Red Dexcool coolant

[ACCORDianate]

Alright I know this isn't exactly CB7 related but I figured there's probably going to be information everybody can use in the replies to this post:

My sometimes-not-so-bright friend ran his shitbox 1990 Tercel (1.5L I4, 1bbl, 5sp) low on coolant in December and so he got a ride to AutoZone and picked up that crummy red Dexcool antifreeze coolant and put it in his car; close to a gallon of it.

Now, the car runs fine with it in it, but if stop and go traffic occurs, such as interstate rush hour traffic thru a major city, the temp gauge slowly goes almost all the way up (the fans work fine) and the car has died a few times on him, most recently yesterday evening. After it has sat for about 20 minutes or so it cranks and cranks and cranks and cranks and finally restarts.

So:

Is the red coolant doing this to the car, and if so what's the best way to drain the entire system to 'cleanse' the cooling system of the red Dexcool?

[HondaFan81]

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/gener.../aa052601a.htm

[souldoubt]

before adding dex-cool the system MUST BE FLUSHED OF ALL GREEN ANTIFREEZE.
if you don't it will cause the mix to gel and get like 1/2 cool jello. which will cause major problems.

[HondaFan81]

before adding dex-cool the system MUST BE FLUSHED OF ALL GREEN ANTIFREEZE.
if you don't it will cause the mix to gel and get like 1/2 cool jello. which will cause major problems.

yea, and according to that article I found, it is tough to fully flush your coolant system free of the previous coolant. If I were your friend, I would flush the coolant system very well....prolly do it once...run engine for a while to get the fluid circulating, then come back and flush it again and fill it with the green coolant like it's supposed to have....and don't touch the red dexcoolant again

[darkslide_77]

if they sell those kits for flush and fill, it will be a little "t" connector that you put on one of your heater hoses......then you will be able to hook a hose up to it....then open either the drain petcock or take the lower rad hose off and flush the whole thing out....let it run for a few minutes till its completely clear

you can use the red shit, but all the green has to be out

[accordztech]

fuk the kits use a hose and then let it drain at the same time....

oh and why add dex cool....you were fine with regular green stuff....i wouldnt keep it in there if it were my car....

anyways i heard some results mixing the 2 kinds will lead to white corrosion in your system...

[souldoubt]

dexcool is actualy a better coolant than the green stuff (if used properly).
it won't let electolisis develope like in the green antifreaze when it's neglected. when that happens the aluminum in our motors & radiators start to scale and "wear". since the the red isn't electrolite based it won't conduct electricity as it breaks down and starts to react w/ the aliminum.
gm started using the dex-cool after the 2.2,2.4,3.1,3.4 motors were popping heads. they found it lasted longer and performed better(cooled faster).
so if a person would totaly flush the green out and used the red, it would be better off.
but cost is an issue $12-$16 per gallon for the red which must be used straight vs. $5-$8 for the green that gets mixed 50/50 w/ water.

[cb7-R]

dexcool is actualy a better coolant than the green stuff (if used properly).
it won't let electolisis develope like in the green antifreaze when it's neglected. when that happens the aluminum in our motors & radiators start to scale and "wear". since the the red isn't electrolite based it won't conduct electricity as it breaks down and starts to react w/ the aliminum.
gm started using the dex-cool after the 2.2,2.4,3.1,3.4 motors were popping heads. they found it lasted longer and performed better(cooled faster).
so if a person would totaly flush the green out and used the red, it would be better off.
but cost is an issue $12-$16 per gallon for the red which must be used straight vs. $5-$8 for the green that gets mixed 50/50 w/ water.

NOT TRUE.(not totally) There 9 diffrent types of green coolant,6 diffrent types of red/orange cooloant,1 gold ,1 amber, 3 purple, and 2 blue ones. Each coolant is manufactuer specific. ONLY USE HONDA COOLANT IN YOUR HONDAS. Right now we are swithching over to a blue color coolant available at your local dealership.. Also Dex-cool is also known as Dex-kill because when the cooling system develops a leak and it is exposed to air the Dex-cool turns into gel. Yes GEL. imagine trying to get that out of your engines. Also neglecting coolant flushing will lead to electrolyisis no matter what kind of coolant you use. Also currently those T tap flushers are the best ones available right now.

[dwf137]

i just stick to regular green antifreeze... i never am too concerend about the brand or what company it's manufactured for, whatever works, works... I've never had any probelms..

get rid of that dexacool crap..

[offthahook]

My Solara takes the red and it is supposedly better IF your car is deigned for it. Green should stick with green and red should always use red. i also use distilled water because I've heard the elements in many cities' water systems are harmful (over time) to a car's cooling system. Maybe not true, but it's worth a couple bucks for me to use pure water vs. water full of minerals and what not.

[cb7-R]

My Solara takes the red and it is supposedly better IF your car is deigned for it. Green should stick with green and red should always use red. i also use distilled water because I've heard the elements in many cities' water systems are harmful (over time) to a car's cooling system. Maybe not true, but it's worth a couple bucks for me to use pure water vs. water full of minerals and what not.

yeah. Toyota is one of the few manuf. that use red antifreeze. Also you are 100 percent correct on the distilled water issue. it is the best to use.

[cb7-R]

i just stick to regular green antifreeze... i never am too concerend about the brand or what company it's manufactured for, whatever works, works... I've never had any probelms....

Yet. But i guarantee you your water pump will take a shit if you are using that in a Honda. Also if you have an OEM radiator you WILL develop leaks.

[darkslide_77]

Yet. But i guarantee you your water pump will take a shit if you are using that in a Honda. Also if you have an OEM radiator you WILL develop leaks.

okay cb7-r

i use the cheapest shit i can find when it comes to anti-freeze/ coolant....i have almost 200 k and orig radiator and pump....so lets be realistic.....just like oil, all coolant must meet minimum standards set by sae.......

another thing.....gm started the dex-cool craze........toyota followed the leader because it is less corrosive and doesnt break down as quickly (thats why they say it lasts for 150k)

the blue coolant must be a new thing, cause last timei checked, vw/audi were the only ones using blue and/or purple........

[cb7-R]

okay cb7-r

i use the cheapest shit i can find when it comes to anti-freeze/ coolant....i have almost 200 k and orig radiator and pump....so lets be realistic.....just like oil, all coolant must meet minimum standards set by sae.......

another thing.....gm started the dex-cool craze........toyota followed the leader because it is less corrosive and doesnt break down as quickly (thats why they say it lasts for 150k)

the blue coolant must be a new thing, cause last timei checked, vw/audi were the only ones using blue and/or purple........

No it does not meet SAE standards. Currently there are no standards set for Antifreeze other than enviromental ones. Thats why there are about 15 diffrent types of Anti freeze and about 5 diffrent colors. And there is no "craze" for Dex-cool going on. It was a vehicle manufacturers specification. Toyotas do not use Dex-Cool, they use red coolant created by another manufactuer. Read my earlier post there are several diffrent types of coolant available and color is NOT an indication that they are all they same. yes the blue coolant is new to Honda. It is actually available for Acura's only but Honda dealerships are in the procecces of switching over. And if you choose to use the "cheapest" shit you can find then have fun with it.

[dwf137]

I dont get the cheapest stuff out there, but I'm in no way going to bend over for Honda antifreeze...

I have an OEM radiator, never had any leaks. Never needed to replace a waterpump, the factory one went 206k miles till i lost a crankshaft bearing... always using non-Honda antifreeze...

And you're wrong. ASTM(American Society for Testing Materials) does do testing on Anti-freeze look it up!! Make sure you get something that's approved.