The chemical flush is a waste of money.
Radiator Cap-- Should I hear a hiss?
- Thread starter The Critic
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Try watching for leaks while it warms up. They might stop when it gets hot, as plastic/rubber expands faster them a metal clamp.
Critic - Use distilled water for your final fill [mixed with coolant]. Only $1 or so.
Kestas
Staff member
For a car that has what appears to be a cooling leak somewhere, it may be a good idea to flush out all of the Dex-Cool and use something else, like G-05 antifreeze. I believe most of the problems with Dex-Cool occur when there is a leak in the system.
A far as the no-pressure situation with no coolantleak, there may be aa air leak in the cooling system. To find that leak, you should pressurize the system with shop air (20 psi max), then spray soapy water at suspect areas. Once you get bubbles you've found the leak.
A far as the no-pressure situation with no coolantleak, there may be aa air leak in the cooling system. To find that leak, you should pressurize the system with shop air (20 psi max), then spray soapy water at suspect areas. Once you get bubbles you've found the leak.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
The chemical flush is a waste of money.
The Prestone Super Flush is a citric acid based product, according to the MSDS that I found via a quick Google search. I thought the citric acid based flushes are effective for preventive maintenance. Doesn't Mercedes require the usage of a citric acid based flush?
Originally Posted By: Kestas
For a car that has what appears to be a cooling leak somewhere, it may be a good idea to flush out all of the Dex-Cool and use something else, like G-05 antifreeze. I believe most of the problems with Dex-Cool occur when there is a leak in the system.
The Prestone All Makes All Models Coolant that I have in there right now seems to be fine (it's a Dexclone), so I'm not sure if I should switch. I'm planning to fill it with Prestone Dex-Cool this time (the GM licensed version) since it's on sale. If I fix the leak, shouldn't the Dexcool be just fine? I'm afraid to use the G-05 coolant as I'm not sure if GM approves the usage of coolants containing silicates. I know for a fact that Saturn's green coolant was phosphate-free, but I'm not sure about the silicates.
The chemical flush is a waste of money.
The Prestone Super Flush is a citric acid based product, according to the MSDS that I found via a quick Google search. I thought the citric acid based flushes are effective for preventive maintenance. Doesn't Mercedes require the usage of a citric acid based flush?
Originally Posted By: Kestas
For a car that has what appears to be a cooling leak somewhere, it may be a good idea to flush out all of the Dex-Cool and use something else, like G-05 antifreeze. I believe most of the problems with Dex-Cool occur when there is a leak in the system.
The Prestone All Makes All Models Coolant that I have in there right now seems to be fine (it's a Dexclone), so I'm not sure if I should switch. I'm planning to fill it with Prestone Dex-Cool this time (the GM licensed version) since it's on sale. If I fix the leak, shouldn't the Dexcool be just fine? I'm afraid to use the G-05 coolant as I'm not sure if GM approves the usage of coolants containing silicates. I know for a fact that Saturn's green coolant was phosphate-free, but I'm not sure about the silicates.
Kestas
Staff member
Yes, if you find the leak, DexCool should be fine.
G-05 shouldn't be a problem in your system if you decide to go that way. It's low in silicates. Plus the materials in the Saturn cooling system aren't any different from what you find in other makes/models that approve G-05.
G-05 shouldn't be a problem in your system if you decide to go that way. It's low in silicates. Plus the materials in the Saturn cooling system aren't any different from what you find in other makes/models that approve G-05.
Originally Posted By: The Critic
I know for a fact that Saturn's green coolant was phosphate-free, but I'm not sure about the silicates.
I was under the impression that for the green goo you needed one, the other, or both. So I bet silicates= okay.
I know for a fact that Saturn's green coolant was phosphate-free, but I'm not sure about the silicates.
I was under the impression that for the green goo you needed one, the other, or both. So I bet silicates= okay.
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