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Personally, I can't attribute any trouble to Dexcool, although that isn't necessarily a great measure of whether or not to use it. I've been using it for a _long_ time and haven't had any problems related to it. I have noticed that my coolant remains red for the whole time I use it, although I generally change it out one time per year.
Dexcool got a bad rap for a few reasons. First, the very cars it was designed for, General Motors cars, were the ones with the worst problems. They experienced problems often associated with gaskets (defective) that allowed air into the system, and allowed coolant levels to fall below acceptable, or at least optimum, levels. As a direct result, Dexcool was turning into brownish mud and eating away/clogging cooling systems.
Second, there was some discussion about it's effects on lead solder radiators, which seems to be a good reason not to use it in those units.
Third, it seems to find leaks where there might not have been any previously. I always can spot a reddish color at the ends of hoses and once in a while, a little orange stain where it has shown itself around the seams of the radiator or elsewhere, but I have never had any measurable leak over the course of a year, so I have to believe that it is still a reasonably sound replacement coolant. If you flush regularly (the radiator, I mean) you'll have decent luck with Dexcool. If you tend to let it go for a long time without flushing, any coolant is bad, and if it runs at a less than "min" level, it may even be bad for the cooling system. Just a few things to consider.
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a Brickboard.com Expat
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