Dexcool compatibilty

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I'm having continual problems with leaking and failing plastic heater core quick connects on a 06 Escalade. I want to get rid of the plastic and use metal tees and hoses. Are there any metals I should not use with dexcool?
 
Have you replaced your radiator cap? Maybe you have a defective one that lets too much PSI build in the system.
 
Are the heater hoses too long or too short, or routed wrong, and are putting too much stress on the quick connects?
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Have you replaced your radiator cap? Maybe you have a defective one that lets too much PSI build in the system.

Don't have one. The gauges say everything is normal. A little under 215.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Are the heater hoses too long or too short, or routed wrong, and are putting too much stress on the quick connects?

Well it's the factory set up which routes along the engine cover. There isn't much play. And it's difficult to put the engine covers on and off without taking everything off. I do wonder if the engine flexing is slowly wearing these things out. Another reason to change the configuration to metal and a bit longer hoses rerouted away from the engine
 
Originally Posted By: dogememe
If you use the Dorman junk from the parts store they will fail again.

I think you might be right. Each one of these failures has been a catastrophic emergency on the side of the highway sending me into the parts store for the Dormans. I've taken videos of them just wiggling loosely on the ends of the heater core pipes. When these things fail they are a catastrophe if it's on the highway. It's just not worth playing games with plastic heating core quick connects anymore. They don't quick disconnect. They are a pain. I just want to put on metal and hoses and be done with it. Those things can ruin your vacation and destroy your engine in a matter of minutes
 
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Originally Posted By: dogememe
If you use the Dorman junk from the parts store they will fail again.

I think you might be right. Each one of these failures has been a catastrophic emergency on the side of the highway sending me into the parts store for the Dormans. I've taken videos of them just wiggling loosely on the ends of the heater core pipes. When these things fail they are a catastrophe if it's on the highway. It's just not worth playing games with plastic heating core quick connects anymore. They don't quick disconnect. They are a pain. I just want to put on metal and hoses and be done with it. Those things can ruin your vacation and destroy your engine in a matter of minutes


So what metal and hose do you intend to use instead? Dorman or equivalent junk?

Get the OE parts, hurt once, and move on.

Even my nearly 40 year old Mercedes cars have plastic radiators and they are original.
 
This is a six-month-old Dorman. Everything was fine suddenly a catastrophic loss of coolant on the highway. It just broke in two.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Originally Posted By: dogememe
If you use the Dorman junk from the parts store they will fail again.

I think you might be right. Each one of these failures has been a catastrophic emergency on the side of the highway sending me into the parts store for the Dormans. I've taken videos of them just wiggling loosely on the ends of the heater core pipes. When these things fail they are a catastrophe if it's on the highway. It's just not worth playing games with plastic heating core quick connects anymore. They don't quick disconnect. They are a pain. I just want to put on metal and hoses and be done with it. Those things can ruin your vacation and destroy your engine in a matter of minutes


So what metal and hose do you intend to use instead? Dorman or equivalent junk?

Get the OE parts, hurt once, and move on.

Even my nearly 40 year old Mercedes cars have plastic radiators and they are original.

GM plastic heater hose quick connects are a known weak spot. It was a bad idea and everyone with a GM truck knows it and will be dealing with the problem sooner or later. In my case it was so bad I'm not even using the truck right now until I come up with another solution that isn't plastic.
 
Plastic, heat and age are the problem. Unfortunately they (manufacturers) all use it. 12 years and my radiators fail like clockwork. It's always the plastic. The last time the Dodge went the plastic tank split open and gushed hot coolant everywhere.
 
I know why they did it. Because the heating core hoses get in the way when you're working on the engine or putting the engine covers back on. In theory it's easy to snap them off and get them out of the way. Well anyone that has dealt with them knows that it's not easy. Doesn't matter I don't need or want weak spot in the cooling system getting me towed on vacation. I want some type of metal tee with rubber hoses. Like the good old days. I'm just not sure which metals are compatible with Dexcool and which are not. I'm assuming aluminum is. But I don't know about brass or Steel
 
Anything but pot metal should be fine. I had to extract quite a few of the old metal quick connects on 5.7 intake manifolds. If the manifold was off it was easiest to just chisel out the remains.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
I cut those off,remove them then use a new piece of heater hos and slip it past the Barb then clamp it with a hose clamp. Elimating those problematic plastic fittings

I have rear heat so I think I need a tee? If there was a way to just use hoses I would do that.
 
Without checked previous comments . . The originals were good for ten years, I think , so why not stick with them ? ..Volvo, Saab, Chrysler , Honda do use a ton of plastics , with success, but plastics do have weaknesses , like everything else ..
 
Why not use a combo of copper, silver solder and rubber ? and good old fashioned stainless steel hose clamps, regular steels corrodes, looks bad .
 
Originally Posted By: earthworm
Without checked previous comments . . The originals were good for ten years, I think , so why not stick with them ? ..Volvo, Saab, Chrysler , Honda do use a ton of plastics , with success, but plastics do have weaknesses , like everything else ..

I normally do stick with OEM parts on this truck. But when they fail it's sudden and catastrophic So I couldn't plan it. I had to go to the parts store and get whatever they had. None of the local parts stores around me sell ACDelco just the Dorman. I'm going to see if I can get an oem one just to confirm whether or not it's an after-market poor fit or these things are just loose no matter what brand it is
 
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Originally Posted By: Chris142
I cut those off,remove them then use a new piece of heater hos and slip it past the Barb then clamp it with a hose clamp. Elimating those problematic plastic fittings

I have rear heat so I think I need a tee? If there was a way to just use hoses I would do that.
My sister's Grand Caravan had the same problem. It broke right after she moved out of state, so she had it replaced in Texas. One year later right after she moved back home the replacement broke. We made up a T with galvanized pipe fittings.
 
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