Is Mixing Dexcool Antifreeze And Universal Coolant Okay?

Main points of Mixing Dexcool Antifreeze And Universal Coolant.

  • Don’t mix Dexcool with a standard liquid catalyst! Dexcool is an exceptionally refined GM coolant that will not blend with universal antifreeze, and was used in a variety of GM applications until the model year 2004.
  • When replacing the old Dexcool antifreeze in your vehicle with universal antifreeze, GM recommends coolant exchangers
  • Check the coolant level and condition during each oil change, regardless of whether you use Dexcool or ethylene glycol.
  • In order to remove all debased coolant, GM recommends flushing any vehicle mixing Dexcool with green antifreeze more than once.

Like me, you probably have a lot of things in your garage that you rarely use. Old coolant is included in this category. Last time I checked, my garage had over 10 gallons of unused antifreeze…enough for a small car!

Dexcool and universal coolant can be mixed together without worrying about proportions or anything else – just shake them together before pouring.

To keep the engine at an optimal temperature, universal coolants are commonly used in vehicles. Combining it with Dexcool Antifreeze helps protect your car from corrosion and rust.

Consult your mechanic or a local auto parts store if you’re not sure what type of chemicals work best for your vehicle!

Many cars made before 1998 may run cooler with Dexcool coolant, while those made after 1998 only use universal coolant.

Mixing both types of chemicals in an old car with a pre-1998 engine might damage the radiator (the radiator is also not designed to handle such a mixture).

If you own a late ’90s model, your car actually calls for a 50% mixture of Dexcool and universal coolant.

Mix 10 gallons of coolant with 1 gallon of antifreeze in a large container. Pour the liquids through a funnel into the radiator of your car once they have been well mixed. For each gallon of antifreeze and universal coolant, there is a one-to-one ratio.

How does engine coolant work? In order to keep your motor from overheating, coolant (sometimes called liquid catalyst or radiator liquid) is utilized. Is it safe to mix Dexcool and universal antifreeze together?

Can Dexcool Coolant be mixed with green antifreeze?

Yes, it is and it is done when there are few or no other options. There is no blending between the green and orange coolants.

When combined, they form a gel-like substance that stops the coolant stream, which overheats the motor. As a rule, the motor most likely has been damaged by this inquiry, and it is typically asked sometime later.

I would prefer to blunder moderately and include what the framework should take rather than bet on a universal antifreeze that guarantees similarity with Dexcool.

Read on to prepare for significant motor disappointment.

Dexcool Coolant: What Is It?

GM introduced a motor coolant called Dexcool during the 1990s. There have been issues with this coolant, which should last 5 years or 150,000 miles.

It is specially designed to prevent corrosion when the coolant level gets low and oxygen is allowed to enter the cooling framework.

Rust and corrosion will destroy your engine long before a head gasket or admission gasket is ever required.

In addition to causing significant damage to an internal combustion system, these problems are just the beginning.

It’s not only that Dexcool’s corrosion inhibitor prevents metal from deteriorating naturally, but as heat builds up within certain parts due to increased pressure levels inside the motor-vehicle unit over time, guess what? This means more excessive wear on both belts and gears.

That’s why it’s so important to check your vehicle regularly. In the long run, it will save you a lot of money.

Preventative maintenance is better than changing belts and oil before they’re needed – since if you need a new belt, you’ll eventually have to pay for what happens when it fails.

These are some of the most common noises, symptoms, and indications that your engine’s intake or exhaust system may be malfunctioning:

  • There is a loud hissing sound that won’t cease, especially when the vehicle is idling at a stoplight (or after it has been shut off).
  • The presence of pressure within the system could be caused by a broken or blocked hose or pipe.
  • An extremely loud sound when accelerating (or decelerating); could be caused by an obstruction in either intake or exhaust; if it’s the latter, don’t worry about your vehicle.
  • It occurs when excessive pressure levels in the motor vehicle unit cause heat to build-up inside it.

Schedule an appointment with your mechanic today (or tomorrow, if it’s an emergency). It won’t disappoint you!

If they have to disassemble the motor-vehicle unit to fix what could’ve been avoided, it will cost you more in the long run.

Does Universal Coolant work with Dexcool Antifreeze?

Don’t mix Dexcool with a standard liquid catalyst! Through the 2004 model year, Dexcool was utilized in a variety of GM applications and wouldn’t mix with universal antifreeze.

A blend of exchange synthetic substances will void the GM support, corrupt coolant uprightness, and damage your GM vehicle’s coolant system. As Dexcool is orange, it cannot be confused with conventional green coolants.

Adding green coolant to Dexcool will reduce its adequacy from 5 years/150,000 miles to just 2 years/30,000 miles.

Finish off your universal antifreeze with DexCool. Shell and Prestone are private companies that sell Dex Cool. Make sure the coolant meets GM’s Dexcool GM6277M specifications, which should be marked on the bottle.

A car parts supply store can provide you with the proper coolant. If all else fails, ask a store representative for assistance.

Replace your Dexcool coolant with a coolant exchanger. In order to replace the old Dexcool antifreeze in your vehicle with universal antifreeze, GM recommends coolant exchangers.

You can have most car repair shops handle this administration for you, as well as remove the old coolant.

Is Universal Coolant an alternative to Dexcool?

Yes, of course. In the event that you have blended in other coolants, make sure to have the universal antifreeze completely drained when taking your vehicle to a shop.

Coolants other than DexCool will cause Dexcool to gel and become muck, leading to a variety of motor problems.

In order to remove all debased coolant, GM recommends flushing any vehicle mixing Dexcool with green antifreeze more than once.

As opposed to fluids, universal antifreeze responds and structures as gels. Coolant paths and water coats, radiators, and warming centers are blocked by universal antifreeze.

In the absence of ointment in the coolant, the water siphon overheats and explodes. The head gaskets blow, the heads twist, and the motor suffers significant damage.

Can I mix Dexcool and universal antifreeze safely in my vehicle if I have Dexcool? Temporarily, yes.

At 150,000 miles, GM recommends flushing Dexcool with antifreeze.

Here are some basic tips for maintaining your radiator

The primary concern with cooling maintenance is this. Make sure the coolant level and condition are checked at each oil change, regardless of whether you use Dexcool (the orange stuff) or ethylene glycol (the green stuff).

Additionally, top off your radiator at regular intervals or every 25,000 miles, whichever comes first (annually is highly recommended unless your car runs hot).

Dexcool and universal antifreeze can be mixed without causing problems.

If you don’t flush your coolant, what happens?

If you don’t flush your radiator soon enough, you risk engine damage. Green (for ethylene glycol) or orange (for Dexcool) is the color of sound motor coolant.

Corroded shading indicates that the rust inhibitor in the coolant has separated and can no longer control rust and scale development.

Maintain proper operation of the radiator by cleaning and flushing it with a crisp 50/50 blend of coolant.

Oil is indicated by a smooth shading. It usually means that a head gasket, consumption complex, or transmission oil cooler is spilling oil or transmission liquid into the motor coolant.

Quite quickly, a motor or transmission will be destroyed by this mixture.

A thick coolant indicates a good one

To the touch, the motor coolant should feel thick and smooth (like motor oil). Coolant that feels coarse should be flushed and replaced with a 50/50 mix if it is dirty.

In the event that the coolant does not feel like this, it has lost its viscosity (the greasing up and rust inhibiting operators have crumbled) and the framework is at risk of rust and scale development.

Make Sure Your Antifreeze Smells Good

If the antifreeze smells consumed, it needs to be changed. Additionally, you should replace the inside regulator. The car is overheating, so it’s gone bad.

A bi-metallic spring that opens and closes the indoor regulator valve is damaged by overheating.

To avoid significant motor damage, find out what caused the framework to overheat and fix it.

Can Dexcool and universal antifreeze be mixed together?

Ideally, no, but in a pinch, yes.

Dexcool class action lawsuits against General Motors

Dexcool will not let GM down, GM believes. Beginning in 2008, GM settled a class-action suit with certain proprietors on this issue

To avoid paying customers who may have been hurt by higher gas prices during an economic downturn when the weather was colder outside than it is now, but very warm inside your car.

Clarence Darrow developed a product called Dexcool under his own initiative at General Motors. Mineral oil serves as both a coolant and an insulator between metal parts where heat is generated by pressure in his highly effective refrigerant system for cars.

Chemists helped Clarence create a blend that inhibits corrosion and rust in gasoline systems by fighting acidity which would otherwise destroy metal parts over time while protecting them from overheating. Due to its effectiveness, GM decided to use the new formula across their entire fleet rather than just certain models.

According to ABC News, Dexcool was so effective at fighting corrosion that it eliminated the need for other traditional coolants.

By not having to coat water pumps and air conditioning parts with protective coatings, the new coolant blend also reduced GM’s manufacturing costs.

The new product was so popular that GM encouraged car owners to change their coolant every two years rather than every 15,000 miles.

Moreover, because the Dexcool mixture is red in color, your mechanic or astute everyday driver will be able to notice when it begins to break down. Problems begin to appear at that point.

The biggest problem with Dexcool is that it doesn’t work in the winter because the fluid becomes a gel-like substance when it gets cold, which clogs up lines and causes overheating.

When the temperature drops below 50 degrees, a plastic intake manifold (like most GM vehicles) will begin to melt.

As a result of Dexcool’s use, there have been many class-action lawsuits against GM for making false claims about its lifespan and for creating situations where overheating can occur.

In many court cases, it’s been noted that there were better extended life coolants on the market, but GM executives decided not to use these products because they wanted “their stuff” in every car.

In addition to lasting longer than other traditional coolants, Dexcool provides better corrosion protection.

In fact, the company forced customers to come in for maintenance when they didn’t need it and to pay for repairs when there wasn’t any damage.

Mixing Dexcool Antifreeze and Universal Coolant

People sometimes have to make do with what they have. It is rare or impossible to have an ideal solution in an emergency.

A truck emergency kit is always a good idea, and it is well worth the inconvenience of months or years of hassle if you ever need it.

Your car will benefit from Dexcool. It is best to continue using only Dexcool if your car already uses Dexcool. In the long run, proactive car maintenance will save you money, time, and headaches.

When mixing Dexcool and other coolants, it’s best not to use a vehicle that has experienced prolonged high temperatures.

High temperatures can lead to corrosion, which can reduce cooling efficiency and reduce protection against freezing or boiling over. Consult your owner’s manual for recommended mixing ratios when in doubt.

If you want to mix Dexcool with just any old antifreeze, it’s best not to do so, since the coolant must have a lower freezing point than water! Here’s a good rule of thumb for making sure your new mixture will work:

If one has a low boiling point and the other doesn’t (i.e., Dexcool vs straight ethylene glycol) then mix them together in equal amounts; however, if both fluids share similar properties (both have high boiling points or both are low), then adding up to 10% more of the fluid that boils at a higher temperature can help ensure adequate corrosion protection.

A hygroscopic substance, ethylene glycol attracts moisture strongly. Using ethylene glycol for an extended period of time can lead to some issues.

Water contamination can cause the fluid to break down into several acids that can damage your cooling system.

Water content in coolant depends on several factors, including how clean the system was when it was installed and how well it is sealed.

If you add coolant to your car every two years or live in an area where there is a lot of water on the roads during the winter, then a corrosion inhibitor is a good idea. ethylene glycol-based fluids can last up to five years with proper maintenance.

Is Mixing Dexcool Antifreeze And Universal Coolant Video Explanation

References and Resources:

https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en

https://www.kia.com/us/en

Sharing Is Caring:
error: Content is protected !!