blackhawkxx Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 A while back a lot of people were saying that Dexi-Cool antifreeze would turn dark brown and gum up the works. So I changed it to Honda stuff in both my Bird and Wing (did the Wing tonight). The Dexi-Cool still looked like it did when I put it in over three years ago. I will keep using the Honda stuff but just thought I would put this out there for people that are still using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Blackhawk, As it turns out, Dex-cool is not nearly as good as GM said it was to begin with. It is good for aluminum radiators, and is a good coolant in that it has more lubrication and such in it than the green stuff. The only problem with it is that it doesnt last the 10 years/100k miles as was first thought. It is still a good coolant when changed every 20k miles. If you do switch back, (and I know you already have) be sure to get all of the dex-cool out before putting the green stuff back in. I have never experienced it, but have heard of accelorated wear on water pump, 0-rings, gaskets, etc. when the 2 are mixed. In fact, this last year, GM actually went back to putting the green stuff in their new cars and back to a 2 year/20k mile service interval. The mechanics I know say that the dexcool is still good stuff, but it just didn't last for the "just change your oil and add gas until the 100k mile mark" that GM (and Dodge I believe) wanted to advertise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 I've got it in both chevys and the bike, no probs. I don't leave it in for 6 yrs or 100k miles though. Are new GMs coming from the factory with the old green stuff or are you saying service shops are changeing over to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 they arent changing over that I know of, just coming new with the green stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northman Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 In fact, this last year, GM actually went back to putting the green stuff in their new cars and back to a 2 year/20k mile service interval. News to me, and we work on '03 & '04 GM cars/trucks all the time. The only reason we have a "long life" coolant, is for environmental pressure, and "maintenance free" cars. Changing coolant every 20K means 2 gallons of coolant that has to be recycled or disposed of, and the EPA isn't exactly thrilled about that. I haven't seen any long term problems with it, other than the fact it's prone to leaks, and will actually evaporate somewhat. You need to keep topping it up with water, even when there are no leaks. BTW, most GM vehicles recommend a 150K change interval on the Dexcool, not 100K. I still don't like the stuff, personally, but it does make more sense than swapping coolant every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Truthfully, I have not actually looked for myself, but had heard through (dad's) friends at GM that they were switching back like right now. These were R&D and test dept people, and I thought they said it was happening in late '03 and '04, but I suppose info may have gotten mixed up. I can never remember... the year/mileage thing... so it's 10 years, 150k miles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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