldn't guarantee that all cast pistons do.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

Your pistons don't have an "arrow", they've got a recessed area in the crown that would be towards the front of the engine.

Good to know, I haven't done a bottom end since the 80s and those were mostly Mopars or farm tractor Perkins diesel engines, ha ha.

 

[Pinger]

Your pistons don't have an "arrow", they've got a recessed area in the crown that would be towards the front of the engine.

Most visible in the photo in cylinder 6.

Cast pistons sometimes have the piston pin offset from center by ~.060 or thereabouts. The offset is to keep the piston from knocking as the rod-angle causes the load to transfer from one thrust side to the other thrust side. An old hot-rodder's trick was to reverse the piston on the rod. Made the piston knock pretty bad, but was said to offer horsepower advantages. I've never tried it.

Forged pistons typically don't have the pin offset; and I wouldn't guarantee that all cast pistons do.

Cheers - that's what I was trying to figure out. That, or whether the skirts are different thrust and non-thrust sides. Otherwise, I couldn't make sense of the duplicated valve pockets.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

Otherwise, I couldn't make sense of the duplicated valve pockets

Now I get it, if that's the case that the wrist pin is offset then the piston will need both valve reliefs - one if on the left bank, and the other if on the right bank.

 

[Pinger]

Now I get it, if that's the case that the wrist pin is offset then the piston will need both vale reliefs - one if on the left bank, and the other if on the right bank.

Yep, the alternative being different pistons for each bank.
This is just the kind of cleverness that American engineers are very good at.

 

[kenh]

I was a sales rep for Chevron for a while. (sales work sucks! lol) They were involved in making the Dex Cool for GM. Anyway, I would have no issue running Dex Cool in anything, It cools better than the green stuff as the green protects the metal by coating it will silicates. Dex Cool works a little different without coating the metal.

Green antifreeze has a shelf life of 18 months. Doesn't matter if it is in an engine or in a jug. That is why the recommendation for the two year change cycle with a recommended flush. The silicates start to fall out of solution after the 18 months.

Any of the long life coolants would be better than the green conventional coolant. In a perfect world I would run the coolant for heavy duty trucks. With an available additive package it's good for up to 500,000 miles!

Ken

EDIT: If you switch from conventional to long life you MUST do a THOROUGH flush first. The two additive packages are not compatiable.