Dex-Cool is not!

B

Bill Marsh

Joined
Mar 26, 2002
Messages
1,861
My sister just had major problems with Dex-Cool the GM Orange antifreeze supposed to last 150k miles. Her car has about 36k miles. Trans Am Pontiac.

She writes:

"The orange stuff is Dex-Cool and you need to check your radiator frequently - I did the drain/flush/refill at 32,000 miles as it looked a bit gummy them - dex-cool is supposed to go to 150,000 miles. Then Saturday night, the car dumped me on the side of the road, temps red-lined, engine shaking - would not take more than a gal of water though. It is a bad problem. Class action suits in 14 states. Some people having to replace radiators, lines, head gaskets and even engines... Check your radiator FREQUENTLY - this problem is severe and sudden.

My water pump went and I had to do a major back-flush - plus replace my water pump and thermostat. $800! Car is still in the shop... I've only got 36,885 miles on this car."

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/23/gm-dexcool-lawsuit-may-soon-gain-class-action-status/

http://www.wcpo.com/wcpo/localshows/dontwasteyourmoney/20299ce7.html

BTW GM advises that you do not add to your radiator unless it is distilled water. Hmm I have always added Perrier to my Eldorado :eek:


Pictures of her radiator cap follow.

(note, something wrong with BF picture upload, will try later)

Going to have a look at my radiator caps right now!
 
Thanks for the warning Bill!
 
bobistheoilguy.com is a great resource for automotive fluids.
Tons of schtuff about oil fuel coolant and additives. At 36k , they should do the repair under warranty from GM , unless it's a toad service writier . A few phone calls could save you a bagful of green.

HTH
Jorge
 
Yeah I fear having a new car that gets old. I have no problem tearing into my 82 volksy but working on the new turbocharged direct injection computercontrolled everything with 15 extra dealies to lower emmisions, scares me.

I think we are going to see plenty more little things like 150,000 mile anti-freeze go bust in the next few years.
 
A littel more from my sister:

Not all GM cars are having these problems. Just keep a check on your radiators. I have my oil changed at Jiffy Lube and they check all the fluids. From one change to the next was when the Dex-Cool went bad. They said 'hey, supposed to go 150,000 but this stuff looks really bad" plus buried down in the manual was 150,000 - OR - five years. I was at about 6 years so I thought the fluid problem was age.

I was ready to have my oil changed this week. I can't say if I've been through 2 or 3 changes since the dex-cool change there. I've got to look it up.

Sunday Tom and I tried to drain the radiator, put the Firebird on an incline and we could only get one gallon out - supposed to be over three... there seems to be severe blockage plus the water pump is dripping. Everything is all gunked up inside where you can see, like it has sludge or mud... Tom suggested I change to the green antifreeze so that's when I did my net search on Dex-Cool also now known as Death-Cool...
_____________________________

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/gm_dexcool.html

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/dexcool2

http://www.girardgibbs.com/consumercases.asp
Dex-Cool Class Action

Girard Gibbs is co-lead counsel in a federal Multi-District Litigation class action and numerous state class action lawsuits filed on behalf of owners of General Motors vehicles, which were factory-filled with "Dex-Cool" coolant. The lawsuits allege that Dex-Cool forms a sludge-like substance in these vehicles which clogs cooling systems, causing them to overheat, and that Dex-Cool corrodes all parts of the engine it comes in contact with including the upper and lower intake manifold gaskets. The suits further alleges that Dex-Cool not only does not perform as promised, but also causes premature and costly engine repairs to consumers' vehicles.

If you've experienced similar problems with Dex-Cool, please click here and let us know.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/08/gm_dexcool.html

http://cwcd.lawoffice.com/CM/MassTorts/MassTorts5.asp

http://www.geocities.com/b_gillie/dexcool_problems

http://www.noln.net/features/feature3.html

gaskets:
http://autotechrepair.suite101.com/article.cfm/050106
 
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