GM Dex Cool coolant in the Ecotec

[Radowick]

I came across this article:         http://consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/ ... xcool.html

Since this is what most of us have in our Ecotec motors, I thought you might want to be aware of this.

[silver]

If you are in a hot environment like we are what's the harm in running water or water plus water wetter?


we don't need antifreeze for its' antifreeze purpose we just need it not to boil

[Radowick]

I did some searching and found that if GM owners had gotten their Dexcool coolant topped off with the green ethelyne glycol, it will turn the Dexcool coolant into a brown sludgy mix. And that is one of the lawsuits complaints. So I wonder if the owners know what some mechanic might have done to their cars unwittingly by adding some green to their systems while they read magazines in the waiting room?    

[wisp]

[quote="silver"]
If you are in a hot environment like we are what's the harm in running water or water plus water wetter?


we don't need antifreeze for its' antifreeze purpose we just need it not to boil
[/quote]

As well as the anti-boil function most products contain corrosion inhibitors that are important to use in modern cars rather than plain water. Especially in an engine like mine that has a large amount of aluminium. Although if not changed the coolant can have the opposite effect and become very corrosive, as I found out on a Ford with an alloy head some years ago.

[Terry Kennedy]

[quote="Spanky"]
I came across this article:         http://consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/ ... xcool.html

Since this is what most of us have in our Ecotec motors, I thought you might want to be aware of this.
[/quote]

Dex-Cool is fine as long as you don't mix it with incompatible coolants, boil it, or expose it continually to atmospheric air. The latter 2 indicate some sort of underlying problem with the cooling system which isn't Dex-Cool's fault.

Of these, the biggest problem is from well-meaning owners or mechanics deciding to "top up" the coolant with something else - you can't tell what the formulation of a coolant is by the color (that's been true for quite a few years now). If you don't know what's in the car, the safest bet is to drain it, flush w/ de-mineralized water, and then do a clean fill with the coolant of your choice. Take note of the flush step - a simple drain the old and fill with new can expose you to problems down the road.

Regarding the use of plain water, one of antifreeze's properties is to raise the boiling point of the coolant. The exact number varies depending on what coolant, what ratio of water, and the pressure of the cooling system. (Remember, the boiling point of water is not constant and varies depending on pressure - at 5000 feet it has dropped by 10 degrees ).

[positron]

Gotta disagree with you on this one, it's sh1t all by itself. It'll turn west TX clay rust orange and look like nasty river water. I've had to flush my wife's car twice and I'm the only one who works on it.

I switched to green in my intercooler when I replumbed it and wish I would have flushed engine but was eskerd because of the horror stories of bleeding the front rad and promptly rounded the front hex and figured that was a good time to stop.

[Heywood-Yablowme]

^ Agreed.Dex-Cool is crap.Get it out of your cars. Since it first hit the market,it has ruined more systems than any lack of coolant system maintenance ever has. I have had hundreds of my customers car gel up within years of being brand new,and never contaminated by an outside source. You can buy coolant that is compatible with all makes of anti-freeze.It is not just Dex-Cool that is incompatible with EG based coolants.

[Radowick]

Anyone want to advise what drain port or hose connection to use to drain the engine coolant?
"                                                                                                    intercooler system?   

[Heywood-Yablowme]

The lowest point on both systems...

[Terry Kennedy]

[quote="Spanky"]
Anyone want to advise what drain port or hose connection to use to drain the engine coolant?
[/quote]

I loosen the hose clamps on the bottom of the radiator and stick a dull screwdriver between the hose and the fitting on the radiator. After putting a drain pan underneath, of course. While the coolant is dribbling out, I remove the reservoir cap back at the engine and the radiator plug.

For filling, I've come up with an inexpensive system which avoids all the hassles described in the Brammo owner's manual. Lots of info here.

[Radowick]

I wonder how it was since this cap was last openned?:

http://www.2carpros.com/car_articles/coolant_type.htm