...and 20K mile oil changes.quote:
Originally posted by jafo:
I believe 5yr/150k mile coolant like I believe in 100k mile spark plugs.
Dexcool - what is the verdict?
- Thread starter edwardh1
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My Toyota Cressida has the 100,000 mile spark plugs and they have worked great even past 100,000 twice. I am only on the third set of plugs at 250,000 and it runs smooth from idle to red line.
Flushed out the green stuff in the 97 Dodge Grand Caravan and 87 Toyota Camry. Added the Havoline orange stuff. This was 2 years ago, no problems since. Will probably do again before next winter.
On the GM website for my car (2003 Cadillac)they have some maintenance tips. They say Never switch coolant types from red to green or vice versa. They say even if you flush the system you will not get all of the old coolant out and you will have problems. Take this for what it is worth.
Sounds like it was written by lawyer... officiated denial.
Anything else would be accepting liability.
I do not understand why people still use Dex-Cool...obviously the Japanese and Europeans are smart enough NOT to touch it.
Please switch to G-05, it was not Popular Mechanics product of the year for no reason *lol*
Mind you not an honor Dex-Cool never recieved.
I switched to G-05 after it ate out my Intake manifold gasket based on John Brownings email reccomendation.
I would have used G-11 which the BMW stuff for 11$ a gallon but G-05 seems to be available everywhere now
I think Dex-Cool is a legal ticking time bomb for GM.
Perhaps GM would be wise to "fess-up" and offer free coolant exchange services to all owners that want it.
Then again that would be accepting liability which is a No-No until you get sued and all chances for an out-of-court settlement are dead.
I hate litigious people...but i honestly feel now I should have taken the dealer or GM to court for my intake manifold failure....other people have and WON!
The Dex-Cool corrosion of the leakage area was well pronounced.
Sounds like it was written by lawyer... officiated denial.
Anything else would be accepting liability.
I do not understand why people still use Dex-Cool...obviously the Japanese and Europeans are smart enough NOT to touch it.
Please switch to G-05, it was not Popular Mechanics product of the year for no reason *lol*
Mind you not an honor Dex-Cool never recieved.
I switched to G-05 after it ate out my Intake manifold gasket based on John Brownings email reccomendation.
I would have used G-11 which the BMW stuff for 11$ a gallon but G-05 seems to be available everywhere now
I think Dex-Cool is a legal ticking time bomb for GM.
Perhaps GM would be wise to "fess-up" and offer free coolant exchange services to all owners that want it.
Then again that would be accepting liability which is a No-No until you get sued and all chances for an out-of-court settlement are dead.
I hate litigious people...but i honestly feel now I should have taken the dealer or GM to court for my intake manifold failure....other people have and WON!
The Dex-Cool corrosion of the leakage area was well pronounced.
On the GM website for my car (2003 Cadillac)they have some maintenance tips. They say Never switch coolant types from red to green or vice versa. They say even if you flush the system you will not get all of the old coolant out and you will have problems. Take this for what it is worth.
Sounds like it was written by lawyer... officiated denial.
Anything else would be accepting liability.
I do not understand why people still use Dex-Cool...obviously the Japanese and Europeans are smart enough NOT to touch it.
G-o5 can be used in ANY ENGINE and is fully compaible with other coolants as well!, read up on the bottle if you do not believe me.
Please switch to G-05 and have the system flushed thoroughly to minimize mixing.
G-05 was not Popular Mechanics product of the year for no reason *lol*
Mind you not an honor Dex-Cool never recieved.
I switched to G-05 after it ate out my Intake manifold gasket based on John Brownings email recomendation.
I would have used G-11 which is the BMW stuff for 11$ a gallon but G-05 seems to be available everywhere now
I think Dex-Cool is a legal ticking time bomb for GM.
Perhaps GM would be wise to "fess-up" and offer free coolant exchange services to all owners that want it.
Then again that would be accepting liability which is a No-No until you get sued and all chances for an out-of-court settlement are dead.
I hate litigious people...but i honestly feel now I should have taken the dealer or GM to court for my intake manifold failure....other people have and WON!
The Dex-Cool corrosion of the leakage area was well pronounced.
Sounds like it was written by lawyer... officiated denial.
Anything else would be accepting liability.
I do not understand why people still use Dex-Cool...obviously the Japanese and Europeans are smart enough NOT to touch it.
G-o5 can be used in ANY ENGINE and is fully compaible with other coolants as well!, read up on the bottle if you do not believe me.
Please switch to G-05 and have the system flushed thoroughly to minimize mixing.
G-05 was not Popular Mechanics product of the year for no reason *lol*
Mind you not an honor Dex-Cool never recieved.
I switched to G-05 after it ate out my Intake manifold gasket based on John Brownings email recomendation.
I would have used G-11 which is the BMW stuff for 11$ a gallon but G-05 seems to be available everywhere now
I think Dex-Cool is a legal ticking time bomb for GM.
Perhaps GM would be wise to "fess-up" and offer free coolant exchange services to all owners that want it.
Then again that would be accepting liability which is a No-No until you get sued and all chances for an out-of-court settlement are dead.
I hate litigious people...but i honestly feel now I should have taken the dealer or GM to court for my intake manifold failure....other people have and WON!
The Dex-Cool corrosion of the leakage area was well pronounced.
There is a fine line between paranoia and heightened awareness. I'm not sure which side of the line I'm on as far as coolant is ocncerned.quote:
Originally posted by White Fang:
On the GM website for my car (2003 Cadillac)they have some maintenance tips. They say Never switch coolant types from red to green or vice versa. They say even if you flush the system you will not get all of the old coolant out and you will have problems. Take this for what it is worth.
My recently purchased 96 Chevy came with Dexcool and the coolnt dirty looking but things seemed to be in decent shape, with no corrosion or crud build up visible.
I thoroughly flushed the system and used Prestone Extended Life Coolant which is called GM Dexcool Approved, but is not Dexcool. The OAT is different.
Dexcool and GM say it's compatible with Dexcool, so I think that was a safe move. It is also compatible with G-05, so next change I can switch to most anything I want.
If you go to www.prestone.com and then follow the links to the coolant, then extended life you will find this rather remarkable statement.
"Prestone® Extended Life has been proven in the laboratory to be compatible with all new extended life formulas at concentrations typically used in all newer vehicles coming off the production line today. These automobile manufacturers include:
Audi General Motors Suzuki
BMW Honda Toyota
Daewoo Mercedes Volvo
DaimlerChrysler Mitsubishi VW
Ford "
Is it all true? Who knows.
I have a 1994 Toyota T-100 with 235k on it. I have done all oil changes and radiator flushes myself and on schedule (5k OCI; 24 months on radiator flushes). Been using DexCool for about 4 years unaware of the potential problems until I started reading these forums and other websites. Funny, I have had 2 water pump leaks on my last 2 water pumps after only about 20K. Now I'm suspicious of the Dexcool...Today I began a through flush: I will fill-refill radiator with distilled H20 every couple of days through June or July then refill with Toyota Red.
Toyota T-100 3.0 V6: 10W-30 Valvoline SynPower; M1 oil filter.
Toyota T-100 3.0 V6: 10W-30 Valvoline SynPower; M1 oil filter.
I put Dexcool in my '95 mitsubishi, since it promised long life. I drained an filled it every 3-4 years. When I sold the car last year, the radiator looked clean as a whistle and I never had any leaks or problems.
I think all the new coolants work well. Just shorten the recommended interval a bit.
By the way I believe in 100k spark plugs, and 10k oil changes.
I think all the new coolants work well. Just shorten the recommended interval a bit.
By the way I believe in 100k spark plugs, and 10k oil changes.
JHZR2
Staff member
intake gasket is not a dex cool issue
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Originally Posted By: outrun
I do not understand why people still use Dex-Cool...obviously the Japanese and Europeans are smart enough NOT to touch it.
I thought VW G12 was essentially Dexcool?
I haven't had a problem with it for the past 11 years.
I do not understand why people still use Dex-Cool...obviously the Japanese and Europeans are smart enough NOT to touch it.
I thought VW G12 was essentially Dexcool?
Well, we just confronted two FWC marine engines that had Dexcool in them for six seasons. One was slightly below full, and had been topped off with something green, so I had some concerns about what we would find.
Drained out nice and clear, no jelling or crud to speak of. A fleck or two of rust scale, but that's normal, as these were once RWC and are now 20 years old.
We flushed the heck out of them and refilled with a low tox mix, but that's another story.
And you could eat off the valve train of these engines.
Drained out nice and clear, no jelling or crud to speak of. A fleck or two of rust scale, but that's normal, as these were once RWC and are now 20 years old.
We flushed the heck out of them and refilled with a low tox mix, but that's another story.
And you could eat off the valve train of these engines.
The intake gasket issue on 60% GM V-6 engines is a gasket material issue. A hard plastic liner that becomes brittle with a silicone around the coolant ports that's not compatible with coolant of any kind. GM knew about the issue and refused to fix it over the years, they should have fixed it, if for no other reason then to preserve their reputable name. It was a stupid mistake on their part for which they will pay the price dearly for, financially & in custyomer loyalty.
Originally Posted By: jafo
I believe 5yr/150k mile coolant like I believe in 100k mile spark plugs.
How about 120k plugs? My 03 Vibe went 120k on the original plugs with no problem. I only replaced them because the owners manual said I should.
I believe 5yr/150k mile coolant like I believe in 100k mile spark plugs.
How about 120k plugs? My 03 Vibe went 120k on the original plugs with no problem. I only replaced them because the owners manual said I should.
Originally Posted By: outrun
I do not understand why people still use Dex-Cool...obviously the Japanese and Europeans are smart enough NOT to touch it.
you do realise a number of Euro manufacturers have been using Texaco OAT long life coolant for years without any issues ?
I do not understand why people still use Dex-Cool...obviously the Japanese and Europeans are smart enough NOT to touch it.
you do realise a number of Euro manufacturers have been using Texaco OAT long life coolant for years without any issues ?
Originally Posted By: XS650
What leads you to believe it's different coolant than DexCool, XS? I recently switched out to 5/150 Prestone myself. I swapped the factory snot for G05 at 1000 miles on my new Hyundai in early 2006, and lost the water pump at the 44,000 mark. The dealer couldn't tell me what they put in, and it was only good to about 5 above, I drained and flushed and replaced with 60/40 Prestone 5/150 yellow. It's been fine, I'm protected to 30 below (not that that's really an issue, but the dealer-supplied coolant at 5 above indicated to me the dealer put in a more diluted mix than is proper). I ran Prestone's licensed DexCool clone for over 200,000 miles in my last Hyundai and had no troubles. But then, I changed it out every other summer, two, AND kept an eye on the level and broke the cap loose every now and then to make sure the level was up, tubes clean, etc. Good advice for ANY cooling system no matter the brand of coolant.
But I am curious as to the source of the contention that 5/150 isn't DexCool? I couldn't get a wiff from any source including Prestone as to what the stuff is, chemistry/formulation-wise.
I have a jug of Prestone 5/150. It says it is "GM Dexcool Approved". But it isn't Dexcool, its chemistry is different. ****
What leads you to believe it's different coolant than DexCool, XS? I recently switched out to 5/150 Prestone myself. I swapped the factory snot for G05 at 1000 miles on my new Hyundai in early 2006, and lost the water pump at the 44,000 mark. The dealer couldn't tell me what they put in, and it was only good to about 5 above, I drained and flushed and replaced with 60/40 Prestone 5/150 yellow. It's been fine, I'm protected to 30 below (not that that's really an issue, but the dealer-supplied coolant at 5 above indicated to me the dealer put in a more diluted mix than is proper). I ran Prestone's licensed DexCool clone for over 200,000 miles in my last Hyundai and had no troubles. But then, I changed it out every other summer, two, AND kept an eye on the level and broke the cap loose every now and then to make sure the level was up, tubes clean, etc. Good advice for ANY cooling system no matter the brand of coolant.
But I am curious as to the source of the contention that 5/150 isn't DexCool? I couldn't get a wiff from any source including Prestone as to what the stuff is, chemistry/formulation-wise.
Originally Posted By: cryptokid
i dont think the green stuff will ever stop being sold. you can still buy api sg motor oil at most places, even walmart, so it seems that old standards die hard. the green will be around forever.
I hate to break it to you, but you can't get the green stuff anymore. Look at the Prestone website. No ethylene glycol. They have the dex-cool, the propylene glycol, and the new all makes yellow coolant that replaced the green stuff. You might be able to find the old stuff at truck stops or industrial stores, but not at an automotive store. What you think is old green stuff, ain't old green stuff.
i dont think the green stuff will ever stop being sold. you can still buy api sg motor oil at most places, even walmart, so it seems that old standards die hard. the green will be around forever.
I hate to break it to you, but you can't get the green stuff anymore. Look at the Prestone website. No ethylene glycol. They have the dex-cool, the propylene glycol, and the new all makes yellow coolant that replaced the green stuff. You might be able to find the old stuff at truck stops or industrial stores, but not at an automotive store. What you think is old green stuff, ain't old green stuff.
Dexcool, G05, Toyota Red, and all original equipment fluid is ethylene glycol.
Old green was high in Silicates. I agree, that seems to be pretty much gone, but all the new stuff is still ethylene glycol. About 95% of it. The additive package and dye color is the only difference.
Old green was high in Silicates. I agree, that seems to be pretty much gone, but all the new stuff is still ethylene glycol. About 95% of it. The additive package and dye color is the only difference.
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