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RE: [oletrucks] may be out of line clarification

To: oletrucks@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: [oletrucks] may be out of line clarification
From: Bruce Kettunen <bekett@uslink.net>
Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2002 18:39:32 -0500
We've talked a lot about this over on the Suburban Board.  In 95 
or 96, GM started using the orange anti freeze.  Both orange and 
green anti freeze are ethylene glycol based.  The main difference 
is the corrosion inhibitor package chemistry.  GM calls this stuff 
Dex Cool.  On the Suburban board, it has picked up the name Death 
Cool and here's why:

Supposedly the stuff is good for 5 years or 100,000 miles.  The problem 
is that by then it gets pretty sour and does some weird things.  
If it is exposed to air (like from an empty overflow tank) at high 
temperature it will suddenly and catastrophically turn to unpumpable 
gel and the engine and tranny fry.

The consensus is to not believe GM and change it every two or three 
years, and especially to keep the overflow tank topped off as high 
as you can without having it overflow.  Some people also believe 
in using distilled water, not tap water, to dilute it.

The main advantage to Death Cool is that the corrosion package seems 
to prolong the life of the water pump.  The main disadvantage is 
that it usually costs a lot more.

It can be replaced with green coolant, but the additional corrosion 
benefits will be immediately lost and you go back to the coolant 
we have known and dealt with for years.  Once green coolant has been 
used in the engine, there is no advantage to switching back to the 
orange stuff, so there is no benefit in using it in our old trucks.


Texaco and Prestone used to make replacement Dex Cool, but I haven't 
seen either in the stores now for about a year, don't know if they 
still make it.  That probably says something all by itself.

Hope this helps some.

Bruce Kettunen
57 3200
65 Electra
96 Suburban


At Tuesday, 23 April 2002, you wrote:

>The new style antifreeze is reddish. While your truck isn't new,
someone
>might have replaced the antifreeze. It just depends if yours is reddish
>like rust or reddish like strawberry Kool-Aid. On my new truck, if you
>replace the antifreeze with the green stuff you void the warranty!
>
>Bill
>
>> some stuff in the reservoir that is a reddish brown color and thought
>> flushing the system would be a good idea. I am not sure what kind of
>> antifreeze is in the truck, since I just bought it and do not 
know any
>> history of it.
>oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>




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