Its time to change my coolant. I know that the owners manual recommends dex cool, but I've heard some bad stuff about it. Should I use dexcool or flush it all out and use the regular green anti freeze?

<dexcool

i'm having trouble deciding as well. it'd be real easy to just drain and refill with dexcool. but i've heard so many bad things about it that i almost want to do a complete flush and go green.

what a PITA though to do a complete flush.




GO PATS!!!

Mistakes others made with DexCool is mixing something else in. Dex don't like 'playing with others' at all. After a good flush, use distilled water and Dex to bring things up to snuff. 187K+ miles on an engine that's seen nothing but the orange stuff through it. No probems from Dex.

I believe the problem with people saying dexcool is getting a bad name, Cause some people never think to take care of their maintance on their coolant system or oil changes. Ive had alot of problem with the green coolant corrosion is common problem, Even with a good brand. Its been 5 years since my dexcool coolant has been in my cavalier no corrosion if any kind. All I do is make sure to spend the extra cash and do a good coolant flush, Fill up with dexcool coolant then you are good to go.

There is nothing wrong with dexcool.

Lets see the green stuff last 100,000 miles!

Dexcool may last many miles but ,usually ur hoses which bite the bullet or the thermostat or heater core going south,usually means a flush and refill bc it contaminates the system.And just a good note MOST hose manuf recomm replacing ur radiator hoses every 4 yrs bc u never know if they may leak or rupture due to temp change and seasons.While the standard green is less expensive and very effective,dexcool is a little more and does the same job,it is totally up to u to convert,which would not change how the car runs and I myself change my hoses every 4yrs regardless of appearance just for a peace of mind and flush my system,I run the green,oldschool rides here and thats it.

So I changed hoses on a friends Cav today. I didn't bother with a flush because this was recently done by the dealer. But, of course, I ended up draining most of the coolant. I put new coolant in, ran the engine for a while, then put more coolant and water in. But, it will not let me put as much in as what I drained out. The tank is full, I ran it for a while and the level dropped a little and I added that much more, but its still not as much as I took out. What am I doing wrong? Its been many years since I did a flush and I'm not very familiar with this car since its not mine, but I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

I've had problems with Dexcool and will never run it again. My wife bought a new 99 Blazer, it came with the crap. After 3 years & 72,000 miles it started turning to Jello in the system and plugged up the heater core and radiator. Took it over to a friend of mine that runs a A/C & radiator shop. Flushed the cr*p out and it came out in globs of jello. Bought the truck new, only added distilled / filtered water so I know for a fact it was never "mixed" with anything else. Flushed the thing really good, replaced it with the green stuff. There's also several law-suits against GM for dexcool doing exactly what my wife's truck did. My '03 has it right now, but this summer i'm going to flush & refill with the green stuff.
Don

I have 2 Cavaliers 1998 and 1999 and an Ecotec powered 2004 Malibu. All run with Dexcool. No problems. The 1998 Cav. has over 122,000 miles on.

Dexcool is formulated for aluminum heads and blocks and prevents corrosion. Radiators and heater cores are also aluminum. I would be very wary of putting any other coolant in. Also, Dexcool contains no abrasive silicates which wears away water pump impellers.

Where GM made the mistake was to say that you could go up to 5 years or 150,000 miles without changing it. It's best to change it after 2 years and that goes for any coolant.

On page 6-25 of my Cavalier handbook GM warns against using any other coolant because of premature engine, heater core and, radiator corrosion. Use of any other coolant voids new vehicle warranty.

I say stick with the DexCool.

The only reason dexcool gels up is because air got into the system. Dexcool evaporates quicker than the green coolant. Dexcool systems need level checked and topped off more frequently.

Switching a dexcool system over to green is dumb. Dexcool is sylicone based and lubricates the waterpump. Green cannot do this.

Working at a dealership I have seen quite a few vehicles with gelled up dexcool systems. every one of these vehicles was low on coolant either due to niglect or a leak somewhere in the cooling system.

AND, DO NOT ADD THAT "UNIVERSAL" YELLOW COOLANT THAT IS OUT THERE IN STORES. IT WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS IN A DEXCOOL SYSTEM.

THIS IS KIND OF OFF TOPIC, BUT i just got my coolant fluse about a month ago and my low coolant light keeps going off. I dont over heat and the level is fine. It goes off at high speeds and going up hill. What could it be?

don't know if there's a pickup/sensor to show how low the tank is, but if there is, it could be in the front of the tank. going up hill or accelerating hard could be taking the water to the back of the tank away from the pickup



GO PATS!!!

There is a sensor in the coolant reservoir toward the radiator support. make sure the coolant is at spec and if the light stays on, tap the jub above the sensor with a hammer lightly. Air pockets get stuck at the sensor and cause it to read low.

thanx

The sensor is a magnet in a float that closes a magnetic switch when it rises up high enough. The problem is that after some time the float gets stuck in the guides and gives false low level indications. Remove the coolant overflow tank - which is very easy - flush it out with a garden hose using high pressure and then shake the tank. This should free the float up.

wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllll..........

I changed my DexCool out of my 00 Cavalier at 100,000 miles and 5 years and it looked like new. I put DexCool back in it.

In a well maintained system it will last 5 years. By that I mean it is kept at the right level and never topped up with anything other than Dexcool. Problems have been caused by quick lube joints for instance that "top" up your fluids. They don't always top your coolant up with Dexcool which causes problems.

If you have been taking your car to a quick lube joint therefore, it's best to change the Dexcool out after 2 years or so just to be safe.

I can't help but wonder whether GM screwed up somewhere. Brand new vehicles with untouched cooling systems of Dexcool gelling up, sounds like something gone bad on the assembly line. Or, maybe Dexcool can't handle certain engine load scenarios. Main reason Dexcool can last so long is that it has no abrasive components (silicates) and it's formulation isn't one that lends itself to corrosion aka chemical changes.