98TJ Rotted freeze-plugs/Bad Antifreeze

What kind of coolant was used?

Most of the stuff out there is the GM/Texaco Dexcool formula and it has earned a reputation for causing the damage you describe.

DC directly states it should NOT be used in any DC vehicle

The only DC approved antifreeze is Valvoline's Zerex G-05. It may be hard to find, I had to drive half way across the county to find it at pepboys.

Interesting. All I know is that it was green, I know some newer forumlations are orange or red? The last flush and fill was done at a local mechanic.

All may not have been well even if the color looks good. PH is a major factor even on the 5 year stuff most still need changing in 2 years.

ok, now I'm worried. What's a "DC vehicle"? I just put a new radiator in girlfriendzilla's 92 Cherokee. I used plain old Prestone. Is this nfg or ???

Billy Ray wrote:

Prestone = Dexcool and is suitable only for vehicles in which you want to replace the engine and cooling systems.

You can still get "American Green" 2 year antifreeze which would be acceptable for your '92. That being said it is only $1 a gallon cheaper than the superior, and recommended by DC, G-05 spec antifreeze.

You can get the G-05 antifreeze at your local DC dealership, Ford dealership, Mercedes dealership and (in Cincinnati) Pepboys. All the above are manufactured by Valvoline. The Zerex G-05 antifreeze comes in a golden-yellow jug.

You cannot get it at AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, NAPA, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, or Target (in Cincinnati) as they carry Prestone products.

If you read the Prestone label they claim to meet DC specs but DC specifically says NOT to use DexCool (OAT) based coolants. Only HOAT based coolants and the only HOAT based is made by Valvoline.

I can forward you (anyone) a 3 page excerpt from DC concerning engine coolant. Just send a note with your e-mail address to me below (remove SPAM)

The girl that has my WJ before had her coolant topped off at her local quickie-lube.

I could not believe the c*ap that came out when I back flushed the system. The fluid was basically a brownish pre-sludge.

That is about exactly what came out of my engine cooling system, brown soup. I'd be interested in the letter you have from DC. The repair is being done by the dealer now, so I'm sure it's Mopar antifreeze going in. To bad the bastards are raking me for $1300. I'll post the itemized bill later but the work I know they are doing is:

Replace water pump Replace head and block freeze plugs Replace radiator

Hopefully nothing else has been rotted out by the quick-lube cooling system service I had 2 years ago.

-Jim

Billy Ray wrote:

Here's an interesting article about different types of coolant. It's becoming more apparent that using manufacturer specific coolant is more important that I thought.

Hit the post button by accident.

The article claims that Prestone is changing from their "Conventional America Green" formula of

"silicate and phosphate inhibitors, and benzoate, a type of organic acid inhibitor."

They continue with:

"Prestone conventional antifreeze, with greenish-gold dye, actually was the leading seller, but that antifreeze is being phased out in favor of a DexCool formula."

Hmmmm Dexcool, AWESOME!!

Now if you believe the rest of this article, here comes the nail in the coffin:

"If it's a Ford or Chrysler Group product, or a European car (except VW/Audi) top up with G-05. It's available, and if you aren't using it as one of your standard shop antifreezes, it's no big deal to keep a few containers on the shelf. After all, it also is approved as a retrofit antifreeze on those makes. Do not use Prestone Extended Life gold."

So that Prestone Green that has been recently promoted as a "universal" replacement is not at all compatible with DC products like Billy said. Don't know if anyone here watches the PowerBlock on Spike, but Prestone has been pushing there green sludge as a one-fits-all replacement for any cooling system. I doubt the local quickie-lube is stocking manufacturer specific coolant. Something smells like class-action around here....

-Jim

Yeah, Greenies, as in I like my coolant to drain out GREEN, not brown soup :) I don't think the issue is with the anti-freezing agent, but with the anti-corrosion additives and according to the article Prestone is changing their formula. I take issue with a product that is marketed as a universal coolant replacement that functions as much less than that.

I agree I'm a dunce for not checking the condition of the coolant sooner. I sure didn't expect coolant that went in bright green to come out two years later like brown sludge with my engine block dissolved it it. According to the service shop manager I spoke to today, there was hardly a hint of green left in it.

Make sure you get all new hoses (radiator and heater) also.

I thought I had saved the link to a site with DexCool damage pix but I cannot find it.

It is good to hear they are finally fixing the problem but I am sure the fix will be 'new and improved" not ... "sorry we made a defective product and lied about the damage we knew it was causing for 10 years."

Most still use ethylene glycol as the base, the differences are in the additives.

DexCool was designed by Texaco for GM to eat away and clog everything in the cooling system. That way they sell more replacement parts and the dealerships make profits off repair labor. To GM that is a win-win scenario.