i've switched over to dex cool because of it's long life and supposidly better cooling properties,but after doing a search have read many bad things such as it burns into the tranny cooler and renders it useless and if you get any air in the system it turns too goo.anyone have any been there done that results.right now i'm thinking of flushing the system and going back to the green.
pete

 

I started running Dex Cool when I installed my current 355 two years ago because of the fact it was supposedly better for aluminum then good ole green coolant,gotta protect those AFR's.I do a flush and fill in the spring and end of summer and have yet to have any problems due to coolant.I have a manual trans so the whole tranny cooler deal I can't comment on,and I have had air in the system more than once from changing hoses or what have you..and no goo yet.I prefer it over the green myself.

 

blowen90ta,

I use DEX-COOL and have switched over to it on all my vehicles since the spring of 1999. They all look great inside when you take the cap off.

My 98 3/4 ton chevy truck came with DEX-COOL new and says only use that right on the engine bay.

I still do the annual change though. 50/50 mix, distilled water. Its cheap at Walmart. I guess old habits die hard and I like being around the vehicles anyway.

Chet

 

i work on gm cars, when the coolin system stays air tight the dex cool is good but once it develops a leak that stuff is done. It'll turn to this mud like substance and a clog up ur heater core and u can't really flush it all out unless u flush it several times.

 

My friend that works for a gm dealership told me not to use it.
Before he told me, however, I did try itfor a while, but I had a leaking heater core and before long it was an ugly brown sludge.Flushed the system several times before it looked like I got it all out.
I'll continue running the "green Stuff" for now.
-Rich-

 

Hmmm, while working at a lube shop, where we did coolant flushes, I used to see a little brownish-sludge. It certainly wasn't indestructible, tho, and I've seen worse green coolant scenarios.
If you're the kind of guy that replaces coolant every year, it's not worth it, tho.

blowen90ta: How would the tranny cooler be burned by Dex-cool? Tranny fluid flows throught the cooler, not coolant.

 

So if I put a 50/50 mix of DEX-COOL into a dish and expose it to air I will get goo, a mud like substance, ugly brown sludge. We could call it DEX-DIRT. This could solve the earths erosion problems.
The environmental wackos will love it.

Chet

 

I installed the dexcool about 4 years ago in my 82. No problems and looks nice and clean.

 

82camaro,

Nice looking 82 with dex-cool installed.

Those wheels sure don't hurt the looks either.

Chet

 

Well, maybe not that severly sludgy, but it still makes some sort of solid. Almost like a precipitate (not to be confused with PERcipitate).

I'd still RECOMMEND going to dex-cool if you DON'T change it frequently.

BTW, make sure the dex-cool isn't mixed with any other type of coolant, too. That was a problem we'd have with the old men that would come into our shop, and demand that we top off the coolant with "that green ****," because they were too cheap to pay for the dex-cool we offered.

 

Provided your system is free of leaks, switching to dex-cool is not a bad idea. It lasts longer than regular coolant and is more resistant to corrosion. The only thing is DON'T mix regular and dex-cool. The anti-corrosion elements don't mesh well and actually makes a worse solution than either. Another thing is when switching over to dex-cool, were your coolant systems CLEAN? I'm talking about distilled water, no corrosion in the system, no calcium/lime deposits etc. The dex-cool's anti-corrosion additives break down corrosion, calcium, lime, rust etc which would explain the sludge get. Dex-cool as far as I've seen does not turn into brown sludge when exposed to air. I know this from experience because my father drives a 96 aurora with dex-cool in the system and a few months ago had a leak in it leaving fluid on the ground. Thinking it was tranny fluid pinkish/reddish brought it into a tranny shop (turned out he had a tranny leak too, but it was not as prominent). I got to see it on the ground one day and felt its consistency and realized it was coolant, but all in all it wasn't sludgy. I also had a hell of a time tracking the leak, but when I did (loose hose) there was no sludge, just a ring that needed tightening. I have however seen it mesh with rust though. Some rust on the ground where a dex-cool spilled and got mud like on me. Just to be sure, I have some extra bottles of the stuff and will test it out with some rusty bolts, hard water etc to see what happens. I'll post results soon.

 

what i have herd--no hard facts --is that the dex-cool burns onto the tranny cooler in the radiater and dosent allow proper heat transfer therefore rendering it useless.at that point causing the tranny to fail.right now i've run it in my car for approx 200mi with no problems but i did use tap water to mix it with,and flushed out the old green with tap water.so i may drain the system and refill with dex-cool and distilled just to keep things safe
pete

 

Distilled is the only way to go with dex-cool. I have used distilled water in my 1986 S 10 and it still looks great inside when I take the cap off, 90,000 miles later. No hard water deposits.

Chet