1999 Blazer, 81000 miles. Bought the car a few months ago. Previous owner had the radiator and water pump replaced within the past year. Noticed the coolant was rusty in color. Called up the local Jiffy-Lube to see if they could do a coolant exchange. They could and I had it done yesterday. I watched the entire process. Asked the tech if Dex-Cool was being put back in. He said it was a universally compatible coolant that would have no cross-contamination effects. I got home, checked the level in the radiator and noticed there was an oily residue on the inside of the cap. Cleaned it up. Just wondering what your thought are on this. Should I have run a flush through the system first? And should I ditch this coolant and go back to the Dex-Cool?

Thanks
John

 

Oily Residue, Keep your eye's on the transmission fluid and motor oil for coolant contamination. Also check coolant for oil contamination often...
DEX-COOL or DEATH COOL= nothing but major problems..........

 

Another opinion, not fact. The only recorded problems with Dexcool have been when the vehicle has been improperly or inadaquately maintained. Dexcool requires that the overflow tank be up to the proper levels. If your coolant gets low, that means that you have a leak and a leak means the possibility of air in the system. Dexcool hasn't caused any problems, it has always been proven to be air in the system that has interacted with the dexcool. True, dexcool reacts very differently to air in the system than the old green stuff, but it is in fact the air that is causing the damage.

Keep an eye on the coolant. If you start to see this residue in the coolant bottle, you may have larger problems.

 

It's just not another opinion, For me it's a fact. Wife's 2005 Chevy Cavalier, 9,500 miles on it, RED SAND developing inside the plastic tank, The Tank and radiator are FULL. Please tell me how we inadaquately maintained the cooling system. Daughter's 2003 chevy Malibu has red/rusty goo globed on the bottom of the radiator cap, 29,000 miles. Tank and radiator are full........

Check out this article from a little ORG. some of you may have heard of before.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/autom...m_dexcool.html

or just GOOGLE- dexcool.... and get ready to read some more opnions, It's your truck, do whatever you like with it.

 

Ok... Sorry for your experience, but even something as simple as a bad radiator cap can cause the problems you experienced. You don't like Dexcool that's fine, but it's still an opinion, not fact.

When you get right down to it, look at the statistics of the situation. Of the litterally millions of vehicles produced with Dexcool, only around 0.1% (rough guestimate) of them are having issues.

I won't even post here with sites that clear Dexcool as they can be found easy enough if you are looking for them. Sure you'll get more sites bashing it because of the problems experienced by few, but when you look at the bigger picture, it is a very small occurance when compared with the number of vehicles running Dexcool. Heck, do a quick search on *insert favorite vehicle here* and other than enthusiast sites, you'll find a majority of the sites bashing the weak points of said vehicle.

Many members here are using Dexcool without problems, myself included. Sucks that you've had it bite you twice, but the facts are not in your favor.

We will not discuss this here any further, as it is disrespectful to the author. If you would like, create another thread on this discussion to go further. I do believe there was another thread on this topic already.

 

I'd have gotten a flush, rust in the antifreeze is never a great sign... oily residue either. I would definitely get a flush and also at the same time change the oil. This way you start fresh with both. If you should see one bleed into the other you know your problems are more extensive. I've had dexcool in one vehicle. I didn't have any major problems with it but I've had problems with things others have praised, so I always say with anything, be careful.

 

Thanks for everyone's very heartfelt replies. I see this is a hotbed of an issue. My gut is telling me to run a flush through the system to get rid of the oily residue. Afterwards, I'll refill it with Dex-Cool ( I can hear the crowd roar ). The reason being, we have a 2001 Suburban, since new, that has Dex-cool in it and have not had any problems with it. With the Blazer, we just purchased it, so I don't know how closely it was watched. Thanks again, I will post again if there are any changes. I also read the thread "who's had good luck with Dex-Cool?" thread. Good reading

John

 

Good Luck John. (With the Dex-cool I Mean)

 

The sand could be left over from the block casting process, and is finding its way into the overflow tank.