GM Product: Dexcool or Green?

[OilNerd]

The Prestone jug I have (date code 30F9016 22:32) does contain 2-EHA as an ingredient, listed as 2-ethyl hexanoate. I suspect that it has far less 2-EHA than DexCool, though, as millions of drivers use it without incident. I suspect that the Net would be on fire if Prestone was killing vehicles.

After reading the intake gasket horror stories and determining from the TSB's that my Buick has the problematic gasket material, I decided to err on the side of caution and go G-05 (2-EHA free).

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

I looked at Prestone AM/AM coolant in Wal-Mart a month ago and I found the 2-ethyl hexanoate, same as OilNerd. Both of my cars called for regular green, so I went with NAPA Green. I will do a radiator drain/refill every summer. $10 a year is not bad for coolant.

I will stop by today and take a look, again.

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

Originally Posted By: Ursae_Majoris
I will stop by today and take a look, again.


I did look at the bottle of Prestone AM/AM at the store last night. It says it contains "sodium 2-ethyl hexanoate", so I do not know why Prestone would deny that their antifreeze is a Dexcool clone.

 

[OilNerd]

I don't know if I'd call it a DexCool clone... it is yellow after all!

On a more serious note, the concentrations of the ingredients aren't listed and I suspect that it has a lot less 2-EHA than DexCool.

 

[Mazdaman]

I just flushed the Dexcool out of my Dad's 2004 Buick LeSabre; it's got 42,000 miles on it. The Dexcool was a dark brown rusty color with particles floating around in it and the overflow tank was covered with brown sludge. When i flushed the cooling system, spongy particles came out with the coolant - maybe pieces of gasket? It's little wonder GM went bankrupt, when they put such an unreliable and poor product in a critical system like the cooling system. Nevertheless, based on what I've read here and on other forums, I think if Deathcool is changed every 2 to 3 years or 50,000 miles and the radiator is never allowed to fall below the full level, it won't cause problems.

 

[OilNerd]

Other than the worry and stress of whether my intake gaskets were being rotted away slowly by DexCool, I did not experience any other DexCool problems. A friend of mine clued me into the DexCool issues early on. I flushed the GM Dex out just after the 6-mo. warranty on my Buick was done, and used the Prestone Dex. I kept it overfilled (to Max. when cold), per a TSB recommendation and checked the fluid level at the radiator cap. No sludging, or other issues.

It sat, driven only sporadically for a couple of years (I rack up miles on my '89 clunker), then I finally got into researching alternatives. The G-05 option was the best long interval option IMO, so I went with it. I subsequently decided to go G-05 in all my vehicles to reduce flushes and different kinds of fluids.

The previous owner of my Caravan put Dex in it. After a cold return from Florida in January, I pulled the thermostat. You could see a ring of light where rubber used to be when holding it up to a light. So much rubber had been eroded, the thermostat couldn't seal shut.

I fully understand your frustration with GM. I paid a lot of $$$ for my Buick used and this was poor engineering. How about some basic materials compatibility testing?

 

[bigmike]

Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Anal isn't censored?? who'd a thunk it?


You can't spell analysis without anal.