I was using green cheapo coolant for tens of thousands of miles and I didn’t do a coolant flush for like 60k miles. Didn’t have any problems. Did just have the water pump changed because of the timing belt job though.
I would think that DexCool would be even better. It’s kind of expensive at $12 but my mechanic seems to think it’s worth it. Haven’t had any overheating problems or anything with it and I drive my car very hard.
yea, using “honda” coolant, or else it damages seals in the water pump? sorry… haha myths…
and using dex-cool coolant, “the orange stuff” is bad for engines not made for it, because it creates corrosion, and can eventually clog lines & not let the engine cool properly…
Dex-Cool is crap. There are no 2 ways about it. General Motors is an idiot company for inventing it or using it. The only reason they use it is because they couldn’t seal the intake manifolds on their 2.8, 3.1, 3.4, and 3.8 liter V6 engines and they needed a coolant that wouldn’t destroy the rod bearings when it mixed with the engine oil. If GM knew how to design an engine to begin with, Dex-Cool wouldn’t exist.
Grar, so now I’m looking at flushing out this DexCool crap and just going for some Prestone 50/50 mix or something if it really is as bad as you say it is. I hate working with coolant and coolant hoses so very much. It’s nasty business. I think I might have a talk with my mechanic tomorrow about this DexCool business.
dont just drain and refill… you would need to get it flushed… as in use the machine to drain it out, fill it with water, then fill it with coolant…
Actually, the machine will do less good than a manual flush. A machine will get about 75% of your system flushed. The best way to flush your system is to pull the upper and lower radiator hoses off (upper at the head, lower at the radiator) as well as your heater hoses, then get the hose out. After flushing your whole system with water and letting as much of that drain out as you can, fill it with a good quality coolant (Honda stuff is good, as is the Prestone neon yellow stuff).
I’m really not sure anymore… I had a good talk with my mechanic and he claims DexCool is perfectly acceptable and that he’s been using it in his Nissan 300ZX for years without problems. He claims the cheaper green coolant is acidic and has phosphates that can cause corrosion and that the DexCool stuff won’t cause any corrosion.
This mechanic is really great and I’ve been going to him for many years with great results. I think I’m just going to stay with the DexCool.
EDIT: If you guys have any real evidence of DexCool destroying an Integra or something like that, let me know.
One thing to keep in mind when using Honda, Toyota, DexCool or Long-Life Coolant;
I have read on numerous boards that it is recomended to use distilled water when filling the cooling system. Doesn’t sound like a bad idea, the stuff costs less than 50 cents at the supermarket and if you know what goes into tap water, (chlorine & fluoride) you would agree. If you are interested, read about Chlorine & Fluorine here.
My car had something red in it when I bought it. Now it has the yellow “Mixes with anything” prestone. And yes, I have always used distilled water in any car I cared about.
I just realized earlier today that the DexCool stuff is PURE coolant and I didn’t mix it with any water… OOPS! I’m going to drain out part of the radiator tomorrow morning and refill with distilled water, though the DexCool just says to use tap water. Distilled water sounds like a better plan.
EDIT: I feel like an idiot. But I was used to just using the 50/50 formulations that I didn’t think that what I was now using was pure coolant.
he’s been using it in his Nissan 300ZX
Proof right there that your mechanic is an idiot.
you definitly want to run a 50/50 mix. however for anyone going from green to red or vise versa. MAKE SURE YOU COMPLETE FLUSH!! Mixing the two can actually cause the coolants to coagulate which is gonna cause you all sorts of problems.
How does the fact that he drives a 300ZX make him an idiot?
I’ve known this guy for years and I’ve seen him do a lot of incredible work and come up with some great hacks in some cases.
You haven’t presented any actual evidence of DexCool being bad for our engines. All I’ve been given is hearsay, not even any anecdotal evidence, which isn’t real evidence.
However, DexCool claims to be free of many corrosive chemicals found in common antifreeze and specifically claims that it will not cause corrosion. HMMMM… And I know someone who’s used it for years in a non-GM vehicle without a problem.
There’s other variables too – water is usually the primary culprit which causes corrosion.
On a side note, I just fixed my coolant system by draining out a bunch of coolant and replacing it with distilled water. I’m not sure I have an exact 50/50 mix but I did do some math with the radiator capacity and the amount of fluid I had drained from it. What complicates it is that originally the mechanic put in 50/50 mix, then I changed some coolant hoses, lost a ton of coolant, and replaced it with pure coolant instead of mix, not being aware that I was using unmixed fluid. I think it’s pretty close. I haven’t had any overheating problems or anything.
How does the fact that he drives a 300ZX make him an idiot?
Try working on one (or several, in my case) and then tell me that, as a mechanic, it is smart to own one.
You haven’t presented any actual evidence of DexCool being bad for our engines. All I’ve been given is hearsay, not even any anecdotal evidence, which isn’t real evidence.
I guess you’ve never seen cooling lines clog up from the buildup left from Dex-Cool. That wouldn’t present much of a problem as long as it’s not the cooling lines to the IAC.
here’s what i found…
so, i dont know… i havent been able to find any “oh crap my water pump broke because i use dex-cool” or anything yet…
but, it came with the green stuff, so keep using the green stuff…
I’m not saying Dex-Cool is corrosive. What I am saying is that if you leave it in your system for 5 years you will find orange buildup on the sides of many of your cooling lines (especially where the edges don’t meet perfectly between mating surfaces). I’ve used the Prestone neon-yellow stuff for 4 years now and I’ve never had a problem with it. The thing I’ve been told about green coolant is this: The better it tastes, the better it is for your car. I’m not about to go taste every brand of green shit on the market, so I guess you guys are on your own for that. 