green or dex cool

[lucerne06]

I have a 2006 buick lucerne with 20,000 miles on her. I want to dump amd flush my present dex cool as it is now 3 years old, the service station asked if I want to go GREEN or stay with the DEX. cost is 75.00 for a flush and fill. I have one year left on warranty ..What's a 06 buick owner to do????

 

[Herz]

Wait till your warranty expires. then* flush and fill yourself for a total of 20 dollars.

 

[lucerne06]

But I don't want to wait any longer to avoid any problems...hence the flush/fill at 3 years..

 

[pbm]

I'd flush it myself and refill with PEAK GLOBAL EL.
While I believe the 'plasticizer' (gasket eating) effect of Dexcool (2-EHA) is secondary to poor gasket design, it is still a problem.

 

[lucerne06]

problem is it's so tight in the compartmrnt and so low to the ground, I would rather pay an extra 50.00 just to avoid a hassle myself.

 

[Herz]

well if you don't have any leaks or are losing coolant you should be fine. second, having another mechanic service the car and put non-recommended fluid in it will most likely void the warranty. Third if the guy does a mediocre job flushing it the 2 incompatable coolants may cause remnants of the dex cool to gel and cause you worse problems.

however its your car.

I recently flushed my pickup and it was a hassle to get all the dex cool out. I know most mechanics wont go the extra mile to make sure every drop is out.

 

[Familyguy]

Dump.
Thoroughly flush.
Replace with 50/50 mix of distilled water and G-05 coolant.

(substitute Dexcool for the last step if you're a masochist)

 

[bullwinkle]

I'm going to play devil's advocate for once-what is the condition of the coolant-both in the overflow tank & under the radiator cap-at only 20K & 3 years, if there is NO sign of sludge, rust, non-bright red Dexcool, and NO mystery coolant loss-I'd throw a NEW radiator cap on it & WATCH closely for the next year-THEN when your warranty is up, have it thoroughly flushed & refilled w/GO-5/Premium Gold-at less than 7K/yr., chances are you don't need to flush it yet, and if a problem does arise-it's GM's for the next year.

 

[lucerne06]

color is kool aid clear red....new radiator cap already on....no signs of sludge or rust....the only thing is a very slight coolant loss,since january, I have added approx 7-9 oz of dex cool coolant to the overfill tank..Now I have had TWO OIL UOA's done and both times they showed NO COOLANT in the oil during that period(9 months)....I think the dex cool just evaporates in the overfill tank due to the very HOT nature the engine runs and a poor cap design..my two cents..

 

[Herz]

I had that problem in my pickup and it was leaking for the therm housing. But keep it full and wait till your warranty expires.

 

[lucerne06]

I am not familiar at all with a thermal housing or even where it is located. How did you find the leak? I cannot find ANY evidence of any leak in the coolant system anywhere..and believe me I have searched and looked everyday for the past nine months..No drops,drips,wetness,smell,puffs of smoke, nothing at all.. The only thing I always find is some dex cool laying on top of the overfill tank right where the plastic lid snaps on..so I have to assume the evaporation thing..I don't know???

 

[Jaymus]

Go green, change it sooner.

It's a win/win situation. Fresher coolant all the time, and dare I say, a BETTER coolant all the time.

 

[Herz]

Originally Posted By: lucerne06
I am not familiar at all with a thermal housing or even where it is located. How did you find the leak? I cannot find ANY evidence of any leak in the coolant system anywhere..and believe me I have searched and looked everyday for the past nine months..No drops,drips,wetness,smell,puffs of smoke, nothing at all.. The only thing I always find is some dex cool laying on top of the overfill tank right where the plastic lid snaps on..so I have to assume the evaporation thing..I don't know???


well on my pickup its different thany our car. but I noticed white residue and on occasion pink fluid sitting under the therm housing. from what you say chances are you are leaking and its evaporating on something. What/where/how I dont know, sorry.

 

[ZGRider]

After reading these forums and the internet posts is there even any question?

Given the choice: Green, green, green

 

[wapacz]

the 06 Lucerne should have the series 3 3800. The series 3 received a redesigned aluminum intake. Which to my understanding fixed the gasket issues that the series 2 where having.

 

[lucerne06]

someone also suggested to me checking the INTAKE on the rear of the engine, as it may be slowly leaking and evapoating on the hot engine without ever reaching the ground..Does anyone know where that REAR INTAKE for the cooling system on engine would be and if that can be a possibility?

 

[wapacz]

you could get some coolant dye and try to trace it that way.