Dexcool in 08 Sierra 4.8

[Bailey28]

Hey guys,

I own a 2008 GMC Sierra with the 4.8l engine. I bought the truck in 2010 with 9,400 miles on it as a weekend driver only. It currently has 30,000 miles on it. 100% stock and meticulously maintained. Today I went to change the factory coolant out with 6 years on it. It is pink in color and came out really clean. I used distilled water to refill the system 3 times to flush it all out. I removed the lower hose, and the heater core hose to get most of it out.
Here is where I am a little concerned. I figured the pink stuff was dexcool. I still don't know what kind of coolant it is for sure. I have no owners manual. Internet research has revealed a mix of people saying it is dexcool, they are not sure, to it might be GO-5....
So... I bought two gallons of Prestone Dexcool and refilled it this afternoon cutting it with distilled water. Does anyone know for sure what kind of coolant GM was using in the 2008 model year? I can't find anything other than green or orange.

 

[ls1mike]

Dex-cool, you put the Prestone in and it will be fine.

Dry intake, pressurized system, updated formula. Good to go.

 

[mcrn]

Dexcool

 

[Chris142]

gm has used dex in every car and truck since 96.it tends to turn pink after a few years.

 

[ls1mike]

Get the PDF manual here.

 

[mrsilv04]

You did everything just fine! Should be good for another 5 years.

 

[Doog]

Dexcool is fine as long as you change it on schedule. I used to add a can of Prestone anti-rust/water pump lubricant to all mine. Never any issues.

 

[Bailey28]

Awesome guys! I can now turn out the lights and get some sleep. Yes, the 6 year old coolant looks brand new. It is perfectly clear and is flamingo pink. After some searching on the internet again, I found bulletin 04D-J-054 from AC Delco Tech connect to all jobbers and distributors regarding the color of dexcool:

"PINK" DEX-COOL®:
DEX-COOL® is orange in color to distinguish it from other coolants. Due to inconsistencies in
the mixing of the dyes used with DEX-COOL®, some batches may appear pink after time. The
color shift from orange to pink does not affect the integrity of coolant and still maintains the
5yr/150,000 mile (240,000 km) service interval. General Motors is currently pursuing a course
of action which will stabilize the color of DEX-COOL® in the field."

This was dated April of 2004. Well, it looks like 4 years later when my truck was built, they still haven't changed the color, or got dexcool to stop changing to pink over time....

You learn something every day. Thanks!

 

[Bgallagher]

OEM Dexcool is made by Texaco/Havoline which I believe is a lighter color versus the Prestone. You can use the Prestone with confidence.

Great procedure to change it by the way.

 

[SteveSRT8]

After many years of experience and consultation with GM engineers who work in our Factory Authorized Upfitter's plant we now run all dex equipped vehicles to component failure.

Never even touch them until something breaks that requires the system to be drained. For some that may mean 200k miles or more.

Never a Dex problem here in 2 decades of use...

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
After many years of experience and consultation with GM engineers who work in our Factory Authorized Upfitter's plant we now run all dex equipped vehicles to component failure.

Never even touch them until something breaks that requires the system to be drained. For some that may mean 200k miles or more.

Never a Dex problem here in 2 decades of use...


Dexcool works better in certain applications than others, depending on the design and materials of the particular application.

You have been incredibly lucky, and also own vehicles that are not prone to issues with it.

Run Dexcool until component failure in a 4.3L S-Series truck, and you won't have to wait very long.

To be fair, this happens with other coolants too. 3.0 Rangers have virtually trouble free cooling systems...3.0 Taurii destroy everything.

 

[cronk]

I have had 2 GM vehicles that used Dexcool.
A 1998 2.2L 4 cylinder S10 pickup
The 1999 Saturn SL2, which I still own.
Both were changed out at the recommend 5 year interval. Coolant looked clean in both, insides of radiators also looks virtually spotless. Never had any cooling system related issues with either vehicle.

 

[artificialist]

Recently, some Prestone universal coolants changed corrosion inhibitors. However, just before that, they used 2-EH, the same inhibitor as Dex-cool.

So I used in my my Saturn ION and my dad's Pontiac G6.