Have a look at this article from Motor Magazine. If you learn nothing else, learn that coolant color means NOTHING. Not all greens are the same, nor orange, yellow, pink, blue, brown, etc. What matters is what the coolant make up is. Please, read on and maybe download the PDF file to save for future reference. http://www.gates.com/downloads/downl...older=brochure

Dan McCann
2000 SSEi

REALLY good article, Dan! It'* certainly worth reading by anyone really interested in this subject, IMO. Unfortunately, it raises a few more questions and doesn't answer enough of them.

Still good to know that we all need to work a bit on our coolant knowledge base a bit more.

Interesting information for you guys but I'm not sure if it is significant.

I was at the local GM dealership today picking up an O-ring for my PCV valve and I noticed a shelf of newly packaged Dexcool.
I queried the service manager and told him about the concerns we have with it.
He told me he hadn't heard of any problems but said that just before Christmas, GM pulled all the old Dex off the shelf and replaced it with Dex in a newly revised container.

I wonder if they finally changed the formulation :?:

Let'* try to get some insider information on this. I'll try to bug my local dealership where I've got some connections. Can others do the same?

I just joined this lawsuit. I just got my car back 2 days ago from having the motor replaced because of damage my motor received due to a failed UIM gasket, more than likely caused by DexCool. Now that i know what Dex does, i'm getting that sh*t outta my car this weekend and replacing my UIM gasket as soon as possible.

Dex cool has been a problem for years. I just unloaded my 96 monte carlo with a 3100 and the UIM gaskets leaked but I never changed them. The car had 138k on it when I traded it in. The main seal on the engine went before I had any real trouble with the Intake gaskets. I changed the oil every 5-7 k as I drive alot.... going to jail and all...and changed the coolant at 100k. I watched my temp gauge all the time and If I let the car sit in traffic idling it would run hotter than I would like and I always attributed this to the oil in the antifreeze.

Other than seeing the oil in the antifreeze how else can you tell if your gaskets are bad ? I checked the Bonneville before I bought it and there was no oil in the antifreeze but I had them change the anitfreeze anyhow. Seeing as this was done 2 weeks ago I am hoping they used something other than the old dex cool. It appears pinkish more than red to me.

Information on how to tell, other than visibly, would be helpful.

Thanks.

With all the known documented issues w Dex, are dealerships still flushing and replacing w Dex? My 03 SSEi w 27k miles doesn't have any current issues but is this something I can request them to replace with Prestone? Is it one of those technical bulletins at dealer discretion?

I personaly don't know the answer to that, but can tell you that after the Pontiac dealer replaced my UIM and LIM gaskets three years ago, the car came back with green coolant in it instead of the usual orange that we associate with Dex-Cool. That seemd to be a telling choice IMO.

The Dex Cool killed the water pump in my '97 SLE at 40k miles. It'* sad becuase my uncle told my grandpa to get that crap out of the system when the car was brand new. My grandfather (the original owner), didn't listen and it costed him a $600 repair at 40k.