I never really noticed a consensus here, so figured it would be worth asking.
Our '94 Acclaim 3.0L came to us last year with DexCool in it (pink). The factory shop manual says to use glycol, then adds all sorts of stipulations to that, such as:
"50/50 Glycol and Water (.82 btu) is the recommended combination... The radiator, water pump, engine water jacket, radiator pressure cap, thermostat, temperature gauge, sending unit and heater are all designed for 50/50 glycol. "Where required, a 56 percent glycol and 44 percent water mixture will provide a freeze point of -59C (-50F). "CAUTION: Richer mixtures cannot be measured with field equipment which can lead to problems associated with 100 percent glycol." (this last is all in boldface, and it makes absolutely no sense to me)
"The use of aluminum cylinder heads, intake manifolds, and water pumps requires special corrosion protection. Mopar Antifreeze, Prestone II, Peak or antifreeze containing Alugard 340-2, or their equivalent are recommended for best engine cooling without corrosion. When mixed only to a freeze point of -37C (-35F) to -59C (-50F). [sic] If it looses [sic] color or becomes contaminated, drain, flush, and replace with fresh properly mixed solution."
"Use only 50/50 concentration of ethylene glycol type antifreeze and water."
The previous owner seemed to have most of his service done by a Plymouth dealer. Could the dealer have substituted the DexCool for some reason? Does DexCool make any kind of sense in this car? Why would they be so concerned that the mix be between 50/50 and 56/44?
If it makes any difference, the current coolant registered about -45F on my Prestone plastic tester (the kind with the large red plastic needle indicator). I plan to replace the coolant soon anyway.