At Fixya.com, our trusted experts are meticulously vetted and possess extensive experience in their respective fields. Backed by a community of knowledgeable professionals, our platform ensures that the solutions provided are thoroughly researched and validated.
I was told by an certified mechanic, that dex-cool was good and took about a year to condition a new gm vehicle..i have a 1995 pontiac grand prix se, i am getting the intake manifold gasket replaced for obvious reseasons...the mechanic said that over a period of time the dex-cool formula antifreeze will eventually make a lot of plastic parts soft, such as the plastic intake manifold gasket that gm installs in the 3.1...even the radiator plastic top he has seen gone soft due to the dex-cool. and wants to put in prestone anti-freeze instead of dex-cool. after a complete engine flush of course...is this true, or should i recommend him putting dex-cool back in...??
- If you need clarification, ask it in the comment box above.
- Better answers use proper spelling and grammar.
- Provide details, support with references or personal experience.
Tell us some more! Your answer needs to include more details to help people.You can't post answers that contain an email address.Please enter a valid email address.The email address entered is already associated to an account.Login to postPlease use English characters only.
Tip: The max point reward for answering a question is 15.
they say you cant mix different coolants but you can go to auto-zone etc, and buy a cheaper anti-freeze for general motors products. its a 50/50 mix for all gm cars and trucks.you can add this coolant to any brand of anti-freeze. its called universal type anti-freeze. to run a differant anti-freeze in it, you have to flush out complete engine and radiator because the dex-cool and the green stuff do not mix well and cause engine corrosion etc. dex-cool is reccomended for all chevy engines. good-day !
Some people say it causes deterioration of gasket materials, which in turn causes leaks in the cooling system. I, personally, switched to a compatible green antifreeze. Dex cool has been known to cause clogging in the radiator and heater core. The decision to use it or not is up to you. It is the recommended antifreeze for GM cooling systems. There are probably just as many mechanics that say it is ok, as there are that says it is no good.
Many newer cars from GM require Dex-Cool, but if you read the labels of regular antifreeze, from Prestone, for instance, the warranty is still 5 years and it can mix with any color antifreeze.
I use regular antifreeze vs. Dex-Cool in my 1997 Cadillac Deville and, (knock on wood) haven't had any problems.
I believe that Dex Cool is a little bit more expensive than regular antifreeze.
Use a 50/50 mixture of whatever type you plan to use, though.
GMhas a differant coolant its called DEX-COOL its orange and is good 5 years or 100'000 miles Although i have seen recently prestone has a new coolant that is soppose to work in all vehicles
Start with the simple and replace the thermostat and also replace the coolant. The Dex-cool is only good for 150,00 miles or up to 5 years and any thing longer then that, the coolant crystallizes causing a flow restriction throughout your cooling system.
There is a TSB for thew servicing of coolant that needs to be done before replacing the Dex-cool. The cooling system needs to be flushed out to get the crystal deposit out of the system if there is any.
Gm uses Preston radiator flush to clean out the radiator and heater core of any deposit that will restrict the coolant from flowing throughout the system. Once the system has been flushed out, replace the thermostat and replace the Dex-cool with a 50/50 mix of water and Dex-cool for the best result in cooling. Too much water and the coolant will boil over and too much Dex- cool will jell up causing poor circulation.
Thank you for using fixya and good luck
Depends on which anti-freeze is already in the car.
If it is green, use the prestone 50/50 mix.
If it is an orange color, use the prestone dex cool 50/50 mix.
Wayne, GM started using Dex-Cool coolant in '96 (u call it red, I call it orange), @that time that was all u could (or should) have used in GM vehicles, my manual even says 'do not mix dex-cool with any other type antifreeze.' But since then, Prestone has come out w/ a formulation for ALL vehicles, and I checked their website, and it states that this new formulation is compatible with all others, regardless of color. So u are ok with topping off w/ the new stuff. Going back to my early school days , I believe orange(red) and green=brown? So, it may not look nice, but your brown coolant is ok. Curt
×