Which type of coolant to use?

[jack1996]

I am replacing the heater core on my 1996 K1500. I figured that it is a good time to replace the coolent. Well here comes my problem. The sticker sayes that the coolant system uses DEXACOOL, however I have green coolant? I thinkn that means someone has put the green stuff in before I owned it? So what should I put in Now?

[AZ-Z71]

I had a blazer the same way. Should have been dexacool but it had green. I bought it off a dealers lot too. (Vehicle was used though) I thought that the dealer did these inspections prior to re-sale. At any rate it was green when I got it. When I opened it one day I found what looked like mud under the cap, and actually there was quite a bit of it. Flushed the system several time and could never get rid of it. So I refilled it with green and traded it back to the same dealer.

 

I heard that if you flush it good you can run green. Obviously the dealer thought the same or just figured let someone else buy the problem instead. I would be very leary in switching it since I have seen first hand the crap that came out of it. Maybe that happened because there was a mixture of green and orange. I don't know but it wasn't pretty.

[orbitron]

Don't ever mix the two types of coolant - if you have a mixed batch in the system have a CHEMICAL flush performed - the chemical breaks down the contaminates that a "normal" drain & refill won't take care of.

 

Personally, I drained out the "red" & put in the "green" (flush the system if you change, though) - Dex-Cool is garbage! - And anybody that "sells" you on the notion that a cooling system service need be performed only every 150,000 miles is a knuckle-head!

[snoman]

Don't ever mix the two types of coolant - if you have a mixed batch in the system have a CHEMICAL flush performed - the chemical breaks down the contaminates that a "normal" drain & refill won't take care of.

 

Personally, I drained out the "red" & put in the "green" (flush the system if you change, though) - Dex-Cool is garbage! - And anybody that "sells" you on the notion that a cooling system service need be performed only every 150,000 miles is a knuckle-head!

This is BS, they are both based on Ethlylene Glycol and are completely compatable the only difference is the coloring and a extra additive or two. You can mix them all day without problem other than maybe a funky red/green color. Where the story might have started is that there is a non posionous coolant out there based on propylene glycol and it should not be mixed with conventional antifreeze.

[orbitron]

Don't ever mix the two types of coolant - if you have a mixed batch in the system have a CHEMICAL flush performed - the chemical breaks down the contaminates that a "normal" drain & refill won't take care of.

 

Personally, I drained out the "red" & put in the "green" (flush the system if you change, though) - Dex-Cool is garbage! - And anybody that "sells" you on the notion that a cooling system service need be performed only every 150,000 miles is a knuckle-head!

This is BS, they are both based on Ethlylene Glycol and are completely compatable the only difference is the coloring and a extra additive or two. You can mix them all day without problem other than maybe a funky red/green color. Where the story might have started is that there is a non posionous coolant out there based on propylene glycol and it should not be mixed with conventional antifreeze.

That's great! - I'm not doubting you prowess or arguing about what I have, or have not read; I am stating things that I see on a regular occurance.

[snoman]

Don't ever mix the two types of coolant - if you have a mixed batch in the system have a CHEMICAL flush performed - the chemical breaks down the contaminates that a "normal" drain & refill won't take care of.

 

Personally, I drained out the "red" & put in the "green" (flush the system if you change, though) - Dex-Cool is garbage! - And anybody that "sells" you on the notion that a cooling system service need be performed only every 150,000 miles is a knuckle-head!

This is BS, they are both based on Ethlylene Glycol and are completely compatable the only difference is the coloring and a extra additive or two. You can mix them all day without problem other than maybe a funky red/green color. Where the story might have started is that there is a non posionous coolant out there based on propylene glycol and it should not be mixed with conventional antifreeze.

That's great! - I'm not doubting you prowess or arguing about what I have, or have not read; I am stating things that I see on a regular occurance.

I was not "attacking " you I just get "testy" with false stories that are taken for the gosphel. Even the makers or Prestone says there is no problem. Dexacool has a litle better protection for aluminum parts in lower mixture ratios in theory (like 50/50) due to addatives but at 60/40 and above it really does not matter. Personally I run between 60/40 and 70/30 in my systems and have zero corrosion problems

[orbitron]

I was not "attacking " you I just get "testy" with false stories that are taken for the gosphel. Even the makers or Prestone says there is no problem. Dexacool has a litle better protection for aluminum parts in lower mixture ratios in theory (like 50/50) due to addatives but at 60/40 and above it really does not matter. Personally I run between 60/40 and 70/30 in my systems and have zero corrosion problems

I stand corrected.