Todays Dexcool pic.

[ZGRider]

Originally Posted By: vweosdriver
I guess I'm lucky. I had a 2001 Buick LeSabre that had a small intake manifold gasket water leak that was repaired under warranty. The heater worked fine, it never over heated and any time I looked in the radiator I only saw shiny clean metal. For the 80,000 miles I had it it gave me no DexCool problems.


Then that must mean that Dexcool doesn't have any problems? Right? If you had kept that car longer, I guarantee you would have had more IM gasket problems. The Dexcool is what damages the gasket. Wanna see?

http://www.zillamotorsports.com/DEX/

I sure get tired of people that kept GM's for less than 100k tell how "great" Dexcool was. It ain't supposed to damage intake manifold gaskets...ever, under any circumstances. Not just the lucky ones.

 

[Buffman]

we have 120K on the wife's cavalier. the Dex I flushed out of it 15,000 miles ago looked like new. I flushed no [censored] out of the heater core, or the radiator. It was nice and orange, and had the usual smell. Expansion tank is still see through too Guess the 2.2L is the lucky one

 

[George7941]

At work we had a 1997 Chevy diesel van that was factory filled with Dexcool and I saw no reason to change it out (cooling system airtight and no plastic framed intake gaskets). Over 11 years and 280k mi I changed the thermostats twice and the water pump and rad once, nothing out of the ordinary. Cooling system stayed sparkling clean, with no sludge.

I am going to stay with Dexcool in my Sierra. I see no reason to change to another coolant. Dexcool does create problems in some situations and none of those situations apply to the Sierra.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: ZGRider
Just more evidence of Dexcool's inferiority, don't see anyone posting these images from an engine using G-05, do you?


I don't think I've ever read ONE internet post involving a G-05 filled vehicle having a mess in the cooling system.

Originally Posted By: ZGRider

BTW, is anyone else having trouble finding Xerex G-05?


I first saw a post about scarce Zerex G-05 a few weeks ago, so I've been paying attention as I walk through parts stores. Its not rare at all around here (central TX). Pep Boys, NAPA, O'Reilly, and Wallyworld all seem to have a couple of feet or more of shelf space filled with gold jugs of Zerex G-05.

 

[oldmaninsc]

Originally Posted By: ZGRider


I sure get tired of people that kept GM's for less than 100k tell how "great" Dexcool was. It ain't supposed to damage intake manifold gaskets...ever, under any circumstances. Not just the lucky ones.


Okay - well how about this one?

http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarrios2/thermo11.JPG

The vehicle is a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer with the I6 engine - 115,000 miles at the time the photo was taken.
This is not my vehicle, but someone I know from another forum.

 

[jmac]

Originally Posted By: MNgopher
The only place I regularly find G-05 is at Napa. I mention that I appreciate them carrying it every time I purchase it, and the response is almost always "we hear that a lot". They carry the full line of Valvoline Anti-freezes, as well as a few others.

I'll note that not all the other Napa's here carry it - those owned by one particular company only carry the Napa branded All Makes - All Models version in full strength and 50-50. O'Reilly / Checker does not carry it, and I didn't look at Advance the last time I was in there.


When I was looking for some G-05 I called my local Napa and the closest that he could find any was in OKC. But he was so snotty about it over the phone that I found some somewhere else. Really funny about that Napa is they are always super friendly when I go in there, but when I try to save myself a trip and call them up to ask if they will order such and such, which I generally have verified that they carry nationally on their website, they always act like it is too much trouble and not worth their time.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: oldmaninsc
Originally Posted By: ZGRider


I sure get tired of people that kept GM's for less than 100k tell how "great" Dexcool was. It ain't supposed to damage intake manifold gaskets...ever, under any circumstances. Not just the lucky ones.


Okay - well how about this one?

http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarrios2/thermo11.JPG

The vehicle is a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer with the I6 engine - 115,000 miles at the time the photo was taken.
This is not my vehicle, but someone I know from another forum.


There's an old saying to the effect that it only takes one "oh sh*t!" to erase a thousand "attaboys!"

I don't dispute that DexCool works fine in many, if not most, vehicles that were designed for it... but we've all seen photos of DexCool disasters. Conversely I've never seen ONE mess in a G-05 vehicle, so I have to wonder why GM and Toyota are so hellbent on sticking to OAT coolant when HOAT in general and G-05 in particular is proving to work so well, even in cars that were not designed with it in mind.

 

[ZGRider]

My sentiments exactly, why take a chance that your GM car is one of the "unlucky" ones that Dexcool DOES cause sludge? -- How many of you knew that your GM vehicle wasn't going to have DexSludge problems when you were buying it?

Yeah, you just lucked out and you know it !!

That's like flying in an airplane that has known problems and hoping yours won't fail while you're in the air.

Magnum is correct, if any of their cars have a problem with Dexcool, then GM should have quit using it instead of acting like there is nothing wrong with it. And BTW, you people that talk it up only prolonged the agony for the rest of us.

 

[jdeare]

I changed the coolant in my Buick to Peak Global right after I got it, after 7 years and 14,000 miles with Dex. I think I got it before any trouble, but who knows for sure. I did not know about the Dexcool issue until after I sold my Accord and agreed to buy this Buick from my grandmother. At least I didn't pay much. But I doubt the general public even knows what Dexcool is.

I also know of 1 guy who wrecked an engine in a Blazer (4.3L V6) because of Dex sludge (and also incredible negligence on his part... he drove it without heat for over a year until it died while he was driving) and now his Malibu has a LIM gasket leak that he is not fixing also.

And I know another guy, also with a Malibu, who said he saw sludge in his overflow tank, who also said he was planning to do nothing about it.

I don't really know *** is wrong with these guys... but also, Dexcool is definitely an issue.

 

[The Critic]

I just did a chemical flush on my Saturn and refilled with Prestone DEX-COOL. After more than a few thousand miles, the coolant still looks and smells like new.

On the other hand, the previous fill of Prestone "All Makes All Models" smelled terrible and looked mediocre shortly after its installation.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

A 2003 with 28K. Never flushed. Never changed. Rarely driven. Corrosion to the point of coolant contamination. But that's the coolant's fault. And, in a vehicle with known cooling system issues. Of course no one has seen G0-5 do this, no one has done this to G0-5 before. So go ahead, install G0-5 in any car you want. Leave the car sitting around for 6-odd years. Don't flush it, service it, or replace the coolant. Use the car like an elderly gent. You're forbidden to look at the puke tank or radiator, and if you SEE trouble, ignore it, because after all, we have to pretend it's under warranty and the crooked dealer didn't address it at the 15K mark. Drive it to the store, the doc, lots of short trips. No one has seen G0-5 do what happened to the DexCool because no one here has done to the G0-5 what was done to the DexCool in this 2003 pictured here. But blame the DexCool, by all means.

I have no particular problem with G0-5 except that I had a water pump fail after 45K miles in use (two flushes, first at 30K), but I consider that a coincidence. In a 92 Hyundai Emantra with 288K at trade-in, DexCool was my syrup. But regardless of the coolant, the flushes and the peek at the puke tank and inside the radiator every other fillup or so, and a flush every 30K would have alerted me to the trouble pictured had it developed. Will, or can everyone do what I and most folks HERE do toward preventive maintenance? No. But that doesn't mean the coolant is to blame. I've said it before, I'll say it again, cars are much better than ever, but a few things haven't changed, and cooling systems and coolants are no exception to the rule. The same principles apply. Observe, maintain, flush, replace.

 

[PeteTheFarmer]

Originally Posted By: toocrazy2yoo
A 2003 with 28K. Never flushed. Never changed.


Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see where it was said the coolant was never changed.

 

[05Blazer]

George7941

You better do some more research, the 4.3L in your Sierra is prone to sludging. I thought my 4.3L would be exempt because of it being a newer '05'. The fact of the matter is that the intake manifolds and cooling systems on these 4.3L setups allow air into the system. Keep an eye out, as stated before, mine started to curdle & mud after only 3yrs & 28k miles of service. Now has Peak Global Lifetime in it. If your Sierra was a 4.8 or even 5.3L it would be a different story.

Also be on the look out after your oil lines with the Mobil1, mine started leaking bad, another 4.3L reknown faulty design. I used Mobil1 Truck/SUV Super Synthetic 5W30 all it's life and changed it at 3k intervals. I have since switched to Maxlife blend 5W30 and have slowed the leaks, not to mention a much quieter and smoother running engine. Just my $.02 Cheers

 

[jdeare]

I don't really have a comment on the G05 vs Dexcool thing.

But I do know that when Dex was first introduced, GM was calling it "lifetime" coolant, or saying it didn't need to be changed for 100K miles.

Now to me that sounds ridiculous, but Joe Average is likely going to do what they are told at the dealership.

I think that's part of what the backlash on Dexcool is... it failed, miserably, to do what GM claimed it would do.

I don't know if any other cars had similar recommendations for their coolant though.

 

[George7941]

Originally Posted By: 05Blazer
George7941

You better do some more research, the 4.3L in your Sierra is prone to sludging. I thought my 4.3L would be exempt because of it being a newer '05'. The fact of the matter is that the intake manifolds and cooling systems on these 4.3L setups allow air into the system. Keep an eye out, as stated before, mine started to curdle & mud after only 3yrs & 28k miles of service. Now has Peak Global Lifetime in it. If your Sierra was a 4.8 or even 5.3L it would be a different story.

Also be on the look out after your oil lines with the Mobil1, mine started leaking bad, another 4.3L reknown faulty design. I used Mobil1 Truck/SUV Super Synthetic 5W30 all it's life and changed it at 3k intervals. I have since switched to Maxlife blend 5W30 and have slowed the leaks, not to mention a much quieter and smoother running engine. Just my $.02 Cheers



My truck now has 26k mi/3yr and the coolant, observed thru the sides of the transparent surge tank, looks as clear as it was when it was new. The main problem with the Blazer application of the newer 4.3s, as far as I know, was the radiator cap which would let air into the cooling system and that is not an issue with the Sierra. If air is leaking into the coolant, which could only happen when the engine is cooling down and there is a slight vacuum in the cooling system, then the coolant will be leaking out when the system is under pressure and my coolant level is rock steady.

I don't have any engine oil lines on the Sierra, the Blazers must have an engine oil cooler. I have no oil leaks so far.

 

[George7941]

Originally Posted By: ZGRider
My sentiments exactly, why take a chance that your GM car is one of the "unlucky" ones that Dexcool DOES cause sludge? -- How many of you knew that your GM vehicle wasn't going to have DexSludge problems when you were buying it?

Yeah, you just lucked out and you know it !!

That's like flying in an airplane that has known problems and hoping yours won't fail while you're in the air.

Magnum is correct, if any of their cars have a problem with Dexcool, then GM should have quit using it instead of acting like there is nothing wrong with it. And BTW, you people that talk it up only prolonged the agony for the rest of us.



I don't agree with your analogy at all. The causes of Dexcool problems are well known by now (air infiltration into cooling system, plastic framed intake gaskets) and easily avoided.

 

[ZGRider]

Originally Posted By: George7941

I don't agree with your analogy at all. The causes of Dexcool problems are well known by now (air infiltration into cooling system, plastic framed intake gaskets) and easily avoided.


Easily avoided by who? The average owner who doesn't even know to change the coolant? Or the knowledgeable mechanic thats seen the sludge many times? How are you going to avoid it? Change the IM gaskets every 50,000 miles? Change the "maintenace-free" Dexcool every 30,000 miles? Pick a car with no coolant in the intake manifold?
The issue isn't whether to avoid a problem -- it's that the problems shouldn't NEED to be avoided. The problems resulted from the average owner believing GM when they said to change Dexcool every 5 years or 150,000 miles and made no mention of air in the cooling system. Everyone was caught completely off-guard as this had never happened with any other anti-freeze before. I reject your rationalization that the problem is easily avoided.

 

[George7941]

GM was very irresponsible in not standing behind Dexcool and repairing the damages caused, not revising the rad caps and the intake manifold gaskets promptly etc. With all the fat in the GM corporation they had not much money left for product development and warranty work.

Dexcool problems are easily avoided by me because
1) My cooling system is airtight and I will make sure it stays airtight.
2) GM revised the intake gaskets and they are not plastic-framed any more.

So far we have been focusing on Dexcool problems and not on its benefits.
1)Cooling systems stay sparkling clean with no green goo or phosphates or silicates precipitating out of the coolant.
2)Water pump seals last longer because there are no abrasives precipitating out of the coolant.
3)The coolant itself lasts longer. I will not go for 5 years but I will change the coolant out every three years.

These are the reasons why I am staying with Dexcool.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

Originally Posted By: PeteTheFarmer
Originally Posted By: toocrazy2yoo
A 2003 with 28K. Never flushed. Never changed.


Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see where it was said the coolant was never changed.


Well, Pete, it didn't say it WAS changed either. Look at it. It couldn't have been. It couldn't possibly have even been looked at. If it was looked at by the owner as this built up and he did nothing with it, it's his fault. If the dealer ignored it in "scheduled" or "regular" maintenance, then the dealer had an ax to grind (warranty issues), or was incompetent. But to blame the coolant for obviously poor maintenance? Please..

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

Originally Posted By: George7941

Dexcool problems are easily avoided by me because
1) My cooling system is airtight and I will make sure it stays airtight.
2) GM revised the intake gaskets and they are not plastic-framed any more.

I cut George's quote down a little to his basic common sense. His point #2, GM fixed the problem, to a degree, anyway. His Point #1, maintenance. See, George could use DexCool, George could use G0-5, George could use Prestone, heck, George could use Vicks cough syrup diluted 50/50 if he wanted to, and no harm would come to him with this stuff, because George keeps tabs on the maintenance of his vehicle. That's the plain fact of the matter. All this stuff boils down to maintenance and common sense. A guy like George, a guy like me, like most everyone on these pages aside from the excuse makers, would catch this problem in two minutes, rhetorically speaking. And fellas, the damage pictured didn't develop in a week, a month, or even six months. It took YEARS for things to progress to that point. Years of ignorance and neglect. So, Grandpa better break out his checkbook.

If the "average" motorist doesn't know this stuff, then he/she better learn, or break out the credit card to repair the inevitable damage that results from neglectful motoring. If the manufacturer set up a lifetime claim on a cooling system coolant in a leak-prone engine, or series of engines, then the manufacturer is to shame, but that doesn't matter either because once the damage is done and the car is out of warranty, we still come back to an "average" owner that doesn't know, understand and especially, to bother to learn and check.

Maybe this attitude of mine is borne of my background in Naval Air repair and maintenance, especially out on the Carriers, a large part of which is simply corrosion control. The rules of aviation maintenance are written in blood, with cars, much less so, but surely sloppy maintenance in cars is redeemed in cash. Hey, I get it. Schools have no more auto shops, no one knows how to turn a wrench, no one knows how anything works, no one can work with their hands anymore. Thankfully for the dealers and repair shops, those "average" folks that don't know anything practical and aren't curious enough to learn still know how to open their wallets. And that's just tough luck for them. But they DO make their own luck. Cars are like that..

I for one, refuse to grant them a pass by blaming the coolant.