[nethic]

Seems to be blueish green stuff in there now, was told it was universal, but it specifically states to use 'Dex Cool' ONLY! I got a big bottle of Dex Cool and now I want to know how to swap the coolant out and put the actual stuff that is supposed to be in there. tried google but no results, just people having problems with it leaking etc.

So how do I do it? is there a plug on the bottom of the rad I just unscrew or what?

 

[98Geldog]

I would take it to get a system flush if that's what u want to do. But I would keep the universal in instead of dex

 

[nethic]

Why though?, GM spent millions on researching this stuff, so its got to be better then using universal isn't it ? . And can I do the coolant flush myself?

 

[JohnJJO]

Most of the antifreeze products on the market currently are ethylene glycol base material with additives to prevent corrosion, lubricate seals and water pumps and aid in heat transfer to the coolant from the metal of the engine. Antifreeze should be mixed with distilled water (tap water contains high amounts of minerals such as calcium and iron that can precipitate and coat internal parts) at the ratio of one part antifreeze to one part water. This gives freeze protection down to minus 34 degrees and boil-over protection up to +265 degrees. Never use pure antifreeze in a cooling system without using at least 30 percent water in the mixture. Most antifreeze products sold for the past several years have been the traditional "green" coolant. This type is good for two to three years and up to 30,000 miles. The green antifreeze contains silicates, phosphates and / or borates as corrosion inhibitors to keep the solution alkaline. As long as the solution remains alkaline, corrosion is controlled and the system is protected. Over time, the corrosion inhibitors will be depleted and the corrosion protection is lost. It is for this reason that green antifreeze should be changed every two years or so. Aluminum is especially vulnerable to corrosion and many vehicles have heads, radiators and other aluminum components in the cooling system. If the coolant in an engine cooling system is changed before corrosion inhibitors reach dangerously low levels, corrosion damage is prevented.

An alternative to tradition green antifreeze is a product currently used by many engine manufacturers. "Orange" antifreeze is a long life or extended life type of antifreeze used to increase the useful life of engine coolant. It is ethylene glycol base as is the green antifreeze. The difference between the two colors is that orange antifreeze contains a different type of corrosion inhibitor that has a much longer service life than silicates, phosphates and borates. Orange antifreeze contains organic acids that protect engine parts from corrosion. Silicate (green) type antifreeze does not mix with orange type antifreeze. Never mix the two colors in a cooling system. The organic acids in orange types will cause precipitation of silicates in the green type and corrosion protection is greatly reduced. Orange type antifreezes are good for five years or 100,000/150,000 miles in newer vehicles (1996 and later). They can be used in many older vehicles (ask your vehicle dealer if it is safe to use orange antifreeze) if all of the green mixture is flushed from the system and is replaced with the orange mixture. Useful life is about four years or 60,000 miles in older cars.

 

[nethic]

1:1 even with the orange stuff? , How do I change the coolant myself? is there a plug at the bottom of the front of the car? . So now that I know the difference between both types of coolant, why should I use the universal instead of what GM recommends(Dex-Cool) ( I would prefer to use what GM recommends )

 

[JohnJJO]

read this http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1167917774
remember when gonna star engine turn heat in cabin on max (for some reason he mist that part) cuz in your heat system u have like a quarter of coolant
to completely flush its best to remover water pump, i did on mine when i replaced timing belt, also got new water pump, at this time i had around 135000 miles. was stupid not to replace thermostat (i just tested, it was fine, so i didnt replaced) now im worry about it cuz its 153000 now and original thermostat still there...

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how many miles u have on it
have u ever replaced:
water pump,
thermostat,
timing belt,
oil cooler,
axuality water pump on passenger side?

----------

dex coolant cost as twice mush then universal for the shop
u need to make shur that universal coolant that they put for u is Silicate free
by gm info. coolant should be Silicate free - dex coolant IS, others are not. on universal u have to google it by brand. what brand of universal u have now in it ?

 

[nethic]

I have no idea and its got 185k khm on it the timing belts and plugs where just changed recently

 

[elbrown4183]

What I did to flush the green stuff out of mine was drain it. There is a little stop-cock on the radiator, underneath, drivers side.
Have a hose ready, run the car with it draining into drain pans. Keep the cool water running into the coolant bottle until it drains clear. This will take some time.
When it runs clear, turn the car off and let it all drain out.
Fill it back up with clear water again, and perform one last drain with heater going. At this time you will have nothing but water in the engine.
Again, check that it is running clear. When it is, turn the engine off and let it all drain out.
Close the stop-cock, add your 50/50 Orange Dex-Cool and GM Pellets.
Let it run again, check your coolant levels and you should be good to go.
PLEASE USE EVERY safety precaution. Eye-wear, gloves, rags, wear rugged clothes you do mind getting dirty, etc.
BE CAREFUL!

 

[MoistCabbage]

This thread is over a year old.

The pellets are no longer used or recommended by GM. They tend to clog small coolant passages.

FWIW, there's no reason you HAVE to use DEX, there is no reason you can't switch between the two, and there's no reason they can't be mixed, so long as the bottle of universal (green stuff) says it's mixable.

 

[retho78]

I use universal type from Walmart for the past 6 years or so. It used to have dexcool but was causing all kinds of problems so flushed it out. There's a radiator drain plug on the bottom of the radiator and it's on the driver's side right above the horn location.

 

[MoistCabbage]

DEX does not "cause problems".

"Hey, (insert cooling system problem here), must be that darn DEXCOOL).

The amount of misinformation and myths about coolant is laughable.

 

[elbrown4183]

Cool. If I do not need to use the pellets, I won't. The version 2 service manual said to, so I did.
It is due for another flush anyway which will get done during the summer with the engine pull and rebuild.

Thanks again.
Eric