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Is it OK to get rid of Dex-Cool from the Radiator and use Regular Antifreeze ???

spike10940

Member
Messages
19
Location
US
Is it OK to get rid of Dex-Cool from the Radiator and use Regular Antifreeze ???
Just have to make sure the system is flushed really good so there is no reaction from mixing the two. Flush a couple of times to be safe and say goodbye to the orange and hello to the green.

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ski.dive

Well-Known Member
Messages
146
Location
FLORIDA + VERMONT
WHY?= GM car and truck owners continue to complain that the DEXCOOL corrodes and clogs radiators and radiator caps, erodes water pumps, rots radiator hoses, causes chronic overheating and engine damage while leading to leaky engine gaskets.
 

amrg

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,317
Location
Qatar
I have regular coolant for 3 years now.
Mainly due to the fact when I swapped my engine and rad the shop ( a jeep shop ) used green coolant. No issues

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Traxx

Well-Known Member
Messages
682
Location
PNW
I'd be a lot more concerned with the radiator itself rather than what is in it.

WHY?= GM car and truck owners continue to complain that the DEXCOOL corrodes and clogs radiators and radiator caps, erodes water pumps, rots radiator hoses, causes chronic overheating and engine damage while leading to leaky engine gaskets.
 

ludevick

Well-Known Member
Messages
99
Location
Northern California
I’m approaching 80k on my 06, would it be wise to replace the radiator soon? It gets to just under 3/4 on the temp gauge up steep grades in 100*+ ambient temperatures.


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Ordieh

Well-Known Member
Messages
152
Location
Georgetown texas
Whatever you use, just be sure to add the proper amount of PURPLE ICE at least once yearly! Does what it says on the bottle......... Been using for years.
 

atvspeed4

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,173
Location
massachusetts
CSF all aluminum or OEM replacement, the radiators in these H3s do not last long enough for it to matter what you put in it as you will be putting a new radiator in before the dexcool needs to be replaced which means full flush and new dexcool if you do it right

Just replaced OEM radiator with just over 20,000 miles on it on alpha
Need to replace the CSF all aluminum on 2006 after 30,000 miles leaking where tubes are soldered to end caps
 

ski.dive

Well-Known Member
Messages
146
Location
FLORIDA + VERMONT
quote-
Just replaced OEM radiator with just over 20,000 miles on it on alpha
Need to replace the CSF all aluminum on 2006 after 30,000 miles leaking where tubes are soldered to end caps[/QUOTE]

Maybe it was the DEXCOOL coolant, that had something to do with the failure of the radiators
Many Horror stories about DEXCOOL eating away at the cooling system.
 

3rdH3

Well-Known Member
Messages
216
Location
Blacksburg, VA
Yep. I'm on my 3rd Radiator, 2 OEM's. A cheapie is in it now. Each lasted about 50K. One leaked in the main part and one cracked in the plastic, not at a seam... 2010 Alpha/Offroad 135K. When Dexcool first came out many years ago, there were incompatible seals in some cooling systems. Everything has been good for years as long as you don't let it get low or mix it with something else.
 
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Zach

Mall Crawler
Messages
4,812
Location
So Cal
WHY?= GM car and truck owners continue to complain that the DEXCOOL corrodes and clogs radiators and radiator caps, erodes water pumps, rots radiator hoses, causes chronic overheating and engine damage while leading to leaky engine gaskets.

Back when they first started using dexcool there seemed to be some issues. Mainly with the 4.3 engines, most of that was probably due to low coolant levels which did turn it to mud. Now a days haven’t seen any issues at all with it
 

alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,442
Location
Scottsdale
Been with Dexcool for 11 years now. OEM radiator failed at 98K. 2nd radiator got a leak about 20K later, possibly due to a puncture. Crappy aftermarket radiator, and I mean really, really poorly made, went for another 70K before I replaced with a new OEM. Crappy one didn't fail, but I got a good deal on OEM. So, sorta like atvspeed is saying you don't know what you're going to get for life expectancy but I would extend that to any radiator, not just OEM. Heck, I know one forum member with a ton of issues with his Ron Davis raditator, yet others like Bebe have had great experiences.
 

Traxx

Well-Known Member
Messages
682
Location
PNW
The other thing about oem is that you get the warranty. Try getting one of those ebay sellers or csf aluminum to honor a warranty in 6 months. My oem had 98k on it and was still fine but knowing how they like to fail internally I replaced it as part of maintenance along with everything else cooling related, hoses, fan clutch, water pump, etc.
Firm believer in preventative maintenance.
 
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