View Poll Results: What coolant do you use in your LSx?
Voters: 405. You may not vote on this poll
Offical Dex-Cool vs. Green Thread
i was using dexcool without any problems.. heard a bunch of horror sotries so i switched. i work for a jag dealership and they use all aluminum engines with i pink coolant. flushed the system, mixed the pink 50/50 with water and put it in. everything good! the main problems with switching coolants is not completely flushing the system and mixing 2 different coolants. if the pink stuff is mixed with the green it forms a waxy type gunk that clogs everything,
my 99 t/a w/ 81k on the clock hasnt had a rad flush ever, pulled the cap this weekend and the dexcool isnt even cloudy...even after overheating. GM was doing something right when they put these motors together (brain fart on the 10-bolt tho lol) so i'll trust their engineering when it comes to coolant.
my dad is a fleet mechanic on about 200+ chevy trucks, he had problems with the coolant becoming corrosive and tearing through stuff, having to replace all kinds of **** all the time, dont know about the newer ls engines, i dont think anybody has had major problems since they stopped runnin it through the manifold
Dexcool is really good stuff until you get a leak or air gets trapped, then it gets very nasty. I have yet to find corrosion problems in a engine with dexcool, even when not maintained ( as long as it's not very deluted or mixed).
Edit: diesel engines are another story, the ph has to be properly maintained.
Edit: diesel engines are another story, the ph has to be properly maintained.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
LS may not have problems with Dexcool, but my wife's minivan 3.4L V6 was a complete sludge factory. That crap was NASTY. I switched her van over to green and never looked back. I will never run Dex in any of my cars again. 
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,376
Likes: 0
From: Stuart Fl
The "mud" people say they find in their LS1s with dexcool has nothing to do with the coolant!! Its from the casting process they used for the block. Ask anyone who has drained their dex-cool many times for cam swaps etc. and after you flush the "mud" several times it is gone and doesn't come back! My .02
Paul
Paul
I just use straight water with a corrosion inhibitor. Water cools the best, and being in FL, I don't really have to worry about freezing.
I use straight water in all my vehicles. Just need a corrosion inhibitor, to stop rust. I use penray for that.
I use straight water in all my vehicles. Just need a corrosion inhibitor, to stop rust. I use penray for that.
I run dex here, and will continue to run it in everything I own that calls for it. The only problem that gm has, was on the 3100 and the 3400 engines, with the intake gaskets deteriorating over time. Everybody blames this on the dexcool, it is not a problem with the dexcool, it is a problem with the gaskets being plastic and breaking down over time. I have had customers ask to switch to green when I replace them, and have had them come back in about 4-5 years later with the same problem, the same amount of time they lasted with the dexcool. Gm recomends dexcool in what I drive, so who knows more about the vehicle than gm? afterall they did design it.....
On The Tree
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 171
Likes: 0
I found this link that I thought might help. I believe every word. Like I said I saw this damage first hand. http://sancarlosradiator.com/dex-cool.htm
