DexCool class action lawsuit

[bmyers]

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/autom...m_dexcool.html
anyone ever had a problem, heard of this or know a little more about it??

[Sarge]

Yeah...this has been a "hot topic" for a few years.....most if not all of the issues are on 96-98 model GM cars...the problem is air leaking causes the coolant to jell or gunk up....radiator caps were the culprit in most cases...the other issue is folks do not flush and fill the coolant often enough.....it clearly says 150000 miles or as needed depending on driving conditions etc.....folks just blow right by the driving conditions statement and look at the 150000 miles....
You should be checking your coolant system for leaks and flushing and refilling once a year....standard maintenance....have your radiator cap pressure tested or just drop a few bucks once a year and get a new cap with the yearly flush and fill....
Also many have added non DexCool coolants to DexCool...this causes sludge and gummy bear guts to form...DexCool doesnt mix well with other coolants
Here is a decent "discussion"...sorta gives the other side of the story.....
http://theoildrop.server101.com/foru...e=0#Post612366

[YoMommasTA]

i've had some bad experiences with dexcool.At 28 thous miles the wifes 99 ta had brown snot in the overflow tank.The rad inside looked nice and clean.I pulled the tank and cleaned all the crap out of it and at the same time noticed something very strange.The rad cap and top of the rad where the cap seals were eatten and damaged badly.SO i replaced the the cap and repaired the radiator according to gm's bulletin,then also changed the dexcool AND overfilled the coolant tank according to GMs bulletin.GM says that overfilling the tank will stop the dexcool in the tank from mixing with air and turning into acid BULLSHEEET!! one year later it ate the new cap and radiator top again,inside the rad looks clean.Tank jammed with brown crap.DEXCCOL OUT GONE FOREVER

LOW TOX prestone in and no more eatting the cap and brown sheet.What i found out after reading alot is:dexcool must NEVER come in contact with air while its hot.Our coolant recovery tank are OPEN AIR design.SO dexcool is about worthless in them.I also have a 96 caprice classic with dexcool in it that looks fine BUT it has a completly closed system,even the recovery tank is sealed.AND the dexcool in the caprice has never been changed!NO brown stuff looks like new.I think dexcool is great stuff as long as your system is designed for it,if its not look out!

[Wayah-bird]

GM service manager just recommended Dexcool change at 30,000 miles to prevent that 'gel' problem mentioned. They have seen a bit of it here in the mountains (tougher than normal driving conditions) so I see no problem with a little preventative maintenance. It's not like it is ultra expensive. Just a drop in the bucket compared to other things, like insurance.

[Steve Crowe]

I've run into this problem more than once and it's not always a poorly sealing radiator cap or someone letting the overflow get so low air can get in.

You can sand the top of the radiator filler neck flat with 400 sandpaper on a block, replace the cap and keep the overflow full yet in a couple of years the gel can come right back. Problem here is that air has a sneaky way of getting into the system regardless. Think about it - air can slowly migrate through any of the rubber hoses, through micro spaces in the gaskets while the engine is going through heating/cooling cycles and perhaps the most obvious is the overflow resevoir itself. That thing is vented to the air so obviously the excess that's in it is exposed. Now consider that as your engine heats and coolant expands it goes into that overflow and mixes with what's in there; when the engine cools it sucks some of it back into the block.

Best thing I've found to completely clean the gel & other residues out is a two part engine flush that GM dealers sell. It's made by Prestone but has a GM part number and I've never seen it in auto parts stores.

Prestone® Heavy Duty Cooling System Cleaner, GM P/N 12346500