Dex Cool?

[Chuck52]

Do any of you folks with GM products that came with Dex Cool still use it, or have you switched? I need to flush the radiator of my 2003 Impala with the small v6, and I'm reading some places I should stay with Dex Cool and other places I should switch. The place I take my car for oil changes says to switch, but then they once left the radiator cap off when I turned down their generous offer to flush the radiator for only $89.95. For some reason, I have trouble trusting them with much more than an oil change, and I would do that myself if the #$%^^& placement of the oil filter didn't require that I jack up the car to get to it.

BTW, 111K miles, and the only possibly related problem was a water pump, and I think even that was actually just the gasket. Car runs a little warmer than I would like in stop-and-go, but nothing serious. I just figure it's time for a flush before the summer driving.

Chuck

 

[kenmac]

I use just regular antifreeze ...I mix 50/50

 

[dmccarty]

There might be better products that Dex Cool for your car. Better meaning you might be able to have longer intrevals between coolant changes. Or maybe never change the coolant again just keep up the additive.

There are products like this for my truck but I had trouble finding them so I ended up putting in a JD coolant in my Ford truck. I could easily get the JD coolant and it was compatible with the Ford coolant. I just noticed that JD has come out with a new coolant that last longer than the previous version. So when I have to change coolant in two years I'll upgrade to the new stuff.

As long as the new coolant meets the GM spec you can put in whatever you want. Its really a money/time issue of which is easier to get, how much does it cost, and is the cost worth it over another brand. Just meet the GM spec.

Later,
Dan

 

[Chuck52]

For a period, GM only recommended Dex Cool type coolant for some of their vehicles. Lots of people had problems and blamed them on the Dex Cool formulation, which is apparently quite a bit different from standard glycol coolants. It's still ethylene glycol (I think), but the additives are different. Certain vehicles/engine combinations had high rates of failure in parts that contacted the coolant. I've even gotten mailings about joining a Dex Cool class action lawsuit. However, as with many of these things, there seem to be two sides to the issue. I've read that most of the problems had to do with running low on coolant. Anyway, I've had no problem with my Impala except for the water pump or gasket thing, and I was told that the gasket had been redesigned, so with no other input I'll probably stay with Dex Cool. There are several brands now that are Dex Cool compliant.

Chuck

 

[automech]

I use a universal antifreeze, red in color in GM vehicles most of the time. Once in a while I use Dex Cool, but I buy the universal by the case and use it cause it's cheaper. I also have the universal gold colored antifreeze to better match other OE colors. I use green only in cars that come with green. The universal is extended life, like dex cool. Here's a short read on the subject Universal Coolant: The Ultimate Antifreeze?

 

[DieselPower]

The majority of the problems that GM has experienced over the years with Dex-Cool were related to hot spots and air pockets in the cylinder head that would eventually end up causing some gel formations. I worked at a GM dealership for a while years ago and the only vehicles I ever saw that had problems were some of the 4 cylinders in S10 P/U trucks. Point being that it was a engine design problem and not really the coolants fault. I myself have a 2001 Impala so it should be pretty much just like yours. Personally I would just refill it with Dex-Cool or a Dex-Cool equivelant. They cleared up any problems they had years ago.

 

[Wis Bang]

Dex Cool was a problem w/ my 99 grand am and there was alot of info published about it. Seems that air in the coolant system made the original Dex Cool more corrosive than that in regurarly serviced vehicles [like rental units] that were topped off much more frequently. It was reccomended to fill the coolant overflow to the hot level to minimize air getting into the system.

My car had an intake gasket failure at 50K and I was lucky to catch the oil being diluted w/ coolant and had a neighbor who was a tech at a local shop. He actually pulled and dissasembled the engine, checked the condition of the bearings [coolant destroys them] and re-assembled the engine with Fel-Pro's version of the improved gaskets, a new oil pump, replaced the rear main seal & front trans seal [to prevent future headaches] & I insisted on the green coolant and Mobil One.

My daughter had trouble with it in December @ 185,000mi & we found a cracked head & were forced to go to a salvage yard pull out as she was 170 miles from home & doing her student teaching & I needed it fixed FAST.

Green coolant will also turn more corrosive and does it faster requiring a flush & change every 24 months VRS 60 months for the 'Extended life' coolants so they are a good idea in todays 100K w/ out a tune-up cars. Dex Cool wasn't, in my opinion, tested enough b/4it was introduced -or- was tested using police & rental fleets where the coolant levels were checked more frequently than the average owner's 2 -3 oil changes per year.

Now that college is almost over [paid the LAST tuition payment or 8 yrs in a row was March first!] we are looking to obtain some autos w/ less than 6 digits on the oddometers so I will have to figure out what to do 'cause I run green coolant in everything we now own.

 

[Chuck52]

Thanks for all the replies, guys. I figure I'll stay with Dex Cool, or one of the generic equivalents. It will be interesting to see if the garage I go to for oil changes will still want to do the radiator flush for me after I do it myself. I had much better feelings about them before they left the radiator cap off, and then last time (yes I went back when they offered me a free oil change...lordy I'm cheap), and this time they only put the cap on with the arrow pointing the wrong way. I suspect they have a list of things they offer to do on the chance the customer will just say OK.

Chuck

 

[DieselPower]

Why not just service it yourself?

 

[Chuck52]

I do anything that doesn't require me to jack up the car. I have always changed the oil in my vehicles, still do my old F150, but this Impala has the filter located such that you have to get to it from below, and it sits too close to the ground to do it without jacking the car. The place I've had it changed is an easy walk to work, so it has been convenient to just let them do it. I will do the radiator flush myself because I can do that without jacking the car, and they want $89 for a really easy job. I also bet they don't let the flush work as long as I will, since they probably only run it through until the engine reaches the temp to open the thermostat. I'll do it on a slow weekend when I have nothing better to do, and flush it good. Why not jack the car.....well I guess I'm getting lazy.

Chuck

 

[DieselPower]

Hey, now you have a reason to buy a 2 or 4 post car lift.

 

[CurlyDave]

Hey, now you have a reason to buy a 2 or 4 post car lift.

And to think that I get by with just a set of ramps...

 

[RichZ]

Like CurlyDave, said, there's no need to jack a car up. Just use ramps.

 

[Skyco]

Yup. I have two sets of ramps and sometimes run both ends of a vehicle up on them to be able to get under it well.