http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley5.gifTrying to find out some info on DexCool. Heard from the guy at the local auto parts store that it's not made anymore, and that the big 3 dumped their versions of it and just went to the extended long life that the anti freeze companies make now. Am curious what the manual says for the new '05's?

I see lots of DexCool on the shelves of Wally World. So I don't think it is out of production just yet.

Jim

I believe the extended life (orange) stuff is dexcool. If you change to the Green stuff make sure it is extremely well flushed before you do. I don't believe they mix well.

and it (green) voids your warranty....

The orange stuff is Dexcool and you are correct pilot you CAN NOT mix the two (orange and green) it will gel and it gets real nasty fast. Use to get people that dumped the green stuff in to their new GM vehicles then they come in for an oil change and we could see it all gelled up not good.

I've never heard of coolant gelling from mixing green and orange. But you must be cautious with extended life coolant. There are many different kinds- Dexcool(orange), Rotella ELC(red), Texaco ELC(light red), Caterpillar ELC(orange-red), just to name a few. I've also seen blue and yellow colored ELC.


Not all extended life coolants are compatible with each other. My recommendation is flush the cooling system when it's due and stick to one brand.

What colour do you get if you mix them all together?



Why discontinue? Something wrong?

Man I vote for mixing them all together. I bet it would last forever......http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/hihi.gif

i've never seen so much confusion over anitfreeze. first, "dexcool" is gm's name for the extended life anitfreeze that they developed back in the middle 90's. it is a propylene glycol based coolant, as is all of the other extended life antifreeze made by brand "x". even though gm recomends 5 year drain intervals, NEVER go that long. you still should flush the coolant every year and you will have no problems with the dexcool. i would recommend sticking with the dexcool coolant becuause it has better anticorrosive properties when used with aluminum.


regular anitfreeze, the green stuff, is a ethylene glycol based. it is still a worthy coolant, but it will most definately gell if you mix it with dexcool. no question about it. it will cause clogging in a heartbeat. some people may disagree, but i have witnessed it happen half a dozen times.


the no brainer is to stick with dexcool (extended life), since your truck already has it from the factory, and change once a year. it is hard to completely flush all the dexcool out of the system if changing over to green anitfreeze, so there is still some risk of gelling.

Looks like you are adding to the confusion ktm520. Dexcool is ethylene glycol based just like the green stuff. It uses a different additive package, that is the only difference. If you don't believe it, go to

http://www.havoline.com/products/na/antifreeze_01_tech.html and view the MSDS.

It is 80-96% ethylene glycol by weight.

As far as gelling when mixed, I am not sure I agree with that. But, I don't have any scientific proof on that, so it probably is best to flush the system when switching from one to the other.Edited by: habanero

Habanero is correct...the only difference is the additive packages. The gelling occurs when air gets mixed into the system, which has been discussed on other Dexcool related threads. Black Max, if I were you, I'd get a new parts man.


As for not changing it for five years, that's up to you, but I would not let any engine fluid go that long.

habanero - thanks for proving me wronghttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley2.gif i was definately misinformed on that fact. i'm trying to recall were i picked up that bit of information. that's why i love these forums. its pretty scary to think about how many misinformed individuals are running around with loaded guns.

...its pretty scary to think about how many misinformed individuals are running around with loaded guns.

An old boss once told me this saying:

He who knows, and knows he knows, is wise…learn from him
He who knows not, and knows he knows not, is unwise…teach him
He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool…fear him

I hope I remembered it right. Words I always try to live by.Edited by: habanero

Now im confused......



Which color adds 50 horse power again?

Oh boy......Here we go again.





PC............http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley22.gif

I'm still confused. I've seen anti-freeze labeled DexCool around, but not really that much. What I have seen alot of is stuff labeled "long life" or words to that effect. I picked up a jug of Zerex, made by Valvoline (it's orange), and it says on the jug: extreme life, 50/150, add to any extended life coolant including DexCool, silicate and phosphate free, for all metals including aluminum. But it also says in fine print:Zerex Extreme is not manufactured for or licensed by GM Corp. But it sounds like it's the same stuff to me, just called a different name. I was curious what the owner's manual for the '05's specified. If it says DexCool, then it's going to be around for awhile. Edited by: Black Max

Any product sold has to have an MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheet) available. This will list the chemical constituents of the product. Most manufacturers website have this available. If you wonder if something is the same stuff, go to their website, find the MSDS, and check the ingredients. If they are the same, you are in business; if not, they are different products and you have to make your own judgement about whether to use them or not.

For what its worth, according to the MSDS the Zerex extended life is pretty much the same stuff as the dexcool. They both use potassium ethylhexanoate as the main additive and are ethylene glycol-based coolants.

Black Max - if it says right on the container that it is compatible with dexcool, where is the confusion? pour it in and be done. don't worry about what the high school drop out at the local parts store said.

Now im confused......

Which color adds 50 horse power again?



Yellow.

Jim

Saying pee in the rad? http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley9.gif









Something to consider...... manufacturers may add an additve that may
not be comaptible with something else. I'm sure my chemistry
skills are worse than my cooking skills. And usually I end up
with a big mess in the kitchen.....http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley24.gif

I have a couple different brands of 5 year 150,000 coolant on the shelf. Prestone says: GM DEX-COOL approved. Zerex says theirs is patented.


Zerex contains: Ethylene Glycol (107-21-1) Diethylene Glycol (111- & amp; nbsp; & amp; nbsp; -46-6) Silicone Silicate, Dipotassium Phosphate


Prestone contains: Ethylene Glycol (107-21-6) Diethylene Glycol (111-46-6) Contains no phosphates, nitrites,borates or amines.


Not sure how old the Zerex is but the Prestone is only one year. Later! Frank & nbsp; Edited by: Frank Blum

Black Max - if it says right on the container that it is compatible with dexcool, where is the confusion? pour it in and be done. don't worry about what the high school drop out at the local parts store said.


I guess the part that bothers me is where it says "not manufactured for or licensed by GM Corp" possibly meaning that GM doesn't approve of it's use even though Zerex says it's compatible with DexCool. I'm still waiting for someone with an "05 to chime in with what their manual says. Thanks.

Anybody have an '05?

Nobody wants to brag?

So is the CAT ELC a propylene glycol based coolant and would that be a good brand to switch too? It is supposedlly a 5 year 300,00 mile anti-freeze that I use in my big truck.


Also why would a antifreeze gel if it is mixed with another anti-freeze if they both are a ethyl glycol based anti-freeze. I was told not to mix ethyl and propylene based anti-frreze but that was to not loose the extended advantage of the ELC nothing was said about possible gelling. If the dexcool will gel when mixed with air, why dosen't it gel in the overflow tank where there is plenty of air exposed to the anti-freeze?


Any one have any info on the subject.

Holy color confusion Batman, just use Dexcool it's for sale everywhere.

ktm520 - not all of us in the parts world are high school dropoutshttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/hihi.gif
Anyway, dexcool has been around since 1995....The only vehicles I have
seen that have problems using it are s-10 pickup trucks and blazers and
the venture vans...I think what happens is the coolant gets low,
actually burns, and clogs the entire cooling system...For those of you
who have never seen what I'm talking about, picture taking your
radiator cap off and seeing what looks like dog sh*t in your
radiator....Having said that, I have yet to see a C/K pickup or a
silverado (regardless of motor) with this condition....In my opinion,
dexcool is just fine in our trucks as long as you keep an eye on
it. As mentioned earlier, I would flush it more often than the
manufacturer recommendation of 100,000 miles too..

No, you don't have to go to your gm dealership for dexcool either...As
long as the label on the bottle either says dexcool or states that it
is compatable with dexcool, you're just fine...

(posted by an ase certified, college educated partsguyhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/hihi.gif)



and the debate continues......

Yet another interesting article about Dex Cool.


http://www.imcool.com/articles/antifreeze-coolant/dexcool-ma (http://www.imcool.com/articles/antifreeze-coolant/dexcool-macs2001.htm) cs2001.htm