General Maintenance & Repairs Leaks | Squeaks | Clunks | Rattles | Grinds
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: CARiD

Dexcool or Green stuff?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 01:00 PM
  #1  
99 Black Bird T/A's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Senior Member
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 8,638
Likes: 1,499
Default Dexcool or Green stuff?

Dexcool or Green stuff?

Which is better to use and why? Read so stuff that basically Dexcool will turn to sludge in less than 5 years or 150,000 miles and can cause cooling problems and acid flushes may be required.

Sounds a good case for Green stuff.

What's the deal?

Since coolant goes inside the engine seemed like here would a reasonable spot but Mod's if this needs to be moved please feel free to.
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 01:02 PM
  #2  
Jorday's Avatar
10 Second Club
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,724
Likes: 0
From: Fenton, MI
Default

Some people have trouble with dexcool, but I have never had a problem with it. From what I hear, It is important to make sure the coolant level stays full so it doesn't turn into dexclog.
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 01:05 PM
  #3  
CAT3's Avatar
Restricted User
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 7,603
Likes: 0
From: Sierra Vista, AZ
Default

Two bottles of Prestone anti-rust and the rest water. More efficient than either Dexclog or traditional. But, I would use Dex over Green if I went back to them.
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 01:13 PM
  #4  
99 Black Bird T/A's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Senior Member
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 8,638
Likes: 1,499
Default

What's the freezing point with the Prestone anti-rust? Or is it about the same as water on that?
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 01:19 PM
  #5  
CAT3's Avatar
Restricted User
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 7,603
Likes: 0
From: Sierra Vista, AZ
Default

Hummm, not sure. I live in Hawaii so not worried about the cold aspect, but heat wise the car maintains about 12* cooler than it did with Dex.
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 01:24 PM
  #6  
99 Black Bird T/A's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Senior Member
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 8,638
Likes: 1,499
Default

Hawaii...guess the cold part isn't an issue at all!

12 degrees seems a good bit cooler than Dex. I need to find out about the cold aspect.
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 02:33 PM
  #7  
mitchntx's Avatar
TECH Senior Member
20 Year Member
iTrader: (14)
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,480
Likes: 2
From: DFW, Texas
Default

Originally Posted by 99 Black Bird T/A
? Read so stuff that basically Dexcool will turn to sludge in less than 5 years or 150,000 miles and can cause cooling problems and acid flushes may be required.
Well hell yes ... at 100,000 miles it will as well.

You need to OCCASIONALLY flush the radiator ...
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 03:15 PM
  #8  
ULTIMATEORANGESS's Avatar
TECH Senior Member
20 Year Member
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,985
Likes: 23
From: eatontown,nj
Default

is the green stuff aluminum block safe?
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-5

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-9

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 03:18 PM
  #9  
mitchntx's Avatar
TECH Senior Member
20 Year Member
iTrader: (14)
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,480
Likes: 2
From: DFW, Texas
Default

I don't believe it is. Dexcool is the coolant of choice
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 03:47 PM
  #10  
onyxxtreme's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,550
Likes: 0
From: Locust Fork, AL
Default

ive never had problems with dexcool, with my past 2 vehicles
never had the sludge or nothing, and I can honestly say I've never as much as added anything to it, or flushed them
but on the other hand, my bro's wife's 99 GMC Jimmy only has like 50k miles and overheated a month or two ago, from the dreaded Dexclog
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 06:56 PM
  #11  
HOTROD98Z's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,042
Likes: 0
From: Molino, FL
Default

I would say go ahead and run the green slime. It is cheaper than the dexcool and i don't see the dexcool adding any more protection over the regular coolant. It is true that the dexcool will turn to sludge, i've seen it happen a couple of times at the dealership that i work at.
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 07:36 PM
  #12  
Beast96Z's Avatar
TECH Veteran
iTrader: (21)
 
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,049
Likes: 3
From: Shreveport, LA
Default

From what I have seen the Dexcool builds up on aluminum for some reason. I always change all my vehicles to the green stuff. I've pulled a few motors apart that have run the Dex, and the water jacket holes on the head gasket where almost completly clogged off.
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 08:18 PM
  #13  
Gen3Benz's Avatar
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 633
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix AZ
Default

Originally Posted by ULTIMATEORANGESS
is the green stuff aluminum block safe?
Most definently.

mercedes has always used the green stuff, they have had aluminum blocks for a LONG time.

only problem ive seen with "death" cool is in gm trucks. it turns to hard rusty sludge and you cannot get the cooling system fully clean.

in northstars, ive seen ALOT of head jobs come back because the time-serts pulled out of the block, they blamed it on the porous blocks.

the coolant get's to the head bolt holes and loosen's up the time-serts
ive actually seen a northstar valley full of coolant because of a porous block, NOT from the head gasket.

although I haven't seen a pre-96 porous block situation, a crap load of them leak from the head gaskets

Originally Posted by BEAST96Z
the water jacket holes on the head gasket where almost completly clogged off.
me too.
every northstar head i pulled had white crusty stuff filling the jackets
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 08:27 PM
  #14  
Nice4thgenZ's Avatar
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (10)
 
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 317
Likes: 0
From: Saint Charles, MO
Default

green stuff, the dexcool is bad ****
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 08:32 PM
  #15  
RPM WS6's Avatar
LS1Tech Administrator
20 Year Member
Shutterbug
Community Builder
Community Influencer
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,627
Likes: 2,543
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Default

Dexcool will NEVER become an issue if you keep it changed regularly. Waiting the 100K or 150K or whatever GM recommends as an interval will cause the issues. Change it as often as you would change the green stuff and it'll be just fine.

The green stuff will also due damage if used for too long. At the least, it will corroide and eat through cooling system components and gaskets as well. This I know from experiance in my older cars....

I've never seen anything about the green stuff that is any better than dexcool if both systems are properly maintained.
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 08:46 PM
  #16  
yellowls1truck's Avatar
Launching!
 
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 243
Likes: 0
From: california
Default

i change mine once a year, never had a problem. also, my friend work at a gm dealership. they change coolant every 30k miles. the 150k mile rating is the max amount of miles that you can use the dexcool.
Reply
Old Dec 27, 2003 | 09:11 PM
  #17  
Scott Turvey's Avatar
Launching!
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 250
Likes: 0
From: Oceanside CA
Default

Originally Posted by 99 Black Bird T/A
What's the freezing point with the Prestone anti-rust? Or is it about the same as water on that?
-34°F to +265°F (got it from their website)

BTW, "the green stuff" is NOT a problem in our motors or anyone's aluminum engines. As was stated above by Gen3benz, MB has used it for years. The problems result from crappy maintenance. Back when I was just a lad I worked in a radiator and A/C shop for a few years and we routinely used Prestone and many other coolants. They key in multi-metal cooling systems is to avoid electrolysis from occurring and to keep as clean a system as possible. We did that, as I continue to this day, to do it by using antifreeze and distilled water. That way we ensured we were not introducing any corrosives or contaminants that are abundant in much of the tap water available today. It is amazing the crap that is in our water.

Additionally, the idea of these new coolants and lubricants that allow you to (fill-in-the-blank-by-tens-of-thousands) miles is BS. Yes, these products can last that long, but are you going to run your car that long on the same lubricant? I'm getting off point here, but what you can do and what you should do are often two very different things.

Oh, I should explain electrolysis. We are most familiar with its by-product, the white pasty stuff (solder bloom) that is visible on the ends of the cooling tubes when you peek through the radiator cap hole. This is a chemical reaction that takes place when current introduces itself into a cooling mixture in search of a ground. Its source is most likely a poor ground or electrical “noise” put off by an electrical component located very closely to a radiator for instance. This is far more likely an occurrence with today’s computer controlled and electrical component-heavy engines than in the past. You don’t see many cars that aren’t using an electrical fan nowadays, and these are excellent current sources as they are located very close to the radiator and have motors that put out quite an electrical field. When the current passes through the different metals present in todays engines (iron, aluminum) and cooling systems (copper, brass, aluminum, silver) it sets off quite the little metallic party, altering the molecular structure of these metals and subsequently causing them to start corroding.

Anyhoo, use good coolant, flush it every year (no you don’t have to use distilled water for this, just run a gallon of it down from the top of the system before reattaching everything), and keep the mixture at 50/50 or whatever the coolant manufacturer says, and you should have few if any problems.
Reply




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:07 PM.

story-0
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

Slideshow: This heavily modified 1971 Camaro mixes classic muscle car styling with a fifth-generation Camaro interior and modern LS3 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:06:42


VIEW MORE
story-1
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-07 18:44:57


VIEW MORE
story-2
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-5
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-6
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-7
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE