Dump the Dex-Cool?
- Thread starter NCGuy68
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I own a Dexcool vehicle and the dexcool in my truck was in for 10 years and 125,000miles with no problems.
Dexcool only sludges if it is exposed to air through a faulty rad cap or if someone mixes in standard coolant by mistake.
Saying you have to replace dexcool with 300miles on it is falt our neurotic and a waste of good 100% fine coolant.
Dexcool only sludges if it is exposed to air through a faulty rad cap or if someone mixes in standard coolant by mistake.
Saying you have to replace dexcool with 300miles on it is falt our neurotic and a waste of good 100% fine coolant.
OK guys, let's apply a little ThreadCool here. It's a valid, interesting question. Please don't kill it by letting disagreements get uncivil.
My thoughts Exactly! As I've mentioned, the entire cooling system as well as the dex-cool looks brand new. I drew some out of the radiator using a long drinking straw about 10 inches below the surface. Same thing - Looks like it just came out of a new jug.
I would look at the spec sheet. I have the red ELC coolant in my truck good for 300,000 miles or 4 years. Time maybe an issue as well as mileage.
Here's what I don't get about the "air" theory of the origin of dex-sludge. Lots of vehicles- including ones that are factory filled with dexcool- have pressurized 'surge' tanks. I'm not talking about an overflow bottle- I'm talking about a pressure cap on the tank itself. You can look through the opaque plastic and check the level of the coolant. Know what's in the top of that tank? That's right- AIR. Now, if air is the cause of the dex-sludge, then why don't systems with pressurized surge tanks have inherent problems with the sludge (moreso than 'overflow tank' systems)??
In the overflow tank there is not enough air to cause a reaction to degrade the Dexcool. It is when a defective rad cap causes air to get into the cooling system and into the rad is when the problem occurs. Seeing the overflow tank is quite a cool area, coolant degradation is minimal.
Food for thought:
http://www.imcool.com/articles/antifreeze-coolant/dexcool-macs2001.htm
Looking at the value of the vehicle versus the cost of doing a flush and fill. I would change the fluid. And use distilled water for flushing and mixing the fresh dex-cool. I had a 93 chev that came with dex-cool. At just over 18k on the odometer it would overheat for what appeared to be no reason. After taking it to the dealer, they flushed and refilled the cooling system dex-cool and sent me on my way. In the next month they did this three more times before they finally replaced the radiator cap and refilled it with green antifreeze. The problem went away and the truck is still driving around today with green in it.
Dex does break down with time, not just usage. IIRC, the 5 year service interval from GM came from the Havoline engineers telling them that Dex had about a 5 year shelf life. They translated this into a 5 year coolant change, which could very well be too long in itself.
The problem isn't exactly the coolant's exposure to air, it's that when air comes in contact with the anti-corrosive layer that the coolant has built up inside the cooling system, it destroys it. This layer takes a long time to build up with OAT coolants, so you end up with corrosion, which is the cause of the Dex sludge.
First claims ?
We beat the #@$%! outta ~>
over the Dexacrud gumming up our LS1's rad's back in 01/02.Yea we did the distilled water thing and the Water Wetter thing and ....
The stuff is still junk and it will never run in anything I own now or in the future.
We beat the #@$%! outta ~>
The stuff is still junk and it will never run in anything I own now or in the future.
Actually, your Chrysler 300 uses G05.
Here's a shot of my DexCool. I change it every 6 months and mix it 50/50 with distilled water. I like it for the cool red colour.
Not only that, but I also clean out the recovery tank with my special water softener salt procedure.
Of course you should change out the 5 year old Dexcool. One of the main functions of coolant is to control corrosion. 5 years is too long, even for Dexcool. It may only have 300miles, but it has FIVE YEARS!
I like Dexcool. I use it in my Mitsubishi and it keeps everything looking like new. I drain and refil every 2-3 years.
I like Dexcool. I use it in my Mitsubishi and it keeps everything looking like new. I drain and refil every 2-3 years.
Dexcool is OAT (Organic Acid Technology). Chrysler uses HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology). It is essentually OAT with a very light dose of silicate.
Chrysler has use G05 HOAT for a few years, as does Ford and Mercedes. The Chrysler G05 is dyed orange though, similar to Dexcool. Aftermarket G05 is very light yellow.
I like the orange color too. Looks like Gatorade. I drain and refill Dexcool every other year because I'm paranoid. And yes, I would change the 5 year old Dexcool in your Camaro. It's only 10 bucks a gallon. Cheap insurance compared to radiator, heater core, intake gaskets, etc.
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