98 White T/A

iTrader: (5)

ok, I'm pretty sure my 98 t/a is supposed to use the Dex-cool, the orange stuff right? Well I opened the radiator and it has green in it, and Im kinda worried because I coudve sworn I read somewhere that the green is bad for our cars, should I go get a full coolant flush ASAP?!

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Flush it and put Dexcool in it.............I think the green is fine though.

If you decide to flush it.........

Best/easiest way to flush and get every drop of old coolant out.

****My power steering fluid leaked into my block, so it was bad, but this flush process works for normal maintenance flushes too. You might just want to skip the degreaser stages.****
-Cold engine.
-Remove radiator fill cap.
-Remove the t-stat from the housing. ((Buy a new t-stat housing gasket, they're like $3.00)) Leave the housing attached to the rubber radiator hose, just remove the 2 housing bolts and pull it away from the water pump to get to the t-stat. (2-3 minute job).
-Put t-stat housing back on. (1 minute) Just put one bolt in, no need to put them both in, there’s no pressure in the system during the flush.
-Take the entire radiator drain valve (petcock) "off" and let it drain, don't just open the valve itself. It'll drain faster with it off and that’s what you want. ((Buy a new petcock valve before starting this flush process, sometimes they break when you remove them all the way just because they're cheap plastic and they get briddle over time, they're like $2.00))
-Take a hose and stick it in the radiator fill cap, running medium to high.
-Start the engine when the radiator looks like its full again.
-Turn heat on full blast
-Let it run for about 15-20 minutes or until the water is running out the drain CLEAR.
-((If you want to, you can wait till it runs clear, "close" the drain valve, add some degreaser (I use ½ gallon of Formula 88 to clean mine) and let it run for 15 minutes, then let it sit for 15 minutes, then run it for 5 minutes, then drain it all again. Then open the drain and put the hose in for about 5 more minutes and run it all out till its CLEAR. The degreaser will help break up the crap thats stuck DEEP in the BLOCK that sits and swirls and doesn't like to come out.)) ***NO…degreaser will not hurt anything.***
-When it runs clear your entire system is clean.
-Remove the overflow reservoir from the car and clean it out real good. (I had to use gasoline to clean mine out because the sludge and grime was so thick inside. The gas broke it all down and then it flushed right out. I filled it about 1/3 up with gasoline and shook the hell out of it real vigorously, the black stuff kept coming out. I did that like 4 separate times with gasoline till no more chunks of black crap came out. Make sure the lines that go to the reservoir are also cleaned out. Or just buy a new piece of 3/8” heater hose and replace that line, 3 feet will do, then cut to fit. My sludge came from my power steering fluid leaking into my coolant system.)
-Put the t-stat back in.
-Put the overflow reservoir back in.
-Put the drain valve back in. Use the new one, what the hell.
-Put half a jug of Dexcool in the radiator. (Or if you live in very cold places, 1 to 1 ½ jugs of Dexcool)
-Fill the rest with water.
***You do not need to use distilled water, clean hose water is just fine, just make sure your city water is clean and not total crap quality.

**Bleeding the system of air:
Take the radiator cap off when its COLD, start it up and let it idle, and let it warm up till the t-stat opens. I rapidly squeeze the upper and lower radiator hose like 20 times while its warming up to help move any air bubbles through the system and by the t-stat on the engine side. When the t-stat opens you’ll see the level drop as you squeeze it, its sucking the coolant through the system. You will also see the coolant start to flow in the radiator fill neck, once it starts to flow the level should drop down a lot, immediately top it off with coolant/water. Then the flow will stop when the t-stat closes. Wait one more time for the t-stat to open again and start to flow, if it drops down again top it off again. Do it a 3rd time if you want to make sure. When the level does NOT drop down when the t-stat opens and coolant is flowing....you're system is free of air bubbles. I always massage the upper hose during the whole process to keep any air bubbles moving through. Always works like a charm. Just keep checking your temp gauge until the t-stat opens for the first time to make sure it’s not sitting there overheating from a trapped bubble. May take 10-15 minutes for the t-stat to open the first time.
If you do start to get hot while sitting there and the t-stat will not open…..you have an air bubble on the engine side of the t-stat. Shut the engine off and rapidly squeeze the upper and lower radiator hoses again. Then start the engine again and see if the t-stat will open. Sometimes you just have to work those hoses to move the air through. Even after it seems topped off after a couple cycles…check it the next time you have a cold engine…top off if needed.


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98 White T/A

iTrader: (5)

Thanks!

O2Form

The green stuff is fine.....someone did you a favor changing it. Dexcool is complete and total garbage. DON"T CHANGE IT!

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

I've used Dexcool for 13+ years in my LSx....it stays crystal clear clean and my engine runs very cool. Problem with allot of people is their cooling systems are NOT sealed and air gets in, then the problems start. Or they get power steering fluid in the system and never really get it all flushed out from the block, which holds onto a ton of it. Then they never have clean coolant.

My car was 100% bone stock from 1998 when I picked it up at the dealership till early 2002 when my 427ci was installed.......the radiator cap was never taken off in 4 years. The Dexcool from the factory was as clean as new Dexcool when the engine was removed.

I don't understand why people have issues with Dexcool. For me...its GREAT stuff.

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98 White T/A

iTrader: (5)

Dexcool isnt garbage, Ive used it for 4 years in my saturn which was my street race car with a nitrous setup, always stayed cool.

O2Form

lol ok.....................http://www.leftlanenews.com/old-gm-s...ol-owners.html

68 thousand claims against them!
I've seen dexcool RUIN engines and its silent.......you don't even know its eattting everything till its made a mess. Fbody cars should not use dexcool because they don't have a closed system. You overflow tank will form acids in it that will get into the cooling system. Don't be a fool!

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Any details about what the actual failure was??? It doesn't say anything was wrong with the fluid, it just says the "system" had problems.

If it was the Dexcool "fluid" itself....it would be off the shelves and GM would prohibit its use in any GM vehicles. Sounds like there were other problems with certain model systems that had problems.......I'd like to see if they blame the actual "FLUID" itself for making systems fail. And if they do...why are they still selling it and using it at GM dealerships everywhere.?????

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98 White T/A

iTrader: (5)

x2

dopy

Air and Dexcool don't mix well. As long as the cooling system stays full your in the clear.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Thats why I was saying...people who have trouble with Dexcool...have an initial problem with their cooling system (small leaks or oils getting in). Air in any system though, with any type/brand of coolant, will cause a problem. Maybe Dexcool reacts worse than others, I just keep my cooling system healthy.

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great421

iTrader: (1)

Dexcool actually eats Aluminum parts faster than 'normal' coolant.
(As I recall there was a lawsuit in the late 90's due to this issue.) [EDIT - Guess I should have read down a bit more!]

More food for thought:
I was at a local radiator shop and the owner / head wrench told me the above stated little factoid (I'd heard it before from other sources as well...) and he convinced me to put green coolant in my car - this dropped my average coolant temps from 180 down to 170.

He said it was because of the greater coefficient of thermal conductivity of the older style coolant vs. Dexcool.

I'd leave the green coolant in it - My $0.02...

MillerTime85

iTrader: (8)

Id just stick with the Green Stuff you got in there.Dexcool is not the devil like some make it out to be but someone saved you the hassle of switching over

O2Form

The problem is the Fbody has a open system like I said above. Air mixes with the colant in the overflow tank and the dexcool turns to acid. Do as you as please , I don't give a rats ***. Just telling you my experience. My 99 TA went through 3 rad caps and one radiator from the acid in the overflow tank. It ate through the caps and ate the sealing surface where the cap seals in the radiator. Now this car was a low mileage car that wasn't drivin much BUT it still shouldn't have done all that damage. AND the nasty *** thing about dexcool damage is once it starts its VERY hard to get under control. I finally switched to green and all the bs trouble stopped.

Another thing I noticed is the engine runs cooler with the green stuff.

I've also seen cars where the drxcool has COMPLETELY ruined everything! I'm talking MAJOR damage thats not fixable all because the owner didn't know that you can't leave dexcool in long term without CONSTANT maintenance<DEXCOOLS claim to fame is low maintenance so poeple "THINK" its much better than the green stuff. HA! You let dexcool in for 100k without constant maintenance and you will rep0lacing ALOT of parts. With the green stuff its a no brainer. Those are the facts....do as you please.........

the impaler

I've had dex-cool in my 97 since day one, no problems.. I think people just like to screw with their cars. To the OP, there is no real good reason to change it back, you will just lose the longer lifespan of the dex-cool.

jam01

i do believe the problem was not using distilled water, people putting water in from the garden hose, city water really is not clean. there are lots of impurities in drinking water, that's why i drink beer.