i changed my thermostat today and i think i made a mistake, my car is a 97 2.2L....the antifeeze inside was very dirty, it was a dark rust colour, it looked more like mud than antifreeze, i did a driveway rad flush, i drained out the old fluid and took out the thermostat and put the line back on without it and ran the car with no thermostat, i poured in fresh water while draining from the rad. i bought a jug of universal coolant (can be mixed with green or pink). i put a new thermostat in and filled the car up with the universal fluid and water, but i didnt realize that i accidentally poured about half a jug of Green Prestone coolant. will this clog my system? i only ask because im sure that i couldnt have gotten all the old pink coolant out.
Swap it all out for the green. I am no fan of Dex-Cool.
neither am i, that is why i bought the universal coolant so just incase some pink was left in the system, it can be mixed and i wont have any jelly build-up. but that universal stuff is also green, and while i was pouring it in, i grabbed a jug of regular green coolant and poured about 1/2 a jug.
Mike wrote:Swap it all out for the green. I am no fan of Dex-Cool.
Agreed. I did the same thing. To the OP, I don't see a big problem here. However, if it were me I would do the flush again and use the green stuff just to be sure. Cheap and effective.
"In Oldskool we trust"
Yeah, best to use one or the other. I wont get into the debate of Dexcool over the green goo, but mixing them isnt all bad, but there not made to mix. Best idea is to flush the system, and use one or the other, altho I would be on the lookout. The cars were made for Dexcool not Ethelyne-glycol and they do have diffrent properties. So you MAY cause issues later on the down the road. Not saying it will, but it can. Just a fyi
Goodluck.
That was my only concern about switching, but I figured it's better than all the rust I've seen from dex-cool systems. Luckily, I've gone about 70K with the ethelyne glycol and no problems yet. Cooling system still works great (which is impressive for a 2200).
"In Oldskool we trust"
Use DEX-COOL!!! You will more than likely overheat with the green especially if you did not use the premixed 50/50 which they say will work with any color. However I tried putting some of the green 50/50 in my car (o4 cav with the ecotec) and I overheated with it and had to drain it ALL out and replace it with the dex-cool. That being said with the fact that you have an older car you might get away with it....
Maybe there's something different in the eco system (material, etc)?
"In Oldskool we trust"
It's cause of the aluminum block
I would flush the system with some lime away(yes this is safe to use).This will totally clean the gook out from the mix up.I would drain out the old,refill water and one bottle of lime away(or even a cheapy version) .Drive around for about a half hour so it circulates with the heat on.Return and drain it out.Next refill water only let idle for about 15-20 minutes and you have solid heat.Drain it and if the stuff coming out is still dirty repeat the process(I would suggest this) so you get all the trash out.After doing so refill with the standard green like ex walmarts super tech blue bottle antifreeze and mix with distilled water! Leave your rad cap off to allow air to escape quicker and avoid air bubbles later.As for the dex there are both sides to it good(bad) and more bad.The stuff seems to do more harm over time versus conventional coolant based on countless issues it has caused.Clogging rad,heater cores,blowing gaskets.Granted it is up to you.As for the aluminum block thing not sure on dex being better considering my daily has a aluminum head and has always run the green(cast iron block) and it has never caused zero issues.My daily is a mazda and 24yrs old.Your decision on what you really want.
