Green vs Orange Anti-Freeze

Some antifreeze compositions are advertised to be compatible with all other common types, but we dont really know what you have in the car and what you have in the green jug. It is a lot safer to flush out the old stuff and replace it with whatever you want to use.

I would not mix the two types without knowing more about their compatibility.

Having said that, I ran some tests about a year ago mixing DexCool and a typical "green" antifreeze dilution. When I went to buy the "green" material, every formulation on the shelf at Autozone claimed to be compatible with other types. I made the blends anyway, and watched them for a while at ambient temperature, and nothing untoward happened. But realize that I did not evaluate these for corrosion protection nor compatibility after cycling through temperature excursions.

I always use only Prestone Anti-Freeze. cuhulin

Without knowing what model car and what orange variant it uses, the answer is only: almost certainly.

--scott

If you put green in the orange then you are supposed to treat the entire mix as if it were green and change it at the typical green intervals rather then the orange intervals. If you bought it second hand and don't know how long the antifreeze has been in it, or if it's ever been changed, I would drain and flush it and refill it with whatever color you want and you'll be good for another 3 to 5 years at least.

Here's what GM says about mixing their orange/red Dex-cool with regular green antifreeze:

"Mixing conventional green coolant with DEX-COOL® will degrade the service interval from 5yrs./150,000 miles to 2yrs./30,000 miles (50,000 km) if left in the contaminated condition. If contamination occurs, the cooling system must be flushed twice immediately and re-filled with a 50/50 mixture of DEX-COOL® and clean water in order to preserve the enhanced properties and extended service interval of DEX-COOL®"

I've been using nothing but Dex-cool in my 1993 Ford and 1986 Toyota.

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I bought a sec Here's what GM says about mixing their orange/red Dex-cool with regular green antifreeze:

"Mixing conventional green coolant with DEX-COOL® will degrade the service interval from 5yrs./150,000 miles to 2yrs./30,000 miles (50,000 km) if left in the contaminated condition. If contamination occurs, the cooling system must be flushed twice immediately and re-filled with a 50/50 mixture of DEX-COOL® and clean water in order to preserve the enhanced properties and extended service interval of DEX-COOL®"

I've been using nothing but Dex-cool in my 1993 Ford and 1986 Toyota. ___________________________________________________________________

Apparently it doesn't hurt at all, except for the extra cost of changing coolant every two years instead of every five years.

If you don't "flush twice immediately and refill ..... etc." you will still have coolant protection but you will face that extra cost two years from now.

Good luck.

Rodan.

"Rodan" wrote in news:rgK7m.1506$N5.644 @nwrddc01.gnilink.net:

I have been hearing bad things about mixing them and leaving it causing some clumping and other nasty stuff. I sure as heck wouldn`t do it. KB

Mixing the two together is definitely a no no. Only use the green that is made to use with all types.

The Dex-Cool "does' hurt. From mid 90's to around 05/6, the Dex-Cool caused many engine problems, from clogging to causing leaks. There were bulletins put out by GM. Class action suits, and I've worked on many with the problems.

This is so simple. If the car came with green use green, if it came with orange use orange. Drain out the crap you have now, flush it out throughly and replace it with what came in the car originally. It was engineered for a specific antifreeze. Don't try to out guess the engineers.

Good advice. There are some engines where the gaskets and some other parts are simply not compatible with the dex-cool. I have seen comments specifically from ford engineers that some of their engines will be damaged by the use of dexcool. Many older cars will suffer water pump impeller failures if you don't use green silicate based coolants.

********** I think those long change intervals for DexCool are bogus anyway. It ISNT that good.