[coryblackcb]

last night my car was overheating really crazy like the gauge was wayyyyyyyyyy over the orange section. so i pulled to a gas station to add fluid. my car was running on dex cool and when i opened the cap it shot out. i was forced to use the green antifreeze because it was at night and no auto store was open.

is mixing them bad? ive heard it was but i would like some confirmation. Also if i have the system flushed by sunday to put back in dexcool would that be my best solution?

 

[kiddpitt]

my understanding is it's bad, mixing the too turns to jelly
I would imagine you need to flush it real good & maybe think about switching at that point from dex-cool to the regular...see if someone that knows a little more/knows a little better posts after me...

 

[coryblackcb]

my understanding is it's bad, mixing the too turns to jelly
I would imagine you need to flush it real good & maybe think about switching at that point from dex-cool to the regular...see if someone that knows a little more/knows a little better posts after me...

so which is better? green or dexcool

 

[808SS]

What I found and I know some on here do the same during the summer time, we dont have winter here so I dont know what would happen. But I pickup a bottle of water wetter and a bottle of 50/50 "green" and fill the rest with water. She runs pretty cool.
When was the last time you replace your anti freeze? If its been a while do a flush, if you did it recent do an inspection
Hope that helps

 

[Bigfoot2222]

Flush flush flush now!!!!!

Mixing will turn it into jelly, I have saw it first hand and it will mess up your coolant passages and radiator.

either one, green or dex will work but use distilled water NOT water from the hose and did I mention flush completely. Oh and one more time Flush completely.


Curtis

P.S. You might have to take it to someone that has a power flusher if you have had it in there for awhile.

 

[CRSSDCM]

we dont have winter here

You had to remind us. You lucky dog.

Hows the detailing going bro?

Still using the Klasse twins topped with that Natty's Blue?? Wear those sun glaSSes!

And to the original poster, do not mix the DexC with the Green. One or the other, you were in a jam so no worries, just flush and decide what you want to do. Its just that when you try to flush out all the DexC to go completely green you never can remove all of the DexC cuz its hiding in places that cant be totally flushed out (even if you remove the knock sensors). So, I just flush it frequently (including the heater core in both directions using low preSSure), re-fill with a fresh DexC 50/50 mix using distilled water only (this is key) and dont add any clay tablets, ever!

Good Luck.

 

[KW Baraka]

Flush flush flush now!!!!!.........You might have to take it to someone that has a power flusher if you have had it in there for awhile.

Yeah.

Drain the coolent.......open the system.........run the engine.......and flow water through the system (with a hose) until the water comes out 'clean'. Stop the water flow and turn off the engine when water stops coming out. Close the sustem and add fresh coolent.

If the water doesn't come out the system as fast as you put it in (clog) or if the antifreeze comes out congealed (like jelley), then you'll need a power-flush.

KW

 

[ghetto wagon]

Most new coolants are designed to mix with ANY color coolant.. Read the label or ask the manufacture to be sure. I know at least prestone is. In your case, I would of just added Water. Not coolant. I like green coolant just because its more available.

 

[CRSSDCM]

Hoping this one dont get out of control.

See.......its like this.

DexC (Organic Acid Technology) just dont play nice with the other coolants (Inorganic Additive Technology) that may move into DexC's neighborhood at some point in time, especially when it was the first one in the neighborhood to start with. This includes the clay tablets that GM added at the factory.

In the simplest of terms......it just hates everyone else (cept distilled water).

Now, when the neighborhood is an LT1, it really gets piSSed when oxygen moves in. So thats why I always recommend (after a flush and fill) that folks bleed it, bleed it, then bleed it again. Then in the morning bleed it again.

The problems seem to start when owners unknowingly dump in IAT coolants to top off the system thinking all will be fine. Sure they mix fine for a while but then something happens to them when they are in this killer environment together, over time. Nobody seems to know exactly what goes down, but it gets really ugly.

Of course neglect is a big problem too, by not keeping a factory DexC system properly filled, maintained and flushed periodically. Lets face it folks 5 year coolant was a sales lie from the get go, period.

Also, letting the tank level get well under "cold fill" really fires up DexC's temper.

So, I have learned to thoroughly flush the system every two years and always use DexC with distilled water. Then do the air bleed.

No probs.

 

[coryblackcb]

yeah i shouldve just added water but i was in a jam so im getting it flushed thoroughly sunday to go back to dexcool and just have a container left for emergencies.

i havent had it mixed for a while just last night until this coming sunday.

last time i got it flushed was the winter cuz my heat wasnt working. so ill get it all flushed out and put fresh coolant in. to top it off just add distilled water correct?

 

[1BAD9C1]

Your radiator won't blow up on ya.

Same thing kinda happened to me. I always ran green antifreeze 50/50, and my mechanic topped off my resevoir with DexCool. Now it's a mix of green and orange, and it looks mostly orange.

I've gotta get around to flushing it, maybe this weekend come to think of it... I'm gonna run Dexcool instead of green antifreeze and see how that works out.

But no overheating problems to speak of so far by mixing the two...

 

[coryblackcb]

Your radiator won't blow up on ya.

Same thing kinda happened to me. I always ran green antifreeze 50/50, and my mechanic topped off my resevoir with DexCool. Now it's a mix of green and orange, and it looks mostly orange.

I've gotta get around to flushing it, maybe this weekend come to think of it... I'm gonna run Dexcool instead of green antifreeze and see how that works out.

But no overheating problems to speak of so far by mixing the two...

i did this before mixing without a proper flush and then it might have lead up to everything messing up im not sure but we flushed it and got new everything. heater core plus hoses, tstat and ran dexcool and i havent had problems since then so ill just flush it to be on the safe side and rerun the dexcool. dexcool just looks real nasty after awhile the inside of my coolant tank is a mess . ia bunch of gunk all around and when i took the cap of last night it all blew back out with liquid and chunks. does the green end up the same way?

 

[sherlock9c1]

If you search around the internet, you will find that the chemical compositions of the coolants are vastly different. Dexcool is chemically different than the green stuff. ALSO note that there is also an "Extended Life Coolant" (some call it ELC) that is marketed with the same 5yr / 150k change interval as Dexcool but it is NOT dexcool, so it is not interchangeable.

The last thing to consider is this - each coolant reacts differently with the materials it comes in contact with. If GM spec'd Dexcool for your engine and you put in something different, have you checked all of the materials to make sure they are chemically compatible? I don't have the answer to that, so I just use Dexcool.

 

[coryblackcb]

If you search around the internet, you will find that the chemical compositions of the coolants are vastly different. Dexcool is chemically different than the green stuff. ALSO note that there is also an "Extended Life Coolant" (some call it ELC) that is marketed with the same 5yr / 150k change interval as Dexcool but it is NOT dexcool, so it is not interchangeable.

The last thing to consider is this - each coolant reacts differently with the materials it comes in contact with. If GM spec'd Dexcool for your engine and you put in something different, have you checked all of the materials to make sure they are chemically compatible? I don't have the answer to that, so I just use Dexcool.

i just figured like you pretty much summed it up that if it stamped or stickered dex-cool thats what to use. i guess i should just flush it every few months or so.

 

[1BAD9C1]

I'm going to Walmart tomorrow and loading up on Dexcool and distilled water... lol Gonna flush that puppy out good.

 

[coryblackcb]

lol so how much should i use of each with distilled water?

 

[ScottLC]

I hate even bothering because I hate having to argue with all the experts(thus I won't), but here's something I got in training when I was going to take the Division Manager spot at Advance about 4 years or so ago: All green(Prestone) antifreeze is aluminum/alloy compatible. A little DC remaining in a system is irrelevant and unless your hoses are as old as the car you don't have to change them.

You can run the green with DC as long as there are no other additives. It serves no purpose and does no good but it won't hurt anything these days. Thus in emergencies it's fine. A basic design component of modern coolants is compatability(except from Dex). But the best option is to flush the system well and put the green back in(it really doesn't matter whether it says Prestone or not, all green antifreeze is produced in a small number of locations to the same standards and at times relabeled between brands). Your aluminum and composite components will be happy and you'll be rid of Dex.

Done it to every Dextered GM I've had and couldn't be more pleased. But I'm sure they all congealed and died as soon as I got rid of them, dontcha know.

 

[808SS]

You had to remind us. You lucky dog.

Hows the detailing going bro?

Still using the Klasse twins topped with that Natty's Blue?? Wear those sun glaSSes!

And to the original poster, do not mix the DexC with the Green. One or the other, you were in a jam so no worries, just flush and decide what you want to do. Its just that when you try to flush out all the DexC to go completely green you never can remove all of the DexC cuz its hiding in places that cant be totally flushed out (even if you remove the knock sensors). So, I just flush it frequently (including the heater core in both directions using low preSSure), re-fill with a fresh DexC 50/50 mix using distilled water only (this is key) and dont add any clay tablets, ever!

Good Luck.

Going good that combo is the $hit. But still just doing it for my friends and family
Thinking of doing it full time

 

[coryblackcb]

Ughhhhh. Ok so someone give me a final decision lol. Green or dex with the water wetter and distilled water?
Also how much of each do I put in. I don't want my engine going out on me its an old baby she only has around 52k on her for being 14 yrs old.

My hoses are as old as the car I still have green hoses if it matters. I need to know by tomorrow because I have to pick up the supplies before sunday. .

 

[HYWAY KOP]

I've used DEXCOOL since the car was new. Flush and drain every few years,...NO problems whatsoever.