Antifreeze/Coolant

[98buicklesabre]

I was wondering what you guys have running through your cooling systems dexcool? or the green stuff?

[myfirstbonnie]

All mine get a flush and the green. Look in techinfo and there is a good flush procedure.

[00Beast]

Around here we HIGHLY recommend running a Mixes With Any style coolant. Not Dex-Compatible, but Mixes-With-Any.

[willwren]

www.dex-cool.net

Try that on for size. Yes, those are 3800 gaskets in the autopsy.

[renchjeep]

FLUSH and Go Green! Dex-Cool is evil, and I do not trust "mixes with any". Maybe OK for topping off if you don't know what you have, but not a good replacement. IMHO.

[Bing]

Prestone "mixes with any" yellow stuff, with no problems.

[98buicklesabre]

yea im running dexcool in my car really confused as to what to do keep the dex and just maintain it or go green...i thought i had a manifold leak cause i was losing coolant but after replacing the resevoir i havent had any coolant loss, i got the car with about 110,00 miles and i know stock the car doesnt come with the plastic elbows so maybe the previous owner already fixed the problem? and there was green in there when i first got it but flushed it out . now im confused on what to use ....keep the dex but flush and fill more often or go green? is dex that bad?

[00Beast]

Your car did come stock with 1 plastic elbow, connecting the LIM to the tensioner.

Dex is that bad. Go Green.

[willwren]

Keeping the DEX is absolutely the worst thing you could do. Flush it out and use the yellow Prestone 'mixes with any'. NOT DEX COMPATIBLE. Green is an option, but could cause problems if the DEX isn't fully flushed properly, as the Green and Dex cause brown mud when mixed. This is why we use the Prestone 'mixes with any'.

I don't understand what you're trying to say about the coolant elbows. They're all plastic, from the factory and aftermarket replacements. It's the lower intake manifold gaskets between the cylinder head and lower (aluminum) manifold that fail, far more rapidly in DEX, and especially on your L36, the upper intake manifold EGR port eats through to the coolant passages costing you a huge headache or a motor.

You need to determine if you have the old black nylon LIM gaskets and what UIM you have. If you don't have the right parts on the car, you need to change them NOW before they fail. They WILL fail. There is no question.

Search Techinfo (link at the top of the page) for more info. www.dex-cool.net is a good description of the problem, and if you still have questions in your mind, you didn't read that whole page.

[98buicklesabre]

Thanks guys I will flush out that dex and put in prestone mixs any in asap

[98buicklesabre]

Are there any ways without taking off the intake manifold to see if my gaskets are good such as pressure testing or anything else..when i look around the manifold i see an orange outline in some spots i dont have any coolant loss...def going to try and flush the coolant out asap

[myfirstbonnie]

All you can do is see if you have the plastic or aluminum framed.

Between the red arrows:



Have you checked the date on your UIM according to the techinfo article?

[98buicklesabre]

i mustve missed that part about that date gonna take another look real good article, now if i have the new aluminum should i worry about the dex still being in there?Cause from this article and my own research dex was terrible for the 3800

[myfirstbonnie]

There are more than one for the UIM.

Here is the one with the info: http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... =53&t=1061

I personally chose to remove the dex from any vehicle I have. Some still run it, matter of personal choice.