Coolant changed colors on me?

[JDeere7296]

First of all is Dexcool supposed to be red or orange? Second I had gotten my truck repaired at a local body shop and they had to replace the coolant. The fluid they put back in was red. I was told that dexcool was orange. Was that the wrong fluid they put in?

I looked inside of the bumper jug today and there is a brownish substance on the inside of the jug and the fluid apprears to be a reddish brown now. Do I need to flush the system and replace with new fluid? Thanks again for the help.

[Guest 007FL]

Sounds like they left a lot of air in the system. Air changes Dex to brown.

 

Make them redo it.

[JDeere7296]

I called them, but they said I would have to pay to have it flushed and replaced. The initial repairs were because someone backed into my truck and since the other partys ins. co. paid the shop said that I would have to contact other ins. and have them reopen claim to have them pay for it. I told him he was full of crap and left. So I guess I will do it myself, I will do it right anyway, I am not too sure about them.

[dukbludvl]

the dexcool that came with my 2000 yukon was pink. it's still pink today.

[sonjaab]

JD...............Was your radiator damaged in any way?

 

Check your trans. fluid.................If it is foamy or milky it

sounds like the internal radiator tranny cooler is leaking or

may be damaged letting the coolant and trans. fluid mix

together..............................geo

[JDeere7296]

Yeah, when my truck was hit it damaged my trans. cooler and radiator and had to be replaced. I've check trans. fluid freqently and it does not look cloudy.

The coolant itself is a light reddish brown and as I looked inside of the overfill jug, the sides were coated with what looks like a brown mildew looking substance. I am wondering if the interior of the coolant system also has this stuff in it. If it does I should probably clean it out right?

[Jasonsupafly]

Its orange.....The guy from whatever body shop you used BLOWS........Now really how much would it of cost him to flush your system again......I guarantee you he didnt come up short changed on an insurance claim...He could of done this for you....

[JRW68]

Did you ever check the coolant before or recently befor the damage occured? Ive seen alot of dexcool vehicles come into my father's shop with clogged heater cores because it slugges (looks like mud) up after a while. This may have been like this before the accident.

 

Either way, Ide have it flushed one way or another. The "sludge" rarely becomes very solid, more clay-like and can ussually flushed out of a system fairly well.

[Raymond Lowe]

Orange = Dex-cool, Organic Acid Techonology

 

Orange-Red = Similiar OAT base as Dexcool but with a Nitrite package added for HD diesel engines. AKA Extended-Life Coolant or ELC

 

Pink (or more correctly - Fuschia) = low-silicate ethylene glycol antifreeze with an additive package (Supplemental Coolant Additive or SCA) for HD diesel engines. Sometimes referred to as pre-formulated antifreeze.

 

Green = conventional antifreeze, most common in a low-silicate "universal" formulation.

 

Brown - probably a result of topping up your Dexcool equipped GM with green universal antifreeze.

[RyanZ71]

YOUR ALL COLOR BLIND! It's BLUE!!!!

[JRW68]

Brown - probably a result of topping up your Dexcool equipped GM with green universal antifreeze.

 

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I can certainly understand that this happens alot. BUT, I have seen vehicles that had the dexcool start to sludge up and NEVER be topped off. My step-fathers truck is one example. He bought it in 99 and although very thorough with maintenance never directly checked the coolant. He always looked at the semi-transperant bottle to make sure its full... afterall, he owned a 1979 truck that he put over 200,000 miles on without dooring any major repairs, mechanically.

 

One day I was at the house while he changed the oil and after dealing with it at work on work vehicles and seeing my father flush the "brown" out of many customers vehicles.. I checked it, sure enough.. it was starting to go, the tank was covered in a thin but dark layer of the claylike brown. I asked him if he ever checked it visually and he said no, never had the cap off. He isn't one to lie or cover up a mistake either.

[tryn2lrn]

I have had 3 late 90s GM vehicles and they all turned to brown sludge in the cooling systems. The dealer serviced and flushed and replaced heater cores and radiators numerous times but always to the same result. You know it's bad when you start to hear the gurgling in the dash. GM even replaced the filler tank, heater core and radiator out of warranty on hers before we traded it last time. That was the 5th time in 70k that it was serviced for coolant sludge. I am hoping the new system holds up better

[snoman]

I found long long ago that if you run very high percentages of antifreeze in coolant (60 to 70%) you will not have these problems. I have a few old tractors than I "play" with and use for variuos tasks and radiators for them are scarce and expensive and I have used 70% or so mixture in them for over 20 years and the cores look the same today as they did 20 years ago. My 89 burb has not had a complete flush for nearly 10 years now and they is zero rust stain in overflow and cap is clean and so are tanks and it to has 70% antifreeze in it. You might argue that it has a bit less cooling capacity than water but it has been thru nebraska, arizona and south eastern CO when it was 105 or so a few times and it never even got above 210 and even then it only hit 210 in traffic with A/C on. I even run a 9 PSI cap to reduce strain on cooling system and have since it was new and been up pikes peak 3 times with no problems.

[JRW68]

I personally attribute it to the dexcool.. Ive seen even cheap green antifreeze sit for years in both unused and used motors and never have a problem. Im not saying dexcool is bad, I just think it needs to be flushed and checked more often. Just my thought.

[snoman]

I personally attribute it to the dexcool.. Ive seen even cheap green antifreeze sit for years in both unused and used motors and never have a problem.  Im not saying dexcool is bad, I just think it needs to be flushed and checked more often.  Just my thought.

 

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Dexicool has had issues but I have had a 70% consentration on one truck for nearly 6 years now and no sign of rust or sludge anywhere and it has never been changed either.