Hi everyone. It's time to change the coolant in my car but I am very confused about which one to use. I have an '03 which has, according to reports, a not so good intake manifold gasket. Is it safe to put DexCool back in or should I switch to the other coolant? I have searched the forums and I still don't know what's best for my car.

 

I called Chevy Customer Service regarding what to do about it. They "Officially" advised me to keep the DexCool. I wanted to be sure I had them "On the Record" so the very nice young man at Chevy Customer Service gave me a "Case Number" to site if I should have a problem after being told to stay with the Dex.

Since it's an 800 Number ... youi might as well make the call too. Having the Case Number with a Chevy advisor's recommendation would go a long way toward getting the gasket fixed if the DexCool eats it alive.

 

Thanks Rick, I'll do that!

 

Thanks. I've been wondering the same thing myself.

 

Okay check this website: www.dexcoolsettlement.com. I would NOT advise using DexCool. The chemicals in the DexCool that makes it a long life coolant (150,000 miles) reacts with the neoprine in gaskets. I had 305,000 miles on my '89 Buick LeSabre 3800 with no problems and 142,000 on my '99 Z34 with a 3800 when I had to replace upper and lower intake gaskets. Rick, I'm not saying that the customer service rep was wrong for suggesting that you stick with DexCool, I'm just giving insight from experience. )

 

i replaced my dexcool

 

Well, tomorrow is the day that I replace DexCool with reg coolant!

 

I used the green stuff and a year later I'm still doing fine. Make shure you flush it well. I noticed some brownish red slime which I am guessing is Dexcool residue. 2002 Monte w/135K.

 

Dex Cool gunks up like crazy.

 

There is alot of different coolants out there these days. We sell and service large diesel generator sets up to 3000HP. Caterpillar started to use a red coolant (Cat Extended Life Coolant) about six years ago. Right off the bat we started seeing seals, hoses and gaskets fail because of this coolant. In addition it is very corrosive to any aluminum parts it comes in contact with.

Cummins on the other hand uses a propylene based gycol. This is the best stuff out there on the market and I have never seen any failure because of this type of gylcol. It is as clear as water and it won't cause corrosion. It is also safe to handle and it does not hurt animals to drink it etc.

I still use etholyne gycol only because the propolyne glycol is about three times higher in price. Many people that use etholyne glycol mix it to strong. The stronger it is, the more it will cause corrosion. Fortunantly glycol producers solved some of these problems years back by selling it as a pre-mix.

I test mine once a year for acidity and specific gravity. If it passes these tests then the fluid is fine.