C5 & Dex-Cool
Discussion
An adjacent item to the C5 engine temp thing, but I thought I would post it separately as it is for interest only.
Popped into my very local Chevy dealer today on the basis I might need to top up the coolant and did he have DexCool. Very helpful, I guess a Vette brings more interest to the day than a Daewoo! Started by noting the differnece between US spec and Euro spec on these things. I noted that my car was a UK spec car so conversation veered towards could well be ableto help. Euro spec GM coolant has for the last 2years been red/pinky colour. He thought DexCool might be blue. What did I have? No idea! So out we went and looked and yes I have pinky stuff. On presumption that the UK Vette warranty dealers of a few years back were using the right stuff then it was looking good. Called Keith B who didnt know colour of Cool Dex, might be green and yes would have some in a couple of weeks. So my purchse of some pinky stuff is looking good. although checking this afternoon suggests I dont need a top up. Difficult to tell, the exterior of the resevoir needs a good clean to be absoulutley sure of where the level is.
Popped into my very local Chevy dealer today on the basis I might need to top up the coolant and did he have DexCool. Very helpful, I guess a Vette brings more interest to the day than a Daewoo! Started by noting the differnece between US spec and Euro spec on these things. I noted that my car was a UK spec car so conversation veered towards could well be ableto help. Euro spec GM coolant has for the last 2years been red/pinky colour. He thought DexCool might be blue. What did I have? No idea! So out we went and looked and yes I have pinky stuff. On presumption that the UK Vette warranty dealers of a few years back were using the right stuff then it was looking good. Called Keith B who didnt know colour of Cool Dex, might be green and yes would have some in a couple of weeks. So my purchse of some pinky stuff is looking good. although checking this afternoon suggests I dont need a top up. Difficult to tell, the exterior of the resevoir needs a good clean to be absoulutley sure of where the level is.
the dexcool i have is orange and not as pink as the vauxhall stuff but i would love to know if the vauxhall one is compatible/equivalent to dexcool as the prestone stuff i brought for the camaro cost a fortune and i need to do the vette this year. When i spoke to the local monaro dealing vauxhall place the had no idea what i was talking about with dexcool but then when i asked about the monaro they thought i meant the van so hey ho.
Ps the viper takes the green which is the three year stuff and from what i understand you should never put one in a system that has used the other as they are totally incompatible and you end up with a gel blocking all the cooling paths.
Ps the viper takes the green which is the three year stuff and from what i understand you should never put one in a system that has used the other as they are totally incompatible and you end up with a gel blocking all the cooling paths.
Edited by viperdave on Tuesday 4th July 22:04
LuS1fer said:
Dexcool is orange but could be construed as pinky dependent on your colour vision. Try ringing Bauer Millett who I think still sell it and ask about the spec.
Checked Richard's coolant last night and it certainly aint orange. It is somewhere on the spectrum between red and pink.
OK I am going to ask a potentially really dumb question now. The GM manuals uses the word coolant in relation to Dex-Cool. The wording used indicates it is there to enhance cooling. The UK GM product is anti-freeze which I alwyas thought was there to stop the water freezing, something to do with the name I guess. Are we talking different product types here or is just a language difference on the oppoite sides of the Pond? EG why isnt it called Dex-Freeze? Richard checked his build sheet last night for a Dex-Cool delete but nothing found. Perhaps the USA fill with Dex-Cool and then the European centre repalces it with EU spec coolant/anti-freeze on arrival??
viperdave said:
...snip
Ps the viper takes the green which is the three year stuff and from what i understand you should never put one in a system that has used the other as they are totally incompatible and you end up with a gel blocking all the cooling paths.
Ps the viper takes the green which is the three year stuff and from what i understand you should never put one in a system that has used the other as they are totally incompatible and you end up with a gel blocking all the cooling paths.
Edited by viperdave on Tuesday 4th July 22:04
Yup that is my understanding too, although not sure of the consequences; the GM workshop manual talks about corrosion rather than blockage. Richard, have you still got your GM Europe contact? I fancy firing of an email on this one.
My German-supplied '98 Z28 used Dex-Cool. It was specifically recommended for the all-alloy LS1 and they were very squiffy about using anything else. It was also used by UK dealers when they sold them here as I know someone who bought off all the old stock when the dealer closed down the franchise.
Edited by LuS1fer on Wednesday 5th July 10:14
Right, some explanations/advice:
By experience, mixing the two does make a nasty pink jelly like goo (I did this in my MX5, and later drained three local reservoirs flushing it out...) - so if you do change, make sure you throroughly flush the system of the old coolant.
Dexcool is just antifreeze, as are all of what we all get these day (blue or pink). The newer stuff has a longer service life, but they all do three things:
1) Reduce the freezing point of the coolant, so it doesn't freeze, expand and crack the cast bits of your engine (before anyone says, it is a peculiarity of water that it does actually expand as it freezes)
2) Raise the boiling point of the coolant (sometimes referred to as 'summer coolant') in addition to the raise in boiling temperature afforded by having a pressurised system (boiling point of the cooling system is in excess of 110 degrees C)
3) Corrosion inhibition in the coolant system. Made even worse these days by the extensive use of a mixture of metals in the cooling system, such as steel, cast iron, aluminium, and sometimes copper and brass too. All this electrolytic action needs something chemical to keep it in check.
Hope this helps
Francis.
By experience, mixing the two does make a nasty pink jelly like goo (I did this in my MX5, and later drained three local reservoirs flushing it out...) - so if you do change, make sure you throroughly flush the system of the old coolant.
Dexcool is just antifreeze, as are all of what we all get these day (blue or pink). The newer stuff has a longer service life, but they all do three things:
1) Reduce the freezing point of the coolant, so it doesn't freeze, expand and crack the cast bits of your engine (before anyone says, it is a peculiarity of water that it does actually expand as it freezes)
2) Raise the boiling point of the coolant (sometimes referred to as 'summer coolant') in addition to the raise in boiling temperature afforded by having a pressurised system (boiling point of the cooling system is in excess of 110 degrees C)
3) Corrosion inhibition in the coolant system. Made even worse these days by the extensive use of a mixture of metals in the cooling system, such as steel, cast iron, aluminium, and sometimes copper and brass too. All this electrolytic action needs something chemical to keep it in check.
Hope this helps
Francis.
LuS1fer said:
My German-supplied '98 Z28 used Dex-Cool. It was specifically recommended for the all-alloy LS1 and they were very squiffy about using anything else. It was also used by UK dealers when they sold them here as I know someone who bought off all the old stock when the dealer closed down the franchise.
Edited by LuS1fer on Wednesday 5th July 10:14
Sorry to be a pain, so what colour was it? My C5 was UK spec bought new by me and maintained under warranty by Frosts in Shoreham. My coolant is red/pinky. Richards Euro spec C5 bought new in Germany also has red/pinky coolant. The strong suggestion here is that these guys would have used DexCool but another post says DexCool is orange.
Definitely dexcool as factory fill in our euro 02 c5 and camaro. looks orange but the lighting on the pics isn't that great, something to do with the time of day i suspect.
The question remains though is the vauxhall stuff the same but with a different dye IIRC they are both OAT 5 year coolants and prestone are the only ones other than GM allowed to use the dexcool licence which may explain why you never see it over here.
The question remains though is the vauxhall stuff the same but with a different dye IIRC they are both OAT 5 year coolants and prestone are the only ones other than GM allowed to use the dexcool licence which may explain why you never see it over here.
LuS1fer said:
My German-supplied '98 Z28 used Dex-Cool. It was specifically recommended for the all-alloy LS1 and they were very squiffy about using anything else. It was also used by UK dealers when they sold them here as I know someone who bought off all the old stock when the dealer closed down the franchise.
Edited by LuS1fer on Wednesday 5th July 10:14
Sorry to be a pain, so what colour was it? My C5 was UK spec bought new by me and maintained under warranty by Frosts in Shoreham. My coolant is red/pinky. Richards Euro spec C5 bought new in Germany also has red/pinky coolant. The strong suggestion here is that these guys would have used DexCool but another post says DexCool is orange.
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