Daniel J. Stern wrote:

> On Wed, 8 Mar 2006, Jack Hayes wrote:

>>What experience have people in this group had with GM's dexcool.

>VERY bad. The stuff is highly aggressive to many gasket and seal
>materials, even those specifically (nominally) designed for it.

>>My sons Jimmy started to leak at the manifold and the dealer said it was
>>because of the dexcool antifreeze used

>It was due to GM's shoddy design and build, *aggravated* by Dexcool.

>Of course GM said the dealer was wrong. Dexcool is a real problem child
>for GM.

I'm sure my 1986 Corolla wasn't designed specifically for Dex-cool, but
I ran it in that car from the day it became available in retail stores
until I sold the car 2 years ago. I never had external leaks
(including crusting), sweet-smelling air from the vents, or a need to
top off the overflow tank more than usual. This wasn't an exceptional
case for Dex-cool because several company Chevy Novas and Geo Prizms
(same engine as Corollas, but maybe GM radiators), were also run with
Dex-cool, and a chemist who specializes in closed loop water cooling
systems ran periodic checks and said the corrosion levels were low.