coolant question

[Kevin]

OK I screwed up but to what extent is up for grabs. I took my car to the local dealer for inspection and had them flush the rad while it was there since I wasn't thinking. My question is this, is the stuff they put it, it's green, the right stuff or do I need to flush the rad again and hope that no damage was done to my car? I should have known better then to take my car to this dealer, the last time it was there they washed down the motor and sprayed it with orange clean then claimed that no damage would be done because of it. If I told you who it was you guys wouldn't believe it.

[WB9MCW]

Green is good Kev -

It was the orange/red that was the problem I think.

It made the head gasket fail

It had to do with what made up the antifreeze -- some did not have the right stuff (silcone?) in the mix.

Let's see what the others say!

[Kevin]

Green is good Kev -

It was the orange/red that was the problem I think.

It made the head gasket fail




this is what I was worried about

[Aurora40]

Do you have an invoice? Check the part # for the coolant. You never know though, they could have bypassed the GM stuff and used universal coolant, which can be green in color. Not all dealership service departments use GM parts exclusively.

If you are in doubt, swap it out. Or call them and confirm what they used. If they really flushed it with a flush machine, I'd wonder what the machine was full of. I doubt they have a separate one for old silicated coolant cars.

[Kevin]

what is the right part number, does anyone have it handy? I've gota find the invoice I know it's here somewhere

[WB9MCW]

COOLING SYSTEM SERVICE
Drain, flush and refill system with new coolant as follows:



A. When engine and radiator are cool, remove pressure cap on coolant fill reservoir located at the right rear of the engine compartment by:



- slowly rotating cap counterclockwise to detent. (Do not press down while rotating)

- wait until any residual pressure (indicated by a hissing sound) is relieved.

- after all hissing ceases, press down on cap while continuing to rotate counterclockwise.



B. Open radiator draincock to drain coolant.



C. Close draincock and add sufficient water to fill system.



D. Run engine, drain and refill the system, as described in steps 1, 2 and 3, a sufficient number of times until the drained liquid is nearly colorless.



E. Allow the system to drain completely and then close radiator draincock tightly.



F. Remove and clean coolant recovery reservoir located at the right front of the engine compartment. Reinstall reservoir.



G. Add a 50-50 mixture of water and ethylene glycol antifreeze that meets GM specification 1825-M. Fill high fill reservoir to the base of the filler neck and add sufficient coolant to the recovery reservoir to raise level to the full "COLD" mark on dipstick. Reinstall recovery reservoir cap.



H. Run engine, with pressure cap removed, until normal operating temperature is reached; radiator upper hose becomes hot.



I. With engine idling add coolant until level reaches bottom of high fill reservoir filler neck.



J. Do not use pellets in LT5 cooling system.



K. Install pressure cap, making sure arrows line up with the overflow tube.



L. Check level in recovery reservoir and add coolant to full "HOT" mark on dipstick.

[WB9MCW]

Filling the LT5 With Coolant
Marc Haibeck
Sometimes even a simple thing like refilling the engine with coolant can become a huge problem. I have found that about half of the time, there can be some difficulty refilling the engine if over three quarts of coolant are removed for service. This is a serious situation because the engine can become very hot although the temperature gauge shows that the engine is somewhat cool. This is because the coolant sensor cannot measure the overall temperature of the engine if coolant does not flow past the sensor.
The engine holds about 15 quarts of coolant. This includes the heater and the black surge tank. It does not include the overflow reservoir under the right headlamp. In general it is a good practice to collect and measure the coolant that is removed from the engine. This way the refilling can be monitored and one will know if there is a going to be difficulty before the engine is started. As the coolant is poured in, the air vent tube located just below the filler cap should bubble with air as the engine fills. Install the cap, start the engine, and within a few seconds remove the cap and add coolant until the surge tank is full. The air vent should be streaming coolant. A complete refill is about 14 quarts. The remaining quart is then added to the overflow reservoir and then the engine will draw in the final amount that it needs on the next cool-down cycle. If this happens, you should be thankful for having a lucky day.
If the engine accepts only 12 quarts or less, this is usually the first sign of a refilling problem. If the air vent tube does not bubble as the coolant is added, this is another sign that you are heading for trouble. Install the cap, start the engine, and within a few seconds remove the cap and add coolant until the surge tank is full. If the air vent tube is not steaming coolant when the engine is running, the system is air locked. This can be very stressful for the engine. At the same time, one can observe that the temperature gauge is not moving. It can also be observed that the left camshaft cover is becoming very hot, often over 125 degrees, too hot to touch, but the left water manifold tube going to the radiator is nearly cold. This is why the temperature gauge is reading low, there is no coolant flow. The engine block is building heat quickly, and there is no coolant flow. The engine should not be allowed to run for over three minutes with this condition present.
In this situation, it will often be found that the engine is filled to the top of the injector housings. This can be verified by removing a throttle body coolant hose and coolant will be found at the fitting. How can the engine be filled to the top, but two or more quarts of coolant are missing from the fill? The problem is that there is an air bubble in the engine. Where? The tip-off is the fact that coolant is not flowing from the vent tube. The problem is that the water pump is air locked. Then the pump cannot move the coolant.
In the past, I have used a procedure that I wrote about in the October ’05 issue of the newsletter. I have found that it sometimes helps, but some engine still won’t completely fill with my previous procedure.
I have found a new method that has never failed to fill an engine. The solution is simple; lift the right side of the car to allow the air to rise up to and flow out of the right side of the engine.
When the height of the right side of the car reaches the critical point, the air vent tube will begin to bubble and the engine will accept more coolant. Place the car back in the level position. Install the cap, start the engine, and within a few seconds remove the cap You will be glad to see that the vent tube is streaming coolant. This means that the pump is circulating the coolant. Add coolant until the surge tank is full. Install the cap. Fill the overflow reservoir about three-quarters full. On the next cool down, the last quart will be drawn into the engine.

PDF Here >> http://www.zr1specialist.com/HAT%20Web/articles/filling%20coolant.htm

[WB9MCW]

big thread on the antifreeze

>>> http://www.zr1netregistry.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3213&highlight=antifreeze

[tomtom72]

p/n 12378560 is the GM # , but that was a looong while ago.

:cheers:
Tom

just ran it thru GMpartsdirect.com, and that seems to be a valid p/n.

[Aurora40]

p/n 12378560 is the GM #
That is the number you want. I have some of it sitting in the garage. This is the silicated non-Dexcool coolant. Also, you can look for the insane price of it. GM list is like $27 per gallon now.

[Kevin]

just got off the phone with the and they told me the part # was AF1444117 does this sound right?

[Aurora40]

just got off the phone with the and they told me the part # was AF1444117 does this sound right?

That to me doesn't sound like a GM part # at all. I don't know offhand the GM part# for Dex-Cool. I've generally bought the Texaco stuff because they made it for GM.

[Kevin]

they claim it's not dexcool but I don't know if I believe them

[tomtom72]

I don't know about the P/N that they gave you. I just ran it at GMpartsdirect and nothing comes back. I didn't expect anything. Maybe it's an ACDelco P/N????:dontknow:

God this stinks. You pay some one to do something simple and you can't even get a straight answer about the parts used on a job you paid for!:mad: See if they will tell you if they got the coolant from a local parts store. Then you go to that store & run the number & see what comes back.

I wonder if there is a simple chemical test that could be done on a DIY basis to see if the coolant is silicated?

JMHO, if it was my car, and I went thru this with a local dealer....lets just say I ate it! I had them reflush it & fill it with water so I could take my toy & go home.

[Kevin]

they claim the AF is for anti-freeze