What ingredient makes it "Death"-Cool?

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I think I found my dream coolant. A long life variant that states specifically on the bottle as silicate-free, for my Japanese rides, and cheap. (I know they make "Asian" formulas but I simply am not in the mood to go boutique or dealership for anti-freeze not to mention being forced to buy the rip off 50/50 in some cases.) Peak, on "sale" at O'Rielly ('til 4/29).


From the MSDS:



Ethylene Glycol 107-21-1 90 - 97
Diethylene Glycol 111-46-6 e
Organic acid salts proprietary

Denatonium Benzoate 3734-33-6
Water 7732-18-5

Is there a "Death"-Cool ingredient there? Might it be hidden in "Organic acid salts proprietary"? If there is, I can live with it. It's AM, AM, so I suspect it's in reality a Dex-Clone.


http://images.peakauto.com/Peak%20Long%2...ev%20052013.pdf
 
2-Ethylhexanol is what makes a coolant similar to Dexcool and almost all universal coolants like Prestone and Supertech use this. Dexcool is an amazing product when the system is compatible.
 
2-ethylhexanoate, or 2-ethyl hexanoic acid. 2 names for the same compound. It is a corrosion inhibitor. It is non-corrosive when stabilized in coolant. When coolant breaks down, it is no longer stabilized and becomes corrosive.
2-ethylhexanoate is sometimes used in metal working and is a known plasticizer. It softens plastics, plastics like those that comprise lower intake manifold gaskets.
Other organic acid technology coolants use chemicals like, sebacate and carboxylate.
 
Thanks. Just what I'm looking for. O'Reilly has it on sale until the 29th for ~ $11, in case anyone is interested.

Oh, it's in the "Duck Dynasty" version (graphics) so maybe they are trying to clearance it out. They don't have the traditional blue bottle.
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
2-Ethylhexanol is what makes a coolant similar to Dexcool and almost all universal coolants like Prestone and Supertech use this. Dexcool is an amazing product when the system is compatible.


glad someone gets it...
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
2-Ethylhexanol is what makes a coolant similar to Dexcool and almost all universal coolants like Prestone and Supertech use this. Dexcool is an amazing product when the system is compatible.


What makes it amazing?
 
Easy answer: Extremely long cooling system component life.

We simply do not service cooling systems anymore since about the 2000 model year or so. This despite ridiculously high mileages and severe duty service. I'm talking 200k plus miles and all at more than 95% of rated GVWR on 3500 series GM Vans, in Florida heat, all city miles.

It's also interesting to note that the majority of the ill-informed posts I read about Dex are not V8 engines.
 
Steve, it's good to hear that you've had good fortune with your workvan, certainly that's what the gm engineers intended. However, not everyone has gotten off easy- particularly those chevy 60 degree v6's. even our last-revision-ever of the 60 degree v6, the LX9 has it's lim gasket seeping a little bit, as evidenced by 2-eha crud. it got flushed asap with g-05. crisis averted? we'll see in a couple of years.

it's an old spec imo. i was one of the first people to grab a jug in the 90's, and while it never destroyed the cooling system in the short time it was run, i always noticed the seeping crud buildup, esp around the filler neck/pressure cap.

we have much better chemistries now imo, ones that dont rely on the buildup of a layer of 'stuff' to offer cavitation protection. that buildup can't be good for heat transfer either, but some engines are really tolerant to that kind of thing.
 
Lots more than one van here! We have Silverados too. Just note that millions of vehicles are involved when you say Dex. That's a BIG number, and Ford even uses it now, too.

"Some engines are tolerant"? I'd venture to say quite a few are tolerant of Dex.

It's issues are nothing more than a poor quality control issue... of gaskets! There's no build up in our fleet even at high mileages. And we NEVER crack a factory sealed system. Even with open (unsealed) recovery tanks on all the vans, not a single coolant related issue.

Like I said, it may be that it is purely a V8 thing, but we simply do not have the problems that are loudly squawked about here...
 
I ran dexcool in a motorcycle engine and it did really well. I had a v 8 chevy that wanted to leak dex cool out of the intake gaskets, I had a friend with the same truck only with a 454 motor, same issue with wanting to spot leak dexcool out of the intake gasket.

I have dexcool in a chevy Colorado, 125,000 miles, its not been changed or dumped and no problems.

Over all, I like prestone mixes with anything, just less hassle, verses needing dexcool for one vehicle and toyota coolant for another.

I also have a motorcycle with prestone mixes with anything over 100,000 miles, its had no failures.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Mackelroy
I had a v 8 chevy that wanted to leak dex cool out of the intake gaskets, I had a friend with the same truck only with a 454 motor, same issue with wanting to spot leak dexcool out of the intake gasket.


Steve is speaking about MODERN GM/Chevy V-8s (Gen 3/4/5s LSxes/LT1s), which do NOT have ANY coolant flowing through the intake manifolds, NOT old school small and big blocks.
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