Thoughts on Dexcool v.s. Green
chocotaco listens to his mechanic so much that he had him do his water pump, rather than doing it himself.
Dex-cool is what every single LS1 came with from the factory. use factory componets with factory componets for best results. if you go outside the box, it most likely wont work like its designed to work, since i was designed for dexcool, not green cat killer.
i have rebuilt a motor with 120k on it and the inside of the water jackets was SPOTLESS. the 160k motor i have is also spotless (had to replace that pump after 130k). we arent talking evans coolant or anything. the price diffrence isnt that big, and it was made for dexcool. think about it.
Dex-cool is what every single LS1 came with from the factory. use factory componets with factory componets for best results. if you go outside the box, it most likely wont work like its designed to work, since i was designed for dexcool, not green cat killer.
i have rebuilt a motor with 120k on it and the inside of the water jackets was SPOTLESS. the 160k motor i have is also spotless (had to replace that pump after 130k). we arent talking evans coolant or anything. the price diffrence isnt that big, and it was made for dexcool. think about it.
I'll be doing my electric water pump install either tomorrow or Sunday, and I'm staying with Dex-cool. There isn't a big difference at all in the price, and I've not had any issues to date with my 63,000 mile engine and water pump.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Philly
Originally Posted by RPM WS6
Most LS1s do not blow out water pump gaskets at 30k miles. Yours would be the exception, not the rule.
the simple fact is, dexcool has a reputation for eating gaskets. the reason why my car's water pump leaked is because the dexcool ate my gaskets. there is no debate on that, this is a fact. there was no sludge at all in my coolant tank, either. there was no gel at all, just a little tiny bit of crust on the notches of the dipstick tube where air bubbles form. the coolant itself looked great, it was just a little skunky-smelling.
dexcool eats water pump gaskets. if you don't want to worry about your gaskets, green coolant is the way to go.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Philly
Originally Posted by Cop Car
chocotaco listens to his mechanic so much that he had him do his water pump, rather than doing it himself.
Dex-cool is what every single LS1 came with from the factory. use factory componets with factory componets for best results. if you go outside the box, it most likely wont work like its designed to work, since i was designed for dexcool, not green cat killer.
i have rebuilt a motor with 120k on it and the inside of the water jackets was SPOTLESS. the 160k motor i have is also spotless (had to replace that pump after 130k). we arent talking evans coolant or anything. the price diffrence isnt that big, and it was made for dexcool. think about it.
Dex-cool is what every single LS1 came with from the factory. use factory componets with factory componets for best results. if you go outside the box, it most likely wont work like its designed to work, since i was designed for dexcool, not green cat killer.
i have rebuilt a motor with 120k on it and the inside of the water jackets was SPOTLESS. the 160k motor i have is also spotless (had to replace that pump after 130k). we arent talking evans coolant or anything. the price diffrence isnt that big, and it was made for dexcool. think about it.
Originally Posted by Cop Car
its been dyno proven that mac mids dont net gain you any hp. the hp gains seen when people switch to mac mids is the replacing of cats. dont take my word for it, do a search.
and you wonder why almost no one takes you seriously
if there's a thread about GMMG or mac mid bashing, you'll be the first person to get an invite. however, this thread doesn't concern those matters, so i suggest you keep your comments to yourself. we don't need anymore of CopCar's infinite wisdom.GM stocked the f-body with a 10-bolt. i guess that makes it a good rear end because GM chose it by your logic. put green coolant in your radiator. there's a very good chance that it'll be spotless, also. mechanics bash dexcool for a reason. it has a very high percentage of causing problems. i was in philly all week i had my water pump done, jackass. don't act like you know my life. i go to school in another state. i didn't have time to skip a day of classes to come to jersey to put a stupid water pump in my car. $100 isn't important enough to me to fail a class that costs $3,000 to retake. i had no choice but to take it to a mechanic.
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Originally Posted by ChocoTaco369
dexcool eats water pump gaskets. if you don't want to worry about your gaskets, green coolant is the way to go.
Originally Posted by ChocoTaco369
put green coolant in your radiator. there's a very good chance that it'll be spotless, also.
I really don't think you'd have to worry about losing gaskets if you changed the dex more often. I'm going to stick with dex and just continue to change it as often as I would the old green stuff. There is really no price difference between the two at my local autoparts store, and based on my experiances I feel that the dex, regularly changed, will keep the radiator cleaner. Granted I have no scientific facts to support that, just what I've observed over the years.
Either way, I guess everyone just needs to stick with what they feel best about. But whichever coolant you choose, just don't leave it in for 5 years or 150k miles.
Originally Posted by carzman5678
I work for a GM dealership and we constantly have 3.4L and 4.3L vehicles needing the intake gaskets replace because it eats the gasket material away over time. Usually around 30K-50K miles.
The problem is that Dexcool becomes acidic and eats gaskets, freeze plugs, water pumps.....etc etc etc.
You will not find an actual mechanic that prefers Dexcool over green.
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Originally Posted by cantdrv65
The problem is that Dexcool becomes acidic and eats gaskets, freeze plugs, water pumps.....etc etc etc.
Change the dex more often and you won't have those issues.
Originally Posted by cantdrv65
It happens on ALL GM vehicles that run dexcool.....Switch to green I run it in all my vehicles with NO issues....
The problem is that Dexcool becomes acidic and eats gaskets, freeze plugs, water pumps.....etc etc etc.
You will not find an actual mechanic that prefers Dexcool over green.
The problem is that Dexcool becomes acidic and eats gaskets, freeze plugs, water pumps.....etc etc etc.
You will not find an actual mechanic that prefers Dexcool over green.
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if there was such a problem with dexcool, I'm sure GM would have switched before offering the 5/100k warranty. And many people I know use it with success.
I would flush the way you said. You will be fine.
I would flush the way you said. You will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Philly
Originally Posted by RPM WS6
Well, I've owned a lot of cars with both green and dexcool. I can tell you, that even with the same change interval, the radiators with green stuff have always looked pretty nasty after a decent amount of miles. My dexcool cars (with regular fluid changes) always have a cleaner radiator even as the mileage builds.
Originally Posted by RPM WS6
I really don't think you'd have to worry about losing gaskets if you changed the dex more often. I'm going to stick with dex and just continue to change it as often as I would the old green stuff. There is really no price difference between the two at my local autoparts store, and based on my experiances I feel that the dex, regularly changed, will keep the radiator cleaner. Granted I have no scientific facts to support that, just what I've observed over the years.
Either way, I guess everyone just needs to stick with what they feel best about. But whichever coolant you choose, just don't leave it in for 5 years or 150k miles.
Either way, I guess everyone just needs to stick with what they feel best about. But whichever coolant you choose, just don't leave it in for 5 years or 150k miles.
every now and then i feel nervous over the green coolant in there. i feel like it's gonna mess something up. but it's just coolant. the green is historically more gentle on seals. hopefully, history will hold up.
Originally Posted by Wolfgang427
Bull-****! I had a 96-Lumina, went 90K w/dexcool no problems. My wifes 98-Malibu went 108K w/dexcool no problems. Know I got a 01-Regal-GS 55K w/dexcool also no problems. I change it every 4-years and its as clean as the new one going in.
I seen it happen on approximately 100 GM vehicles...perhaps MORE... you've been lucky.
Originally Posted by RPM WS6
Green stuff will do that too if you leave it in too long.
Change the dex more often and you won't have those issues.
Change the dex more often and you won't have those issues.
Originally Posted by Grimes
if there was such a problem with dexcool, I'm sure GM would have switched before offering the 5/100k warranty.
You really think that highly of an auto manufacturer? Do you know how many lawsuits it and bad press it took for GM to finally step up to the plate on the C5 column lock problem? http://www.consumeraffairs.com/autom...m_dexcool.html
Last edited by cantdrv65; Mar 18, 2007 at 04:27 AM.
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Originally Posted by cantdrv65
True. But the green stuff is not guaranteed to last 100k+....Change and flush the system often, no matter the coolant. I have seen far less problems with intake gaskets etc using green.
I am very confident in the theroy that the dex will not cause any issues that the green stuff wouldn't as well, assuming you follow the same change interval for both (meaning change more often for the dex, not less often for the green).
Thread Starter
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Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Brentwood,Tn
what happens on the intake gaskets with dexcool, the paper type, not the hard plastic with o rings, is the leak starts, then the dex cool reacts with the air, causing corrosion, and making the leak worse.I used to work at a GMC dealer and was told by the older techs to switch to green,and they complained of some of the same problems some of you described. After hearing all these reviews,dexcool may not be bad for motors with gaskets that were "really" enginered to use the stuff,but I guess i dont want to take that chance of possible blockage/water pump failure,So I think ill just stick with green,even though my car came with dex from the factory,like almost all 96(i think) and up vehicles did.I remember my 98T/A after about 50,000 miles the coolant (dex) had formed into a mud substance,and it looked disgusting when it was flushed,but was fine once refilled with dex for another 50,000 till i sold it.
Is it possible that Dexcool has a higher specific heat than the traditional green coolant in certain mixtures to make it the more favorable coolant?
Since the only thing that appears to have been discussed so far has been the destructive tendencies of Dexcool, I am curious if anyone has any information on the abilities of each coolant to actually conduct heat.
Since the only thing that appears to have been discussed so far has been the destructive tendencies of Dexcool, I am curious if anyone has any information on the abilities of each coolant to actually conduct heat.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Philly
Originally Posted by ryansm1
Is it possible that Dexcool has a higher specific heat than the traditional green coolant in certain mixtures to make it the more favorable coolant?
Since the only thing that appears to have been discussed so far has been the destructive tendencies of Dexcool, I am curious if anyone has any information on the abilities of each coolant to actually conduct heat.
Since the only thing that appears to have been discussed so far has been the destructive tendencies of Dexcool, I am curious if anyone has any information on the abilities of each coolant to actually conduct heat.
Originally Posted by Bradygoodz
what happens on the intake gaskets with dexcool, the paper type, not the hard plastic with o rings, is the leak starts, then the dex cool reacts with the air, causing corrosion, and making the leak worse.
Originally Posted by MeentSS02
All I'm reading in here is conjecture and hearsay...this thread is damn near pointless. Nobody has conclusive facts to go one way or the other...