Is Dex cool bad for your car?
09-10-2009, 09:24 AM
#21
I've seen dexcool damage OVER AND OVER...its the 1st thing i get rid of when i buy a car with it in. Ots ok in a closed system but the f body uses a open system, this lets the hot dexcool exposed to air causing acids to form...these acids eat EVERYTHINg...in my 99 with 28k miles on it it ate the rad cap and the inlet of the PLASTIC radiator! YES it ate the plastic away that the cap no longer sealed.
I'd stay far away from dexcool. The 02 car i just bought with 31k on it looks clean like new...BUT I DUMPED THE DEXCOOL ...noway i'm going through that crap again.
Another crazy thing about dexcool is once it starts its acid eat feast its VERY VERY HARD TO STOP. Ask me how i know...it took 6 complete distilled water flushes over two years to stop the trouble in the 99ta. It just would not stop.......
Now i know alot of people are going to chime in that its all BS.
To you i say you just got lucky and never had the dexcool turn acid for what ever reason.
I went to look at a 02 camaro with 95k on it....i opened the rad cap and the only thing visible was BROWN GOO......I informed the owner he had major trouble in the rad and asked if he ever changed it. HE said" the dealer always serviced it"
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
all the dealer wrenches SHOULD loose your jobs!
Because you are the cause of gms wows with your poor workmanship and poor knowledge.
I'd stay far away from dexcool. The 02 car i just bought with 31k on it looks clean like new...BUT I DUMPED THE DEXCOOL ...noway i'm going through that crap again.
Another crazy thing about dexcool is once it starts its acid eat feast its VERY VERY HARD TO STOP. Ask me how i know...it took 6 complete distilled water flushes over two years to stop the trouble in the 99ta. It just would not stop.......
Now i know alot of people are going to chime in that its all BS.
To you i say you just got lucky and never had the dexcool turn acid for what ever reason.
I went to look at a 02 camaro with 95k on it....i opened the rad cap and the only thing visible was BROWN GOO......I informed the owner he had major trouble in the rad and asked if he ever changed it. HE said" the dealer always serviced it"
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
all the dealer wrenches SHOULD loose your jobs!
Because you are the cause of gms wows with your poor workmanship and poor knowledge.
09-10-2009, 09:27 AM
#22
This has no meaning at all within the realm of whether or not Dexcool is good or bad. It's a case of GM deciding that it's cheaper to pay a settlement than it is to take the case to trial with the accompanying years worth of legal fees. Happens all the time in business at their level. Believe me, they paid very close attention to what happened to McDonalds over a cup of hot coffee, and a jury's attitude toward deep corporate pockets.
09-10-2009, 09:31 AM
#23
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09-10-2009, 10:23 AM
#24
once again, let me put a little bit of truth on the internet,
you can also search on my username and look up past posts i've made on the subject,
dexcool has one additive in particular, 2-eha it is called, it stands for 2-Ethylhexanoic acid. this additive is what sets it apart from all the other long-life antifreezes on the market, dexcool is the only antifreeze having this additive as far as i know.
the good thing about 2-eha is it is a very good additive at protecting aluminum and lasts a long time. It is what gives dexcool it's 5yr/100k service life.
the bad about 2-eha is it is a plasticizer, and it degrades silicone and nylon which are 2 things many gaskets are made of. So if you are not using any gaskets incompatible with 2-eha then THERE IS NO PROBLEM. The problem happened with various GM v-6 engines having incompatible intake gaskets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifreeze
The other problem with dexcool is contaminants and rust float in it, as opposed to sinking like in traditional green antifreezes. This is why it seems to look so bad on the radiator cap. Now if this is the case for you, you need to find out why you have contaminants and rust in the system, don't simply conclude it's dexcool's fault. That would be like running out of gas and blaming the automaker because now the car doesn't run. GM did have a problem years ago, it was on the S-10 pickups i think, where a whole bunch were improperly filled at the factory and had a decent amount of air in the system, and it was on an iron engine block so rust formed when exposed to air then the rust got washed throughout the system by the coolant. The solution here, and this goes for any vehicle but be aware if it's an iron block and/or heads, that you need to not have any air in the system otherwise rust will form, with any antifreeze!
Most everything today is all aluminum, there is no iron anywhere anymore so this point becomes irrelevant.
And the clincher is, there are MILLIONS of cars & trucks running dexcool since 199-*******-6 with no problems. So how do you explain that?
There is a logical reason for the problems associated with dexcool, please read here for factual info on dexcool, all the legal **** is described
http://www.imcool.com/
The LS1 and all LS model engines since 1998 has never used gaskets or any materials that have ever been incompatible with dexcool, and there has never been a known coolant related problem where it was specifically caused by the coolant. The problems come from contaminants introduced into the cooling system such as hard water or softened water instead of using distilled or purified demineralized water, or adding some extra additive to the coolant like stop-leak pellets or other type of antifreeze, or a power steering cooler leak where power steering fluid gets into the cooling system, or a transmission cooler leak where trans fluid gets into the cooling system.
you can also search on my username and look up past posts i've made on the subject,
dexcool has one additive in particular, 2-eha it is called, it stands for 2-Ethylhexanoic acid. this additive is what sets it apart from all the other long-life antifreezes on the market, dexcool is the only antifreeze having this additive as far as i know.
the good thing about 2-eha is it is a very good additive at protecting aluminum and lasts a long time. It is what gives dexcool it's 5yr/100k service life.
the bad about 2-eha is it is a plasticizer, and it degrades silicone and nylon which are 2 things many gaskets are made of. So if you are not using any gaskets incompatible with 2-eha then THERE IS NO PROBLEM. The problem happened with various GM v-6 engines having incompatible intake gaskets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifreeze
The other problem with dexcool is contaminants and rust float in it, as opposed to sinking like in traditional green antifreezes. This is why it seems to look so bad on the radiator cap. Now if this is the case for you, you need to find out why you have contaminants and rust in the system, don't simply conclude it's dexcool's fault. That would be like running out of gas and blaming the automaker because now the car doesn't run. GM did have a problem years ago, it was on the S-10 pickups i think, where a whole bunch were improperly filled at the factory and had a decent amount of air in the system, and it was on an iron engine block so rust formed when exposed to air then the rust got washed throughout the system by the coolant. The solution here, and this goes for any vehicle but be aware if it's an iron block and/or heads, that you need to not have any air in the system otherwise rust will form, with any antifreeze!
Most everything today is all aluminum, there is no iron anywhere anymore so this point becomes irrelevant.
And the clincher is, there are MILLIONS of cars & trucks running dexcool since 199-*******-6 with no problems. So how do you explain that?
There is a logical reason for the problems associated with dexcool, please read here for factual info on dexcool, all the legal **** is described
http://www.imcool.com/
The LS1 and all LS model engines since 1998 has never used gaskets or any materials that have ever been incompatible with dexcool, and there has never been a known coolant related problem where it was specifically caused by the coolant. The problems come from contaminants introduced into the cooling system such as hard water or softened water instead of using distilled or purified demineralized water, or adding some extra additive to the coolant like stop-leak pellets or other type of antifreeze, or a power steering cooler leak where power steering fluid gets into the cooling system, or a transmission cooler leak where trans fluid gets into the cooling system.
09-10-2009, 10:47 AM
#27
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For whatever it is worth I am good friends with a Radiator shop owner who sees these types of problems day in and day out. He has told me to get the dexcool out as soon as I can. He is one of the most honest people I know and has never done me wrong and is always 100% helpful, full of integrity. So take it for what its worth. Me? I go with GREEN!
09-10-2009, 06:06 PM
#30
Ask any gm tech what he uses in his car...betcha its NOT dexcool.........
the green coolant is fine in ANY ENGINE.....there is so much mis information in this thread its stupid!
Fleetmgr you know nothing and you know you don't! HA HA HA HA HA
the green coolant is fine in ANY ENGINE.....there is so much mis information in this thread its stupid!
Fleetmgr you know nothing and you know you don't! HA HA HA HA HA
Last edited by 99RTA; 09-10-2009 at 06:12 PM.
09-10-2009, 06:11 PM
#31
09-10-2009, 06:34 PM
#34
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If it hasent been said yet dex-cool has to be kept at pretty darn close to a 50/50 ratio with water. Other wise excessive dex-cool levels are what end up turning into that sludge stuff everyone is talking about. Basicly just keep up on the ratio and make sure there is plenty of water mixed with the dex-cool.
09-10-2009, 07:55 PM
#35
http://www.dexcoolsettlement.com/
GM is paying damages to settle a class action lawsuit against them for problems related to Dexcool.
Draw your own conclusions.
GM is paying damages to settle a class action lawsuit against them for problems related to Dexcool.
Draw your own conclusions.
This doesn't apply to our engine type and doesn't involve the issues being discussed here, so its not really relevant unless someone knows about similar failures in aluminum V8's.
Here are some good materials and collected information on DexCool:
http://taligentx.com/passat/info/flu...fe_Coolant.pdf
http://www.getahelmet.com/jeeps/maint/dexcool/
One thing to note is that DexCool is has a finite shelf life and looses its stability over time. (It will not last the advertised 100K miles if it ages too much.)
Here are some good materials and collected information on DexCool:
http://taligentx.com/passat/info/flu...fe_Coolant.pdf
http://www.getahelmet.com/jeeps/maint/dexcool/
One thing to note is that DexCool is has a finite shelf life and looses its stability over time. (It will not last the advertised 100K miles if it ages too much.)
This has no meaning at all within the realm of whether or not Dexcool is good or bad. It's a case of GM deciding that it's cheaper to pay a settlement than it is to take the case to trial with the accompanying years worth of legal fees. Happens all the time in business at their level. Believe me, they paid very close attention to what happened to McDonalds over a cup of hot coffee, and a jury's attitude toward deep corporate pockets.
Well, the conclusion seems to be Dexcool rocks. Sorry for any misinformation. Enjoy, fellas.
09-10-2009, 08:45 PM
#36
any coolant will eat away if left in there long enough to where electrolytic corrosion starts to happen. But if you maintain it like you're supposed to, then it does not eat away at the metal.
and that's the whole problem with the dexcool debate, it gets bashed for no good reason. Luck should have nothing to do with it, and things happen for a reason. If you don't know the reason, then you simply don't know what you are doing or what's going on, and hopefully you're not a mechanic.
I can sympathize with your attitude towards dealers and mechanics, but again this further proves my point that it's not necessarily dexcool's fault so much as it might be the mechanic who may have done poor servicing which may be the root cause of the cooling system problems.
I'm not saying dexcool rocks, and i'm not saying it's better than other antifreeze or that you should use it. The majority of the time people ir-rationalize and draw the wrong conclusions on it from incorrect or misleading information and say it's bad when it isn't.
To you i say you just got lucky and never had the dexcool turn acid for what ever reason.
I can sympathize with your attitude towards dealers and mechanics, but again this further proves my point that it's not necessarily dexcool's fault so much as it might be the mechanic who may have done poor servicing which may be the root cause of the cooling system problems.
I'm not saying dexcool rocks, and i'm not saying it's better than other antifreeze or that you should use it. The majority of the time people ir-rationalize and draw the wrong conclusions on it from incorrect or misleading information and say it's bad when it isn't.
09-10-2009, 10:56 PM
#38
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Please describe Boyle's Law, and how it applies to an A/C system? How would this knowledge benefit a master ASE certified tech such as yourself?
Can't answer those? I thought not.
Go away, little boy...you're a nuisance. Learn some English while you're on sabatical learning something useful about cars.
09-11-2009, 08:47 AM
#39
OK Buckwheat Master Wrench, lets see what you know. If I wanted to see a visual representation of a fuel injector pulse vs. time...what tool would I use? And what troubleshooting benefit would be derived from having that information? What would it mean if it was a sawtooth wave vs. a square wave? Gee, you don't know the difference? WTF?????
Please describe Boyle's Law, and how it applies to an A/C system? How would this knowledge benefit a master ASE certified tech such as yourself?
Can't answer those? I thought not.
Go away, little boy...you're a nuisance. Learn some English while you're on sabatical learning something useful about cars.
Please describe Boyle's Law, and how it applies to an A/C system? How would this knowledge benefit a master ASE certified tech such as yourself?
Can't answer those? I thought not.
Go away, little boy...you're a nuisance. Learn some English while you're on sabatical learning something useful about cars.
YOU DON"T SO STFU!
09-11-2009, 11:37 AM
#40
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Bet I'm older than you Buckwheat. Hope you enjoy the blue shirt with your name on it...it's all you got.
Your admiring audience is still waiting for answers...if you don't know, just admit it, I'll be happy to educate you....publicly....
But I expect all we'll hear is crickets.