90vtwin

I decided to drain some coolant out and replace with Prestone coolant (50/50)
I decided that because when I checked out my coolant (I have not bee driving the car for 6 month) it had rust stuff in it. The coolant appeared to be green (so that's why bought green color coolant)


I then opened the drain plug and drained what I could, the color of the stuff coming out was more like purple rather then dark green....

I added then the Preston. I was thinking that I drained all 11qt ('98 trans am), but now I realize I drained out only what was in the radiator.

So overfilled the coolant reservour with 1gallon of Prestone. Then I figured that could drain little more out (2 qt), to add water. But out of that radiator drain I could get much more ... Then I figured I will drive the car for a little bit and it would fill in the radiator.

I start the car, I see the 'add coolant light on (it is an arrow pointing down to a wave line). I just drove it for 5 minutes, my temperature went up way high. I pulled back to my house, stopped the car, the fan was working like for another 5 minutes....

Now I do not what to do, is it possible that I screwed up bad and put wrong coolant in that it clogged the cooling system (I have read not to mix different coolants... but like I said the Prestone I used is ethenyl glycol based)?

I did not flash the system prior to adding coolant, I did not think it was necessary...

but now I have almost no water there, it is overfilled and the engine gets very hot....

any ideas, help would be greately appreciated

Cal

iTrader: (1)

Do you have an LS1 or LT1? If it's an LS1, you shouldn't be using the green stuff, that will cause the aluminum engine to corode internally. You want the orange colored stuff.

No, you didn't clog your engine or anything, you just have some air trapped in the heads. This is very common after draining the system. Same thing happened to me when I took the heads off the engine. All you need to do is let it idle until it gets hot, then turn off the engine before the needle is in the red and you will see the that the radiator is low, so add more to it. Let it cool a bit, then repeat this cycle until it isn't low when you take the lid off.

Zach@Texas-Speed

iTrader: (7)

you need to use dexcool....i would flush your coolant system and then add dexcool....it might take a little time but it needs to be done

Raise

iTrader: (31)

i agree. 50/50 is fine, but it must be dexcool

90vtwin

thanks guys. It is a '98 LS1

Yes, I let it cool a bit, and then I was able to add water.
So the light is not coming back anymore.

As you guys recommend I will flash the system. The Prestone can
says: "All Cooling system metals", so I thought it is OK. I guess I will have to go to a shop for the flush though, as I do not have all the tools to get the coolant out of the engine block (mitivac would not do that, I think)

Also I have been calling places here and right now now no one lets me dispose of the used coolant (discount auto, autozone, tirekingdom) ... I am in Palm beach cty, FL

Ryan02SS

iTrader: (3)

You can do a home garage flush if your inclined instead of going to a shop and paying $45+ for a cooling system flush. Get 2 gallons of Prestone Dexcool approved coolant, Wallmart etc... While at Wallmart buy about 20 jugs of their $.50 Distilled water. You want to use Distilled water in your cooling system, typical tap water has too many minerals in the water.

1. Drain your radiator, fill radiator w distilled water until full, cap radiator and allow engine to idle with heater on until the the thermostat opens and the system begins to circulate the water through the block. Turn off engine and drain radiator. Proceed to do this process until draining fluid from the radiator is clear and water looking.

2. Fill radiator with Dexcool in the amount of concentration you desire. The remaining water left in the block will be distilled fresh water and when the system circulates it will mix to the proper 50/50 or 70/30 mix you desire. HTH

Swifster

Dex-Cool is the worst stuff you could ever put in your car. After a lot period of time, this crap gels up in the water jackets making a complete mess out of the entire cooling system including the block.

Ford and Chrysler also use long term coolant without these problems. I'd look for a DC or Ford equivalent coolant. Ford and Chrysler have all aluminum engines and have not run into this problem.

blacktransam

iTrader: (13)

i work in an autoparts store and i will tell you this is a very true statement.. we sell it cuz thats what the sonsumer wants to buy

Ryan02SS

iTrader: (3)

Dexcool is fine in a properly maintained cooling system. There are millions of GM engines out there that are testament to this. Cooling system neglect and ignorance is the problem.

Nate_Taufer

iTrader: (1)

solution to your problem, start the car with the radiator cap off. Wait for car to get warm. when car gets warm, thermostat will engage and coolant will flow. then wait til coolant gets low and fill with water to top.

Nate

Swifster

GM doesn't recommend changing the coolant until 100,000 miles. By then, it's too late. What do you consider 'properly' maintained? How is it ignorance to follow the manufacture recommendations. Why is GM the only company that has this problem? Have you had any experience with this problem? And if not, how many cars have you had using the original coolant at the 100,000 mile mark?

This is a problem and GM knows it. But hey, at 100,000 miles, it's out of warranty and not their problem, right?

777

iTrader: (21)

if dexcool sucks so bad then there would be thousands of cars out of commission right ...since it comes with it from the factory...

Zach@Texas-Speed

iTrader: (7)

ive got 104k on mine...been using dexcool the whole time...inspected the water jackets and heads....no gelling

the gelling is from improper mixture and from using tapwater instead of purified water

Swifster

So you've 'been using'. You haven't kept the original stuff in that long. You've had the engine torn down. Most cars are not driven by those on this board and the cooling system hasn't been touched. Most don't notice these issues until the car starts to overheat (and well past the warranty period), the block and heads have ended up packed with crap.

Go ahead and use this stuff at your own risk. Sorry, but I plan on using good out glychol based coolant. Dex-Cool is for the lazy. Again, if you feel you need long term coolant, get the Chrysler or Ford eqivalent and safe your engine.

As for thousands of cars being out of commission, that's probably a fair statement. But if this effects 200,000 or 300,000 cars out of millions, isn't this still a problem? Especially if Ford and Chrysler don't have this same problem? How many old folks driving Cadillacs and Buicks or Oldsmobiles do you think just paid the bill without thinking about it?

90vtwin

I ended up filling it in with Publix drinking water and two bottles of waterwetter. Sofar runs cool (at least according to the dash temp. gauge). I am in south FL, it never gets cold enough here to use the 'antifreeze' properties of the coolant, and watterwatter has the other properties of the coolant (or at least that's what I think :-) )

SmaknaSS

iTrader: (1)

Just run what the manufacture say's to run and Keep it simple.

ss rally red

iTrader: (8)

TSB's from GM indicate that most problems come from a low coolant level condition, I know it states under the hood that Dexcool is good for 5 years-100K-150K(because of no silicates) but the correct level needs to be maintained. Yes you might have to add coolant from time to time. The TSB's also state that you can have up to 25% of the "green" coolant without adverse effects.

slowta99

I work for GM warranty, dexcool is great, I would recommend a flush every two years or so, the biggest problem is owner negligence. There is a tsb on a few GM veh for corrosion in the water jackets, but the tsb starts off with...lack of maintenance

BigE

iTrader: (2)

You guys saying DexCool is fine, explain this to me:

In 1997, my father got his new company car (they get one every 5 years), a 1997 Chevy Lumina with the 3.1. It was delivered to him brand new. Whenever it needed service, it was his responsibility to get it done (on the company's dime) so the car has effectively been under our care ever since brand new. It never had any engine work or anything during it's tenure as a company vehicle. Just routine maintenance. When it's 5 years were up, my father bought it for our family. It had 101k miles. My brother took it to school and very shortly thereafter, it started to get hot. He checked the dipstick and the oil looked like a vanilla milkshake (water in the oil). However, the car had never OVERheated. He changed the oil and brought it home. It ran fine but would get water in the oil. I tore it down (still in good running condition) to find that one of the coolant ports in the 2-piece manifold was 99% blocked. There was a hole barely the diameter of a pencil for coolant to pass through. When the coolant couldn't flow through, it blew out the plastic lower manifold-to-head seal allowing water to escape into the lifter valley. I completely redid everything from the pistons up since I was already there and the car had 100k miles on it. But the system was never opened but properly maintained it's entire life. It did not block up that port in the 2k miles my brother put on it after we bought it. So how is that not a problem?

SapphireHawk

There are two coolant drain plugs on the block you can open to drain all the coolant in the block. One is above the starter and the second on the front driver side of the engine, i foget exctly where thouhg. They are shinny, and hard to miss, I think they require a 18mm allan wrench to open.
Its been about a year since i did this so I don't remeber exactly.