Get rid of your DEX fluid

[Minn12]

I saw an old post about what happens to old DEX in your radiator so I thought I would post this pic of my radiator before I changed it out this weekend.

[HenryJ]

YIKES! Bad stuff. I hope you can get the heater core flushed enough to survive. You are early enough in the season to run water and change it several times before you have to add coolant later this fall.

[Minn12]

I flushed the system out 3 times, then changed out the radiator. I fully expect to end up changing the heater core at some point. The indication (besides visual) that this was happening was my tranny would vent a small amount of fluid at the end of a 25 mile ride home when it was hot out. Been diving for 2 days now with the new radiator and that problem has gone away. Also got the TB mod and air box mod completed at the same time.

[roadrunner]

If your trans was getting that warm to spew a bit of fluid sounds like a fluid change is in order as well.

[HenryJ]

If your trans was getting that warm to spew a bit of fluid sounds like a fluid change is in order as well.

Good call! I missed that one totally

[Minn12]

I needed something to do this weekend anyhow!
Thanks guys.

[Bobc40]

OK what is DEX my rad looks like the pic above

[rlrnr53]

Dexcool, Texaco/GM antifreeze, also known as Dexcrap. If you are still using it, drain and flush 2 or 3 times. Loves to eat intake gaskets among other things.

[killian96ss]

Prestone has a product called "super radiator flush" that I use everytime I flush one of the radiators in my vehicles. It helps remove buildup and rust in the system that flushing alone will not do. Basically you do the normal flush with water until it comes out clean, then you add this stuff and fill with water and either run it for a while and drain, or just drive it for a day or two and then flush again with water until it comes out clean, then add a 50/50 mix of distilled water and regular "green" antifreeze. The distilled water is not a must do, but it is better than tap water because it does not contain minerals which slowly eat away at some parts of the system, especially the soft aluminum in the intake manifold and water pump seals and bearings. For better heat transfer you can also add a bottle of Redline Water Wetter or Royal Purple Ice. An external or auxiliary transmission cooler is also a good idea to prevent temps from getting too high in the transmission.

Steve

[F9K9]

...........then add a 50/50 mix of distilled water and regular "green" antifreeze.........

You and Brule are not going to like this, I know I didn't. I don't have the time to do a search but, there's another school of thought now that distilled water draws/sucks/leeches minerals out of the metal components. I've read to use tap water or a tap/distilled water combo as part of your 50/50 mixture. In reality, who the h*ll knows?

[Minn12]

After trying to flush it out twice I gave up and just changed the radiator and hose and thermostat out. Radiator new was only $129. I figured by the time I took it into the shop for them to flush I was money ahead. It only took me an hou tto change out.

[Minn12]

Almost forgot. This did fix my tranny burping problem but for insurance I also changed out the tranny fluid.

[killian96ss]

...........then add a 50/50 mix of distilled water and regular "green" antifreeze.........

You and Brule are not going to like this, I know I didn't. I don't have the time to do a search but, there's another school of thought now that distilled water draws/sucks/leeches minerals out of the metal components. I've read to use tap water or a tap/distilled water combo as part of your 50/50 mixture. In reality, who the h*ll knows?

To be honest, that doesn't make any sense. If that were somehow true, then any water would do the same thing. I'm just saying!

Steve

[urimashe]

hey guys, quick question, what color is dex? im going to have to look to see what i have in mine, i havent realy paid attention to that, left it up to the lube shop.

second is to answer a question about the water.

use boiled tap water. why?

tap water has stuff in it from the water treatment, boiling burns alot of this off.

if you use distilled water it can pull minirals out of your engine block. why does it do this? water that has bin purified acts like its own filter. if you ever had a liver problem they use super distilled water to run through the dialisis machine to help pull the toxins out of your blood. the water does the same to your engine block and gaskets if it is super filtered and distilled.

[HenryJ]

hey guys, quick question, what color is dex?[/url]Orange. When bad it turns muddy rust colored and thicker with oily black scum.

use boiled tap water. why?

Using boiled water is of no advantage to the best of my knowledge.

if you use distilled water it can pull minirals out of your engine block. why does it do this? water that has bin purified acts like its own filter. if you ever had a liver problem they use super distilled water to run through the dialisis machine to help pull the toxins out of your blood. the water does the same to your engine block and gaskets if it is super filtered and distilled.

Never hear that one before. I always use distilled water (condensed steam). The coolant contains chemicals to protect the engine seals and surfaces.

I like to add a 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water after the system is thoroughly flushed. I also add a bottle of Water Wetter to break the surface tension.

[ApproachMedium]

Up until recently I always had access to fresh well water. My house growing up was fresh well water. I always just used that mixed with the green stuff and never had problems. Though I am sure this is probably not the right thing to do, and I dont recommend it lol. If you have well water and its hard, esp limey hard you could do some serious damage.

[RandyB]

It's the minerals in tap water that are the killers. If you have ever seen the inside of a radiator that was all covered in white crap (calicum/lime deposits) then you'll understand why its bad. Distilled water will not pull minerals out of the metal any more than tap water will....and that won't either.
Distilled water being used in a dialysis machine makes sense for the same reasons as using it in a cooling system...to keep mineral deposits to a minimum for the longevity of the machine and a better service life with better functionality.

[Serge PETIT]

Beginning of summer I have changed from Dexcrap to Green and and during the hot days the Blazer was running cooler than with the DEX !!!!! .
I was not having déposit in the radiator because I was changing the Dexcool evety 2 years and a half for security and comparing the price of Dexcool in France with the green price ...................I regret not to have make the change before !!!!!