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Dex - Cool

firerage101

By firerage101
in Ask A GM Technician

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firerage101 Enthusiast

firerage101

Posted
Posted

K this may have been asked before and if so im sorry, i asked the dealer to change my coolant 20,000 on it. They basically laughed and said why? Im under the impression this stuff gets accidic and needs to be changed or it will eat the intake gasket. I also asked if they used distilled water they said you dont need to this is against everything else i've heaerd any opinions?

lrymal Senior Enthusiast

lrymal

Posted
Posted

Please, let's don't bring up the Deathcool vs. green stuff argument again. Go back and read the pages upon pages upon pages of debates in the past. Just make sure the coolant level never gets low, allowing air to mix in caused by the auxilary coolant tank going "dry" when the engine is cold. You don't want to mix air in the coolant.

 

However, I will wade in on the distilled water part. Distilled water definitely a "yes". Different parts of the county will have their own particular mineral content in the tap water. Here near the coast, salt is a major problem, for example.

 

Finally, you can get a pre-mix from the automotive store---water and coolant already mixed, handy for when you need to top off the coolant tank.

firerage101 Enthusiast

firerage101

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Please, let's don't bring up the Deathcool vs. green stuff argument again.  Go back and read the pages upon pages upon pages of debates in the past. Just make sure the coolant level never gets low, allowing air to mix in caused by the auxilary coolant tank going "dry" when the engine is cold. You don't want to mix air in the coolant.

 

However, I will wade in on the distilled water part. Distilled water definitely a "yes". Different parts of the county will have their own particular mineral content in the tap water. Here near the coast, salt is a major problem, for example.

 

Finally, you can get a pre-mix from the automotive store---water and coolant already mixed, handy for when you need to top off the coolant tank.

 

 

 

 

I will do so, just worried about intake gasket it being eaten and i cant switch to green stuff till the warranty expires :banghead:

GM-Tech Senior Enthusiast

GM-Tech

Posted
Posted

Yes, I agree, lets not start this. I've been in more dex-cool debates than I care to remember.

 

Bottom line... we'll never convince the doubters or them the believers so any discussion is an exercise in futility.

firerage101 Enthusiast

firerage101

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Yes, I agree, lets not start this.  I've been in more dex-cool debates than I care to remember. 

 

Bottom line... we'll never convince the doubters or them the believers so any discussion is an exercise in futility.

 

 

 

 

 

All i want to know if it will eat my intake gasket :confused:

lrymal Senior Enthusiast

lrymal

Posted
Posted
...All i want to know if it will eat my intake gasket :confused:

 

 

 

If it is a late model truck, say 2003 and up, and even a few years earlier, and if you don't let air mix in with the coolant by having the coolant level get too low in the fender-mount tank, then your Dexcool will easily last 100,000 miles. It won't eat your gaskets.

 

If you buy pre-mix that was mentioned earlier, and top it off with pre-mix, you'll solve the issue of having a proper mixture of distilled water and antifreeze, plus it will be in a convenient container.

 

Check your levels, top it off and you'll be fine.

firerage101 Enthusiast

firerage101

Posted
  • Author
Posted
...All i want to know if it will eat my intake gasket :confused:

 

 

 

If it is a late model truck, say 2003 and up, and even a few years earlier, and if you don't let air mix in with the coolant by having the coolant level get too low in the fender-mount tank, then your Dexcool will easily last 100,000 miles. It won't eat your gaskets.

 

If you buy pre-mix that was mentioned earlier, and top it off with pre-mix, you'll solve the issue of having a proper mixture of distilled water and antifreeze, plus it will be in a convenient container.

 

Check your levels, top it off and you'll be fine.

 

 

 

 

 

Thats all i needed to know thnak you very much, :cry:

Mr. Smith Enthusiast

Mr. Smith

Posted
Posted
All i want to know if it will eat my intake gasket :confused:

 

 

 

 

No, contrary to what anyone may say, it does not eat gaskets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exactly, folks are quick to blame the coolant and not the aluminum intake and cast iron heads. They do walk with heating and cooling cycles. Gaskets will fail eventually. If Dex was the problem then why doesn't the water pump gaskets fail?

 

Of course I'm talking on the OBS vortec engines. :cry:

firerage101 Enthusiast

firerage101

Posted
  • Author
Posted
All i want to know if it will eat my intake gasket :confused:

 

 

 

 

No, contrary to what anyone may say, it does not eat gaskets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exactly, folks are quick to blame the coolant and not the aluminum intake and cast iron heads. They do walk with heating and cooling cycles. Gaskets will fail eventually. If Dex was the problem then why doesn't the water pump gaskets fail?

 

Of course I'm talking on the OBS vortec engines. :cry:

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those of us with the alumminum blocks do we have alumminum heads to?

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