dex-cool?

NeXuS1 · July 29, 2001

wasnt totally sure where this should go.. so....

anyways.

my dad's 2500 has a sticker that says use only dex-cool. and he was wondering if he can get some this anti-freeze stuff at like a pep boys or does he have to go to the GM dealer to get it?

Jpshostr · July 29, 2001

As far as I know that is only available at a GM dealer. I could be wrong though.

Frank S · July 29, 2001

I'm pretty sure it is only available at the dealerships.

If you decide to go with another antifreeze such as Prestone or Zerex,make sure that you have drained ALLof the Dexcool out of the system first because the new antifreeze will not mix with the Dexcool and it will cause serious problems with your cooling system.

NeXuS1 · July 29, 2001

my dad found some stuff that says "Dex-cool GM approved" on it at some store i would assume then that should work with the existing stuff

76BBSub · July 30, 2001

Texaco is the original manufacturer of DexCool, so their stuff at the store is the "real deal". BUT, if the others say DexCool compatible you should be OK, just don't put regular ethylene glycol antifreeze in with the DexCool. They will mix, but you'll lose your 5-year change interval advantage.

Jeff

NeXuS1 · July 30, 2001

its the texaco stuff

illmac77 · July 30, 2001

the dex-cool can be bought at usually any pep boys, discout auto and so on just make sure it says *GM* approved i had to change out mine when i put my 160 degree stat in . i havent had any probs.

GMNewProductInfoCenter · September 25, 2001

Dex-Cool can be used in a older model vehicle but we reccomend to flush the cooling system twice and add a 50/50 mix of Dex-Cool and clean, drinkable water. If the orange and the green antifreezes mix a chemical reaction will occour and the anti-freeze will "gel" up and ruin your cooling system.

NeXuS1 · September 25, 2001

we took care of it a while ago. found some GM approved stuff.

Eric Bryant · January 13, 2002

I'd skip the "clean, drinkable water" and go straight to the distilled water. Using tap water in a cooling system is usually a bad idea, but Dex-Cool seems especially sensitive to mineral content. A gallon of distilled water can be had for $0.50 at Wal-Mart, so it's cheap insurance.

Import Hater · January 13, 2002

If the orange and the green antifreezes mix a chemical reaction will occour and the anti-freeze will "gel" up and ruin your cooling system.

Oh boy. I've seen that, and it ain't pretty. From so many of those quick oil change places topping off coolant resevoirs with the glycol stuff, and then by the time something fails, usually the water pump...the whole system just looks awful.

Rob

TeamGreen · January 14, 2002

Is tap water really that bad for your cooling system? I doubt when you have work done on your truck at a garage or something they don't use the best of water.

Eric Bryant · January 14, 2002

Yea, tap water is that bad for your cooling system, especially if you're using Dex-Cool. You don't want to add extra minerals to your cooling system in the first place (especially if there's any aluminum components), and Dex-Cool is especially sensitive to contamination.

I'd avoid tap water at any cost. I'm sure the dealers use it, which is probably why there's such a high rate-of-returns on clogged heater cores.