Topic: Orange Coolant
in Forum: C3 Cooling and Heating Systems
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I found this very interesting. recently my sons 98 camaro was losing antifreeze. no leaks, nothing on the ground. I took it to a service station
and the mechanic said the intake manifold gasket was ng, and it was a common problem on these cars, gm used inferior gaskets, the radiator also had that red mud in it. We had the gasket replaced and the dexcool antifreeze. about a month later the engine blew, it had about 117,00 miles. the mechanic said antifreeze probably got into the engine. We had the engine replaced with a remanufactured engine from jasper engines, and put the dexcool back in. Was the dex what caused the gasket to go,or what the mechanic said about tjhe inferior gaskets true. I'm wondering should we flush this crap out and replace it with prestone. Prestone makes a coolant that replaces the dex or should I replaced it with regular antifreeze.
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Lifetime Member[QUOTE=79FOREVER]
My camaro, the wifes car ,always call for distilled. So the best thing is for me to do a flush w/ the mix correct, not just clear water? What brand coolant do you recommend?
[/QUOTE]You just need water to flush out old A.F. Then try to get out as much water as you can so you can get proper mix. You can pull lower hose and let it drain. You can also blow out the water with air, but you have to be careful not to use too much pressure.
[QUOTE=tonyb47]I found this very interesting. recently my sons 98 camaro was losing antifreeze. no leaks, nothing on the ground. I took it to a service station
and the mechanic said the intake manifold gasket was ng, and it was a common problem on these cars, gm used inferior gaskets, the radiator also had that red mud in it. We had the gasket replaced and the dexcool antifreeze. about a month later the engine blew, it had about 117,00 miles. the mechanic said antifreeze probably got into the engine. We had the engine replaced with a remanufactured engine from jasper engines, and put the dexcool back in. Was the dex what caused the gasket to go,or what the mechanic said about tjhe inferior gaskets true. I'm wondering should we flush this crap out and replace it with prestone. Prestone makes a coolant that replaces the dex or should I replaced it with regular antifreeze.
[/QUOTE]
Hey Tony. Your mechanic is right. In certain motors Dexcool turns to sludge and attacks the gaskets. Yes GM used an intake gasket that was inferior when using Dex. The aftermarket gaskets are made of a different material. I am still baffled why this is only true with some motors and not others. The Vortec 4.3 and the 3.8 are the ones I see the most. By all means get the Dex out and replace with Green. Most green antifreeze comes from the same boat, however its not bad to stick with the big 3, Preston, Peak, Zerex. The drop in replacements are suppose to be compatible, I haven't seen problems contradicting that. I do use Peak long life in newer cars after the Dex has been flushed.
Another interesting site.
Already pulled all the hoses when I pulled the water pump. I will put back together, fill and flush in my garage. Will push as much as possible out with air also. Will refill w/ green and flush again in about 6 months just to make sure I got most of that stuff out. The only green stuff Advance Auto had was Peak brand. Most stores are stocking alot of the extended life stuff. Thanks again Terry for all our adivce.
Joe
I have always preferred Red Cool-Aid or Choo Choo Cherry Funny Face. 
Aaron1976 2008-08-13 12:03:54
Aaron 
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[QUOTE=Aaron1976]I have always preferred Red Cool-Aid or Choo Choo Cherry Funny Face. [/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]
Not a bad idea Aaron. Reminds me of the time I got an old beater in here that was overheating. Well we flushed out some mud and crap like I ain't never seen before, and man did it stink. I asked what he put in there. Well, he told me that a guy told him you can stop a leak with raw eggs. Dint work so's I tried oatmeal.Still leaken and a bubba told me to try pepper. So's I put in, get this, a pound of pepper!! Well, I says ya know that's not a bad thing cause iffin the stuff don't stop the leak y'all kin sit long side da road drain the lower hose n have breakfast.
Throw in a lil Choo Choo Cherry Funny face, n ya got da drink ta go wid it.
Wow after buying all that food stuff he could have saved money by buying some radiator stop leak at the auto parts strore.
Aaron
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Hey my7t1, prestone makes a antifreeze thats compatible with gm cars should I replace the coolant with the standard prestone, or their version of dexcool
[QUOTE=tonyb47]
Hey my7t1, prestone makes a antifreeze thats compatible with gm cars should I replace the coolant with the standard prestone, or their version of dexcool
[/QUOTE]Hey Tony. Yes there is an antifreeze compatible with Dex & other colored coolant. The only time I us it is to add to a system that I'm not sure whats in it. If your flushing out all the Dex, personally I would replace with just regular green. Now keep in mind that rust inhibitors are "a preventive" against corrosion. Once the damage has been done, there's not much you can do to get all the sludge out. If you replaced the motor, its probably not to late to get the inhibitors working,. because the system should be fairly clean. Hope this helps. Terry
Yes, thanks for the info. We also have a new radiator, because the mechanic suggested a new radiator because of the sludge. That orange crap really makes a mess
in Forum: C3 Cooling and Heating Systems
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