napa tried to sell me Dex-cool, now I am confused

I have been lax in replacing the coolant in my 90 coupe. Napa said I should use Dex-cool. I have heard bad things about Dex-cool, When my car was built I don't think it was invented yet. The coolant in the car now is greem if that means anything. I live in Miami so I am more worried about corrosion than freezing. What do you folks recommend I use?

Thanks,

Richard.

if it's the "orange" DexCool, you don't need it. someone here got points off at the Portland meet for the orange in his overflow tank. the "flaps" guy might have tried to sell that to you for a commission to sell that product, or didn't know anything other than his computer told him.

when i flushed and filled the coolant in my Reatta a year or so ago, i used Walmart "SuperTech" which would mix with any coolant (and it was green). the FLAPS also have a similar product.

another tip: don't ever buy a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water. it may be a couple of dollars cheaper, but 50% of water doesn't cost much.

and don't worry about getting a correct 50/50 match. in Miami you could go 30/70 with no problem other than the "rust inhibitors" that supposedly last 5 years. a "flush & fill" should be done every 2 or 3 years.

same with the northern folks: never go above 70/30...

GM started using the "Orange" Dexcool in 1995 as a "5 year/100k mile" coolant. It is still ethylene glycol but has a VERY different additive mix. A lot of people had problems with it clumping and jelling in their cooling system. And a lot of this was blamed on contamination - either by unknowingly mixing non-Dexcool while "topping it off", or air/gases and such from the infamous intake manifold gasket leaks that were so prevalent in mid-1990s to early-2000s GM cars. (Both V-6s and V-8s were afflicted by the IMG problems - including my '96 Suburban and my 2002 Rendezvous...) Whether the change to Dexcool was a contributing factor to the IMG issues or the IMG issues a contributing factor to Dexcool contamination is a matter of debate. But Dexcools formulation has changed a few times since it was first released 20 years ago to hopefully resolve some of its issues.

If you do decide to use Dexcool, be sure you never contaminate it with non-Dexcool. So do really good flush of the old coolant before refilling with the Dexcool. And change it every five years regardless of mileage.

Thanks Kerry, it was odd that he did not look at a computer or reference book, he must have memorized all the product applications and knrw that a 1990 Reatta needed Dex Cool. It's also odd that it was the most expensive coolant he had. Whatever marketing giy thought of selling coolant that's 50% water for the same price as as 100% coolant must have gotten a big promotion. I noticed that online the 100% is now called concentrated.

Best Regards,

Richard

Richard,

Do not mix Dex-cool with regular anti-freeze unless you want this to happen inside your engine....

John F.

Richard,

Do not mix Dex-cool with regular anti-freeze unless you want this to happen inside your engine....

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John F.

Maybe that's what he means by "The coolant in the car now is greem if that means anything. "

good one, Bleach! and John F. (Machiner55) is also correct... :cool:

like i said, the one i purchased is green and supposed to mix with "all". but i wouldn't go there unless i had "flushed and filled" if there was any "orange" in there. another thought - if there is some orange color - that would look like rust.

i'm surprised you got that treatment from a NAPA store. up here in NC , the ones are pretty much "old school" with actual parts books.

just another reason if i have to go to a flaps, i look the part up online on their site - get a part number and if it's in stock at that store. i take the number with me with the price. most of the "kids" still have to get the year/make and model before, and give a price much above what i have. when i give them their "part number" and price info, i get - "oh yeah, we have that"! :mad:

I have always had gotten good service at this NAPA store, and I usually look up parts on line but I was driving by the store so I just pulled in. The counter man I usually see was not there and the kid that I talked to I had never seen before. What I meant about the coolant being green was that it had not turned brown from rust. I will flush it with plain water until it runs clear, then I will put im a gallon of 100% Prestone and the rest tap water. Those passages in the water pump are nasty. It looks like about half of the passage is clogged. Would that spread to the water jackets around the cylinders as well? YUCH.

Thanks for all the help,

Richard.

Those passages in the water pump are nasty. It looks like about half of the passage is clogged. Would that spread to the water jackets around the cylinders as well?

John F.

You might want to test the coolant to see if it needs to be replaced. There are test strips that measure acidity and temperature protection. I found them at Carquest.

I just by a case of Peak "Long-Life" coolant (full strength) "mix with any color" from Sams every now and again. I also buy gallons of distilled water (84c) and keep a few around. Suspect using distilled water is just as important.

"Compatible for use in all automobiles and light-duty trucks

Yellow color will not change the current antifreeze color when used for topping-off

Provides 150,000 miles or 5 years of maximum protection when a complete cooling system flush and fill is performed

Features a phosphate-free and silicate-free formula

Meets ASTM D-3306 and ASTM D-4340"

if it's the "orange" DexCool, you don't need it. someone here got points off at the Portland meet for the orange in his overflow tank. the "flaps" guy might have tried to sell that to you for a commission to sell that product, or didn't know anything other than his computer told him.

I hope this is not referring to a Reatta getting points off because that simply would not be true. I was on the judging team and checked with Jim Finn who judged engines. He took no points off for coolant color. In fact the overflow reservoir is so opaque that I doubt one could discern the color without opening the cap which is not allowed.