Coolant anti-freeze Change cooling liquid

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 !

WATER PUMP FAILURE COULD BE CAUSED BY WRONG COOLANT USE DEX COOL ANTI FREEZE.REPLACE THERMOSTAT AND BOTH RADIATOR HOSES TOP HOSE AND BOTTOM HOSE.SOFT HOSES COLAPSE LIKE PUMP HOSE.IT WILL COLAPSE FROM PUMP VACUUM CLOSING OFF SOME COOLANT FLOW.MAKE THE HEATER CORE NOT STOPPED UP IF SO IT WILL RESTRICT WATER PUMP BYPASS CAUSE EARLY PUMP FAILURE.YOU NEED 50/50 COOLANT MIXTURE YOU HALF WATER AND HALF DEX COOL DONT USE GREEN ANTI FREEZE USE ORANGE DEX COOL.I HAVE 3.4L ENGINE AND 3.1L ENGINE BEEN USING DEX COOL ANTI FREEZE SINCE I HAD BOTH VECHICLES. HAD NO WATER PUMP PROBLEMS.

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Here's the procedure on how to drain the coolant from your radiator.


1. Prepare what you need. To make the process easier, it would be wise to have everything you need before you begin:

Pair of latex gloves.
Screwdriver or wrench.
Rags.
Radiator Flush.
Coolant.
Funnel.
Radiator cap.
Draining pan.

2. Place your car on an elevated ramp. If you don't have one, you can use a lifter to do the job. This is usually stashed in your car's compartment in the back. Positioning your car in an elevated position will make the draining process easier. Keep in mind that though that despite your car being in an elevated position it should still be in a level or flat position.
3. Make very certain that your engine has sufficiently cooled. Not warm to the touch but really, really cool. This is a safety measure to avoid your skin from being burned or scalded. Pressurized contents of the radiator will most likely shoot up in the air if you insist on opening the cap while the engine is still hot. Ergo, not a good idea.
4. Look for the radiator plug. Now's the time to wear your latex gloves because you are ready to begin the draining process. Feel the radiator plug underneath your car.
5. Take the draining pan. Place it directly underneath the radiator plug.
6. Tug the radiator plug loose. You will then see that the coolant is now draining into the pan. Once the coolant is collected in the pan, do not dispose of it as you would dirty water. Anti-freeze is bad for the environment. Keep within environmental laws and collect the liquid refuse in a sealed bottle and turn it over to the proper waste management venue. Keep in mind that Anti-Freeze is harmful to your skin so make sure none of the liquid refuse touches your skin.
7. Observe the consistency of the liquid refuse. If you see metal flakes and other tiny debris, this is a clear indication that your cooling system might need the hand of a professional.
8. Proceed to remove the radiator cap. This allows the air to circulate freely into the radiator tubes and helps speed along the draining process.
9. Check to see if the radiator cap needs replacing. Part of the reason why your radiator needs draining is that sediments and dirt coming from the cap directly mixes in with the Anti-Freeze and water in your radiator. If your radiator cap clearly shows wear, tear, and dry rot, replace it with a new one, pronto.
10. Tighten the radiator plug. After the initial draining process, tighten the radiator plug then fill the radiator with water to shake loose remaining Anti-Freeze in the radiator tubes.
11. Replace the radiator cap. Once you are done filling the radiator with water, replace the radiator cap.
12. Turn on the engine. This allows the remaining Anti-Freeze to be shaken off your radiator. Allow the engine to run for five minutes.
13. Turn the car's engine off and allow it to cool.
14. Repeat the flushing process until the water runs clear. Use the flushing agent this time to make sure your radiator is truly clean. You will know it's over when the water runs clear.
15. Pour in the new coolant. You may have done this many times over but it still always pays to read the instructions of the coolant product before proceeding. The rule of thumb is 50/50 which means 50% distilled water and 50% coolant.
16. Tighten the radiator cap.

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The mixture of of anti-freeze/coolant to water should always be 50-50, or 50% anti-freeze/coolant and 50% water, and the mixture should not exceed 75-25 or 75% anti-freeze/coolant and 25% water. If the mixture is more that 75-25 then the anti-freeze/coolant will not function properly in the cooling system and it can actually cause the engine to overheat, and if the mixture is below 50-50 then the anti-freeze/coolant protection will be deminished.

A freeze or expansion plug is a small, metal, circular plug that lives in various places on an engine block. These plugs have a valuable function and an equally interesting origin. An engine block starts life as molten metal. In order to form an engine block, this metal is poured into a mold. When the metal cools off from a liquid to a solid, the engine block is born. As the mold is no longer needed, it is knocked away from the engine block. As most modern engines are liquid cooled, part of this mold also forms the cooling passages inside the engine and must be knocked away as well. The cooling jacket mold material is removed through the holes now filled by the freeze plugs.

Keep Your Cool
Along with filling holes, the freeze plugs have another function. Water expands when frozen. Metal on the other hand does not like to expand very much. If for some reason the liquid coolant inside the engine block freezes and expands, the freeze plug is designed to pop out of the engine block to allow coolant to expand out of the hole. The inexpensive freeze plug can save thousands of dollars in cracked engine blocks. While all this is fine and good, freeze plugs will sometimes leak and fail for reasons that have nothing to do with cold weather. Neglected engine coolant becomes corrosive and can eat away at freeze plugs from the inside out and cause a leak. For these two reasons, maintaining engine coolant is important—on the one hand to prevent corrosion from forming, and on the other to maintain the correct level of anti-freezing properties during sub-freezing cold spells.
Holey Moley
While replacing a freeze plug in itself is fairly simple, getting to it may be another story. In fact, this story can be a long one. As bad luck will likely have it, the leaky freeze plug will never be the one that is easier to see than the sun at noon on a summer day. The leaking freeze plug will be the one up against the back of the firewall or underneath nearly every other part connected to the engine. The additional unfortunate reality is that if one freeze plug has gone rusty with holes then the others are likely not far behind. The best time to replace freeze plugs is when the engine block is out of the car and up on a stand. If this is not an option then digging in and replacing that one leaking freeze plug may be the only answer.

Your Intake gasket, head gasket, or the head itself is leaking internally. This can cause serious damage & siezing of the pistons in the cylinders if operated with this condition. A pressure test will be necessary to determine exactly where the leak is coming from. You can pull the plugs and identify which cylinder is pulling the fluid in & blowing it out the exhaust as you will see the antifreeze residue on the plug when removed.

Will require replacement of gaskets and any damaged components. Repair before extreme overheating will save you money.

good luck

The worst that could happen is that BUG liquid is not ANTI-FREEZE... and in the worst cast scenario is that your COOLANT will FREEZE in cold temperature. I dont know the chemical composition of the Bug Liquid but my guess is, that its mostly water. If your coolant tank is not overfilled I would tryin to add - pure anti-free NOT the 50/50... If you can add you can still add the same quantity of ANTIFREEZE as the quantity of BUG liquid you added, you should be alright. That being said, neither I nor any mechanic is likely to know what will happen with the bug liquid at High Temperatures of the engine. This is more important if you are planning to keep this car for more than a few years. When you drive, keep an eye on the temperature of the engine, if you notice un-usually high temperature, that may be a sign that your bug liquid is RUINING the thermostat. But basically if you dont want to have this head-ache, go to your local mechanic, and tell him that you want your cooling system drained and FLUSHED. (and Refilled with ANTI-FREEZE properly mixed) You dont want to find out what happens when WATER FREEZEs inside the engine. What Happens When the water freezes? IT EXPANDS, and you dont want that. Unless you are planning to buy a new engine. If this was helpful PLEASE leave feedback. Thanks

g 12 is the only antifreeze you should use in that engine

but since it had a tendency to get hot during idling at traffic lights I'm not sure if it had air in it or just a low levelThe cooling capacity is 1.6 liters. the cooling liquid is composed by a mixture of distilled water (40%) with anti-freeze extra (60%). Antifreeze 960ml Distilled water 640ml. Don't mix, instead of the prescribed liquid, alcohol or other fluid with the water,,,