Dexcool

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96_2DRSPORT

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Ok someone told me that dexcool doesnt have to always be used in the hoes????????? i dont believe everything i hear so can someone please tell this guy what the real deal is and he can see my computer so dont hold no punches lol
 

grnrpr68

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if you flush all the dexcool out you need to put regular antifreeze back n thats what i do on almost all my cars i think dexcool is junk dont like it at all just flushed all out and replaced with green fluid you will be just fine
 
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96_2DRSPORT

96_2DRSPORT

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if you flush all the dexcool out you need to put regular antifreeze back n thats what i do on almost all my cars i think dexcool is junk dont like it at all just flushed all out and replaced with green fluid you will be just fine

they said its for gm cars? why u say its junk
 

nimrodcs

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I'm pretty sure that from late '95 to '04 GM put plastic intake manifold gaskets on the 3.4L V6, 4.3L V6, and the 5.7L V8. This supposed 5-year, no maintenance coolant contains a plasticizer. Over time, usually at about 100,000 miles (if driven hard) the intake manifold gaskets will start to deteriorate because of the extra chemicals in the Dex-Cool. Then after that, many bad things can happen. I've seen missfires, stuck valves, overheating, etc., its a nightmare.

Best thing to do is to flush it ALL out, a complete back flush, then install rubber Fel-Pro or equal intake manifold gaskets, and refill with glycol coolant (green)
 
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96_2DRSPORT

96_2DRSPORT

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I'm pretty sure that from late '95 to '04 GM put plastic intake manifold gaskets on the 3.4L V6, 4.3L V6, and the 5.7L V8. This supposed 5-year, no maintenance coolant contains a plasticizer. Over time, usually at about 100,000 miles (if driven hard) the intake manifold gaskets will start to deteriorate because of the extra chemicals in the Dex-Cool. Then after that, many bad things can happen. I've seen missfires, stuck valves, overheating, etc., its a nightmare.

Best thing to do is to flush it ALL out, a complete back flush, then install rubber Fel-Pro or equal intake manifold gaskets, and refill with glycol coolant (green)

damn thats crazy
 

Da90

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I had that recently happen to me and after replacing the gasket about a month later the motor started knocking really bad and now I'm dealing with putting a new motor in my hoe! So if anyone has a Vortec 350 for sale with low miles or rebuilt let me know. This just happed last week and I need to get her back on the road. I just had a shop quote me $2500 for a turn key motor replacement with a 3yr 100k warranty. IDK what hell I'm going to do yet?
 

nimrodcs

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I had that recently happen to me and after replacing the gasket about a month later the motor started knocking really bad and now I'm dealing with putting a new motor in my hoe! So if anyone has a Vortec 350 for sale with low miles or rebuilt let me know. This just happed last week and I need to get her back on the road. I just had a shop quote me $2500 for a turn key motor replacement with a 3yr 100k warranty. IDK what hell I'm going to do yet?


It depends on what is knocking, but you might be able to get away with getting your heads redone and replacing lifters/rockers. Might be a little cheaper. But if its something deeper, a crate motor might be a good investment.
 

haks310

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Yeah, GM ****** up with their Dexcool when they first brought it out and started running it in their vehicles. After some years they discovered the problem and changed the compounds in it. So new Dexcool shouldn't have the same problem, but seeing as how it has left a bad taste in many peoples mouths, they choose to completely flush their engines and replace it with regular old green. I have heard of guys flushing their systems hours after purchasing their vehicle.

I run regular old green. But either way you go, just like anything else, just keep up with the maintenance of your cooling system and you will be fine.
 

bishop

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Dexcool is the worst thing you can put in your vehicle (truck,car,gm,notgm) doesn’t matter. I am a licensed mechanic, I've been working in the same shop for 9 years now and every gm that comes in with dexcool we recommend to the customer to flush it out and put the green stuff in.

GM knows now that dexcool is crap but they have had, and still have so many lawsuits about it and its detrimental effects on gaskets (especially the plastic intake gaskets in the 3.1L 3.4L 4.3L 5.7L and soon it will show up on the 3.9L in the Montana sv6) that if they admit it is crap or stop using it they will have to pay everyone’s bills for there repairs. Since they've been using it since the mid-late 90's it would cost them hundreds of millions if not billions.

Having said all that if you really want to use it I recommend this, keep it clean! If you flush it out and put new dexcool in it every 6 months to a year you shouldn’t have any problems. Dexcool is crap right out of the bottle but in there "5 year extended life" it becomes very corrosive.

Some of our costumers come to us before there warranty is up so for then we flush out the old and replace it with new dexcool so it doesn’t void their warranty.
 

Mattjr79

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i have had all mine changed to regular bc my mechanic told me that dexcool is more acidic that regular and eats away at the internals....so i took his advice
 

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