Exact Antifreeze Brand - Page 6 - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

TommyL · 02-05-2009

If the vehicle is driven in summer months only a 50/50 raitio is not needed...infact less antifreeze is better for cooling. A 50/50 raitio is recommended for cold weather driving but less antifreeze is recommended for summer cooling and lubrication of the pump.....less antifreeze and more water = better cooling. I use a 50/50 mixture beacuse you are correct in that some water will still be in the block so the end mixture is likely about 40/60.

scottfab · 02-05-2009

Oh boy, this is great. An actual dealer that will corroborate the story of head gasket failure due to or â€œconnected withâ€ Dexcool. Can I get the name of the dealer? I wonâ€™t mention where I heard it just confirm the issue with the 4.6 V6. The dealer is in Ontario?
I just want to nail this down so that I might convert back to the green stuff. Or if the issue is still related to the nylon/Silicone type gaskets then I will report on that.

DMark · 02-05-2009

This is the reason I won't use Dexcool......

Back when GM began to use Dexcool in LT1s back in the mid 90s, FBody & Impala SS owners started to notice that our heaters wouldn't work.

Turns out the "stuff" in Dexcool was clogging up the heater cores. The fix was to disconnect the heater hoses from the engine and flush the heater core out with water using a garden hose.

I did this to my 96 Impala SS in the winter of 97 and can tell you that the Orange/Brown muddy goo that came out was enough for me to flush the entire cooling system on that LT1 and refill with the good ole' green stuff.

The TSB for this fix stated that the cause was a lack of use of the heaters during the summer which led to the buildup of the Dexcool goo in the core and heater hoses.

With that in mind, I would hate to think of what Dexcool muddy goo might be doing to a LT5 that is only a sunny day driver.

JMHO-YMMV......

TommyL · 02-05-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottfab

Oh boy, this is great. An actual dealer that will corroborate the story of head gasket failure due to or â€œconnected withâ€ Dexcool. Can I get the name of the dealer? I wonâ€™t mention where I heard it just confirm the issue with the 4.6 V6. The dealer is in Ontario?
I just want to nail this down so that I might convert back to the green stuff. Or if the issue is still related to the nylon/Silicone type gaskets then I will report on that.

Brian Finch Pontiac Buick GMC Ltd. 1-888-257-4354

Give them a call!

TFENT · 02-05-2009

I had this same issue with my 96 Impala SS. There were rumors of GM using some kind of clay tabs but I flushed the system and installed a 75/25 combination of Distilled water (75%) Amsoil antifreeze (25%) with 2 bottles of water wetter and a bottle of RMI-25. Zero issues to date since. I also run this combination in all my vehicles.

scottfab · 02-05-2009

Yup, heard about the brown messy stuff too. That is a well known issue. I think the reason posted was contamination (bacteria?) but again, I have never seen it in mine.
Maybe cause I flushed it well enough on conversion or maybe because I used distilled water or maybe because I am lucky? Who knows.
Central issue (for me) is the gasket errosion being blamed on Dexcool.
If I can nail that one down it would be great.

LT5-Lee · 02-05-2009

I have been reading along and figured I might offer one piece of info to really complicate things further?

I also have been using DEX-COOL in my Z for 8 years or so, but it has only seen around 13,000 miles and I also installed one of those Rad Caps, with the hanging zinc anode, which is gone now so I figure it worked, but I have not been able to find another RAD CAP replacement as they seem discontinued? I did notice some brown gunk in the overflow tank.

I figured I would just fab another anode on the chain, but now I also want to flush the system so I hope you guys figure out the BEST possible. I know I would squeeze the "jolly juice" out of a gofer if it would keep me from a HG problem!

TFENT · 02-05-2009

I highly recommend using the RMI-25 to initially flush the system then add another bottle after the flush to keep the system clean. My Overflow bottles are spotless after years and years of either storage or running.

LT5-Lee · 02-06-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by TFENT

I highly recommend using the RMI-25 to initially flush the system then add another bottle after the flush to keep the system clean. My Overflow bottles are spotless after years and years of either storage or running.

RMI-25..? HUmmm, I never heard of it. You might have made one gofer very happy!

TFENT · 02-06-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by LT5-Lee

RMI-25..? HUmmm, I never heard of it. You might have made one gofer very happy!

Here is a link where i get it from. There is a short video showing it working.

http://www.technilube.com/rmi25/index.php

02-05-2009	#51
TommyL Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 204	Re: Exact Antifreeze Brand If the vehicle is driven in summer months only a 50/50 raitio is not needed...infact less antifreeze is better for cooling. A 50/50 raitio is recommended for cold weather driving but less antifreeze is recommended for summer cooling and lubrication of the pump.....less antifreeze and more water = better cooling. I use a 50/50 mixture beacuse you are correct in that some water will still be in the block so the end mixture is likely about 40/60.

02-05-2009	#52
scottfab Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Portland Oregon metro area (Washington side) Posts: 3,207	Re: Exact Antifreeze Brand Oh boy, this is great. An actual dealer that will corroborate the story of head gasket failure due to or â€œconnected withâ€ Dexcool. Can I get the name of the dealer? I wonâ€™t mention where I heard it just confirm the issue with the 4.6 V6. The dealer is in Ontario? I just want to nail this down so that I might convert back to the green stuff. Or if the issue is still related to the nylon/Silicone type gaskets then I will report on that. __________________ Scott Vett owner since 1979._It's about the car and the people

02-05-2009	#53
DMark Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Tennessee Posts: 197	Re: Exact Antifreeze Brand This is the reason I won't use Dexcool...... Back when GM began to use Dexcool in LT1s back in the mid 90s, FBody & Impala SS owners started to notice that our heaters wouldn't work. Turns out the "stuff" in Dexcool was clogging up the heater cores. The fix was to disconnect the heater hoses from the engine and flush the heater core out with water using a garden hose. I did this to my 96 Impala SS in the winter of 97 and can tell you that the Orange/Brown muddy goo that came out was enough for me to flush the entire cooling system on that LT1 and refill with the good ole' green stuff. The TSB for this fix stated that the cause was a lack of use of the heaters during the summer which led to the buildup of the Dexcool goo in the core and heater hoses. With that in mind, I would hate to think of what Dexcool muddy goo might be doing to a LT5 that is only a sunny day driver. JMHO-YMMV...... __________________ [IMG]http://i16.tinypic.com/4ig0b3a.jpg[/IMG] D. Mark Gentleman Farmer, U.S. Army-Retired LS3,LS6,LT1,LT5,L98,L82,L36,L79,L76

02-05-2009	#55
TFENT Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 189	Re: Exact Antifreeze Brand I had this same issue with my 96 Impala SS. There were rumors of GM using some kind of clay tabs but I flushed the system and installed a 75/25 combination of Distilled water (75%) Amsoil antifreeze (25%) with 2 bottles of water wetter and a bottle of RMI-25. Zero issues to date since. I also run this combination in all my vehicles. __________________ Tom MovIt Brakes USA [url]www.TFEnt.com[/url] Last edited by TFENT; 02-05-2009 at 11:34 PM.

02-05-2009	#56
scottfab Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Portland Oregon metro area (Washington side) Posts: 3,207	Re: Exact Antifreeze Brand Yup, heard about the brown messy stuff too. That is a well known issue. I think the reason posted was contamination (bacteria?) but again, I have never seen it in mine. Maybe cause I flushed it well enough on conversion or maybe because I used distilled water or maybe because I am lucky? Who knows. Central issue (for me) is the gasket errosion being blamed on Dexcool. If I can nail that one down it would be great. __________________ Scott Vett owner since 1979._It's about the car and the people

02-05-2009	#57
LT5-Lee Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Houston, Tx. Posts: 57	Re: Exact Antifreeze Brand I have been reading along and figured I might offer one piece of info to really complicate things further? I also have been using DEX-COOL in my Z for 8 years or so, but it has only seen around 13,000 miles and I also installed one of those Rad Caps, with the hanging zinc anode, which is gone now so I figure it worked, but I have not been able to find another RAD CAP replacement as they seem discontinued? I did notice some brown gunk in the overflow tank. I figured I would just fab another anode on the chain, but now I also want to flush the system so I hope you guys figure out the BEST possible. I know I would squeeze the "jolly juice" out of a gofer if it would keep me from a HG problem! __________________ An Unarmed Citizen is a Future Peasant. Something BLOWbama & Hilary are trying to accomplish now at the UN with the "Global Small Arms Treaty"

02-05-2009	#58
TFENT Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 189	Re: Exact Antifreeze Brand I highly recommend using the RMI-25 to initially flush the system then add another bottle after the flush to keep the system clean. My Overflow bottles are spotless after years and years of either storage or running. __________________ Tom MovIt Brakes USA [url]www.TFEnt.com[/url]