As the weather gets colder, the operating temperature of the engine
will go down if the thermostat is stuck open. If the temp guage
doesn't reach its normal position, it is probably just a bad thermostat.
If the truck truly overheated, the thermostat has a low melting
point metal plug that probably melted and leaves the thermostat wide
open.
If the guage shows normal temperature or hot and you don't have cab
heat, there is usually a valve somewhere between the engine and the
heater that may not be working.
You don't even want to think about the other possibility.
Dex Cool is ethylene glycol antifreeze just like the stuff we have
been using for years. The difference is the corrosion inhibitor
package that is added. Green coolant uses a silicate based chemistry
and Dex uses an organic based chemistry for this.
On another list I am on, Dex Cool is called Death Cool. Seems that
after 4 years or so it turns sour and if air is in the system it
can quite suddenly jell up into unpumpable slime. I know Chevy says
it is good for 5 years or 100,000 miles, but it is probably time
to flush yours. You can replace it with Dex or with green coolant.
The Dex Cool does tend to make water pump seals last longer. Once
you have used green coolant there is reportedly no advantage to using
Dex again.
The consensus on that list is that it should be changed every 2-3
years just like green coolant. Also, the consensus on that list
is that if you live in a bad water area, you should use distilled
water to dilute it.
Bruce Kettunen
57 3200
Mt. Iron, MN
At Tuesday, 2 December 2003, you wrote:
>I hope a newer Chevy truck question is ok. It takes my 1997 S-10
truck over
>20 miles to get warm and then it is only luke warm so to speak.
Where you
>you guys start to look for this problem? I would think maybe the
thermostat,
>if that doesn't do it, then the water pump? I havn't checked the water
>level, but could low water in the radiator cause it to not warm up? I
>wouldn't think so since it is pumped through?
>It got hot last year and real quick, so something has gone away.
>Also, I know that the Dex-cool is what I need to use, but do I add
it like I
>would regular antifreeze? I have never used any Dex-cool.
>Thanks for the input, and have a great day.
>` Tom
> 55 2nd
> 97 S-10----The truck in question
>oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>
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