Dexacool or No Dexacool
 

Hello I finally got myself a TA after a long wait. Anyway my question is I just bought a 99 TA and I want to change all the fluids in it. I'm going to flush my cooling system but I'm not sure if its a good idea to put dexacool back in it. I have heard nothing but horror stories about this stuff. Eating water pumps and heater cores not to mention the radiator itself. I was talking to a friend of mine and he said that I have to run it because of the aluminum heads. Would it be all right to run regular anti freeze in it? Or would I be better off with the dexacool and an additive? I want to make it last.

That is a myth from my PERSONAL experience... I have been using dexcool since day #1 with my car......

Just use the dex coool, 50/50 mixture and maybe add a bottle of watter wetter while your at it....

I have never had it happen to my vehicles but I know 2 guys had troubles with it in there blazers. The new models. anyway one had his in and out the shop getting the water pump and heater core replaced it only had 40,000 miles on it. Not to mention it had it flushed at least 2 times after because the heater core would get plugged. The other guy had to replace his radiator from corrosion but that blazer had a lot more miles on it. I'm not saying that is because of the dexacool maybe just bad luck. I've owned GM vehicles since I can remember and haven't had much with them but when I got that letter in the mail saying that attorneys had a class action lawsuit against Dexacool because it was causing these problems and won. My TA was not one of the vehicles that they said had the problem mostly the smaller 4.3 engines I'm just a little freaked out about keeping it in my car.

if you switch to green stuff, just make sure you flush ALL the Dexcool out. The orange and green, when mixed, reduce the effectiveness of each other's additive package. Otherwise, feel free to change coolants.

Lots of opinions on this subject, but I've had great luck with Dexcool. When I put in my new BeCool radiator, Dexcool went in that too. You just need to make sure the level stays up where it needs to be...other than that, it works great.

Never had any issues here with it either, run the 50/50 mix of it as stated already.

Dexcool got a bad rap from the blazers, mostly due to their cap design. Anything that I've ever owned that used dexcool, looked like a nasty mess in the radiator, but never gave me any trouble.

That said I wouldn't ever buy dexcool, you can get the green stuff way cheaper and it works the same. Just makes sure you get all the dexcool out.

I was concerned about it too. I flushed, and went with the dexacool again. A teacher of mine said the original stuff from the factory is junk because it starts as a powder that they mix.

I don't know. Apparently any dexacool mixed with green forms a gel. So if you decide to switch make sure you get it all out.

Yeah I think I'm going to go to the green stuff. Just in case. Yeah I'm going to make sure I get all that garbage out. I just talked with my friend about it. He is a awesome mechanic. He told me that back in 01 GM changed the way dexcool was made. He said that before the change it was pretty corrosive. He said the new stuff isn't as bad. He also told me to make sure that when I flush it to make sure it all is out first. The mix of dexcool and the green stuff can be really corrosive.

GM has paid out millions of dollars to people who had to have radiators, heater cores, water pumps, and intake gaskets replaced due to Dexcool. It was mostly the trucks but some cars were affecyed too. F bodies and Vettes are not on the list.

My 98 Blazer has had every component of the cooling system replaced because of failure due to Dexcool.

The last thing I replaced was the intake gaskets. When I took the intake off the coolant passages in the head looked like they were completely bocked off with what looked like a fist full of mud.

With all of that being said, the green stuff, particularly the new green that mixes with the orange has not had any issues in any car that I know of so why take the chance with Dexcool. They say it last longer but hell, I flush my cars once a year anyway.

As soon as I had my Z28 dexcool flushed ; since it was a 1998, the pump went (within a couple days)

So what are you saying?

personally i hate dexcool.... one day I checked my coolant and it was nothing but orange sludge... got it flushed and put fresh dexcool in it... not long after, same thing happened... I switched to the prestone green/yellow extended performance stuff and NEVER had the issue again...

yeah what are you trying to say.

I have been running the green stuff from prestone for about 3 years, never had an issue.

I had my pump done at an outside repair shop but I know a few GM techs and I asked them if the Ls1s have had any water pump issues because mine had just gone out with about 65k on it; both techs told me that they have done a couple after the coolant had been flushed but they had higher mileage. The techs weren't sure if there was a direct relationship between the coolant flush and the pump leaking really bad.

I didn't think my post was that hard to grasp...but there is your breakdown of what I am trying to say! :P

999mongoose, so did you put dexcool back in or did you have the green put in when your pump started to leak?:confused:

Its DEXCOOL not DEXACOOL, anyway, if dexcool gets air in it, as in not full of antifreeze, it seems to make that problem worse, for the most part I switch Dexcool cars to standard green antifreeze, in my camaro I am just going to keep the dexcool changed frequently until I pull the water pump (whenever it goes) so that I can clean the block and everything and then go to green.

u mean DEATHCOOL...google it you will be surprised!

I have changed mine every 2 years, and the dexcool comes out just as orange as it goes in. all factory cooling system components. 110K+ miles

Only the dipstick cap seems to get some junk on it over time

Ryan