Anti-freeze question??

[77chevystepside]

When I put my engine in the truck I used "GM approved" Havoline anti-freeze. I heard that GM Dex and perhaps this stuff eats aluminum intakes if a person does not change it every 3 years or so. Anyone heard anything about that? I find it hard to believe that to be true with all of the aluminum intakes and engines out there. I am going to do a little searching on the net to see if there is a problem anti-freeze out there. Just curious.

[choptop]

In short, the different types of metals in the engine catalyze with eachother. The coolant has conditioners in it to prevent this catalystic corrosion from happening. They say replace after 3 years because this is the point where the conditioners are least effective. Conditioner can be added, but too much will cause problems as well, so they say change it.
Here's more info_
http://conversiontrucks.net/Forum/index.php?topic=56.0

[VileZambonie]

Why not just run the green Ethlyene Glycol?

Dex-Cool is notorious for becoming an electrolyte when electolysis sets and it becomes an aluminum termite. If cavitation occurs you'll see some serious metal decay and erosion. 

[HAULIN IT]

Dex-Cool = Problems  Do some searching...Lots of bad things blamed on it, some may be unjust, but most aren't. A good freind that was working in GM dealers in the mid-90's-on, was convinced along ago it was a problem, not "the answer" & drained his brand new 2000 truck before it was a week old...he sold the truck some years later. I've often wondered as I'm looking at some leaking, seeping, eroading piece..." I wonder what that truck looks like & has it had head gasket, intake gasket, ect. problems like many?" 

[77chevystepside]

I guess I should have done the green. I really have no clue why I switched. My 2001 Silv. was a little low so bought a gallon of the Dex thinking my water pump was leaking and going. It stopped leaking. I just bought another gallon and did the 77. I had no clue there were issues with the Dex style. I mean, why would I think to run a search on anti-freeze to see if it has caused trouble. I am guilty of being dumb!! I thought the green was being replaced with the orange like all improvements are made in the products world. I'll guess I'll run it and hope it doesn't eat the system. I did some time on the internet and unless there is some new, real hard and conclusive evidence, I am not positive Dex is as evil as some people are claiming. Some people sue when they get a drip on the driveway. The 01 has 86,000 with the Dex, never changed it and it is as clean as when I bought the truck new.

[VileZambonie]

Looking clean means nothing. It's not so much Dex-Cool is bad by itself, it's the bad things that happen when using it and it becomes corrosive. I've seen what it does to aluminum, head gaskets, water pumps, radiators, heater cores etc hundreds of times. It becomes the catalyst in the decay process. It's usually the symptom and not the actual problem. Lack of maintenance and electrolysis is the leading cause of the corrosion & decay process to begin.

What we've been doing is during a system reverse flush, we use global in a dex-cool system to replace it. If it uses green Ethylene Glycol we just replace it with the same.

[77chevystepside]

What is global??

[VileZambonie]

http://www.peakantifreeze.com/faq_global.html

[77chevystepside]

Oh sure. I remember that. Haven't used Peak in years. Good stuff.

[Blazin]

When it come time to service any of the Cat engines cooling systems as long as they are out of warranty, water pump hoses what ever we flush them and switch them over to green Ethylene Glycol.