Dex-cool ....Is it good or bad??

[lutzy]

Im looking at a 1969 camaro that has dex-cool antifreeze in it..I heard alot of negitive stuff about this stuff..can anyone can give a little imput on it? I dont know if I should stay away and look for another car...

[Jim Nilsen]

It was put in from the factory and has worked well in my Vibe for ever with no problems. I am ready to change it out.The formula was changed from what it was to start with years ago when they had the Dex mud problems I have heard.

Take a tester and check the acidity and the protection temp and ig it looks good don't worry, you can change it if you want to.

[lutzy]

Thanks..that puts my mind at ease a little..when you say it could be changed, do you mean change it to reg antifreeze?

[chumscustoms]

I am a ase tech that works on all kind of gm products and others, I dont ahve a problem with dex cool as long as it is kept full and flushed when it should be I my self run green or G-05 but that is just what i do but i think that is cools just fine.

[garys 68]

Google "dex cool class action lawsuit"

[T_Raven]

I've owned a few GMs with dexcool and never had a problem with it but I'm curious what others have experienced. I've always been curious about the different kinds of antifreeze since I worked as a Honda tech. Honda claims their coolant is best because it's silicate free. I think it was 04 they changed it to blue rather than green to help differentiate it. I'm no coolant expert though so I don't know if it's that big of a deal though I always recommend people put Honda coolant in their Hondas. If normal green coolant having silicates in it isn't ideal then Honda coolant might be better in general than regular green stuff. Though maybe there's an aftermarket one that's silicate free. One of the techs I use to work with bought a 97 chevy and flushed out the dexcool and put Honda antifreeze in it.

[T_Raven]

Just did a little searching and I guess Dexcool is silicate free also. I'm curious what about it people are claiming makes it "gel" and clog radiators because from what I've been reading about Honda coolant and Dexcool that was one of the main reasons they are silicate free is to avoid silicates settling and clogging areas.

I wonder how many of the problems people are blaming on Dexcool weren't the coolant's fault.

[bpatrol]

dex cool is not recomended for older cars. it will react with metals from older cars. brass plugs and radiators. it will also absolutely kill your heater core. unless its aluminum. use the standard works well and dex cool is no better.

[CamaroAJ]

dex-cool can turn to mud if it gets too much air to it (i.e. loose radiator cap, leaking intake gaskets, blown head gaskets.) working in a dealer for a long time i can tell you the older cars that came with it had problems that cause dex-cool to do this, dex-cool didn't cause the problem. the newer stuff with it hasn't had any problems. my recommendation is if you have a SBC or BBC than use green. if you have a LSx then use dex-cool.

also make sure your radiator, heater core and engine block is well grounded to avoid electrolysis. i have seen it eat through aluminum in less than a week because of poor grounds.

[SLO_Z28]

CamaroAJ is correct, it isnt the DexCool itself that causes the issues its letting air into the system. GM introduced the new pressurized overflow systems with the new caps the same time as DexCool and they're the real cause of all these issues. Little known fact, but the "goop" that DexCool turns into is different for ever single engine, even very similar engines. DexCool is known as a OAT (Organic Acid Technology) and the main advantage of it is its extended service life. The better stuff is the HOAT (Hybrid Organic Additive Technology) like Zerex G05.

The ideal coolant for most classic engines would be a Ethylene Glycol based HOAT with Tolytriazole, Sodium Silicate, and Sodium Borate.

Another common misconception is that you cant mix "green" propylene glycol coolants and DexCool. You can in fact mix them and it has no discernible effect other than lowering the service life to the normal 3/30k. Weird thing is that we did in fact go this far in depth about coolants when going to school lol.

[JEFFTATE]

My 1999 S10 uses DexCool , but it does not have a pressurized overflow tank .
I drain , flush , and refill the cooling system every 30,000 miles . Just like a regular 30k service.
I have never had a problem with "goop" or gel in the cooling system.

I work at a Chevy Dealer , and we haven't seen problems with DexCool equipped vehicles in years .
In the late '90s and early 2000's we saw quite a few vehicles with leaking intake gaskets .( This was faulty gaskets , not the Dexcool's fault )
When the DexCool level got low , and churned with air , it would gel.
And the public blamed the DexCool , when it was actually defective gaskets..

I don't see why you couldn't use the DexCool in a pro-touring car ( musclecar era car )..with a modern engine , new heater core , and an overflow tank..
You just don't want the level to get low.

I would not use the DexCool in a car with brass radiator , or brass freeze plugs , or brass heater core ..
Like an old, old car from the 50's , 40's , or 30's .

In my '69 Camaro , I use the good old Green Ethylene Glycol based coolant , mixed 50/50 with distilled water ..
I drain , flush , and refill the coolant every 30 k miles ..
I've never had a water pump , thermostat , or heater core go bad in years and years.

[ErikLS2]

Anyone know of any problems with Dex-Cool and Vintage Air heater cores?

[JEFFTATE]

If you have an older car , just use the green stuff ..
There's not really much advantage to the DexCool.