You could see oily goop under the radiator cap of my '01 Grand Prix. My UOA hardly showed anything conclusive other than slightly elevated potassium and sodium levels but still pretty low numbers. Monte, your car could already be leaking. It pays to be very cautious if you ask me. My mechanic does them all the time he says. Ls1mike, perhaps not every engine leaks but everyone I've had or a family member has had or anyone I know that has one of the listed motors has had a leaker. ![]() This prevents erosion of the area around the tube. They never offered a metal framed one for the 3.1/3.4 motors so Fel Pro is the best bet for those.Īs for the manifold update the following link is a good manifold to replace yours with. I think for the 3.1 & 3.4 motors the Fel Pro problem solver gasket is the way to go but for the 3.8L motors GM makes a metal framed gasket that is problem the best way to go. One way to see if you actually have an internal leak is to get a UOA. I'd have no issue continuing to use Dexcool, but I would flush and fill on a regular basis - say ever 30,000 to 50,000 miles. Once it's fixed with these parts, the engine will be one of the most rock solid and reliable you could get. So, to the original poster - if you aren't mechanically inclined, I'd purchase the Series III intake manifold and a Fel Pro problem solver intake manifold gasket set and just get it done. The updated intake manifold came out with the Series III 3.8L in 2004, but people are still reporting gasket failures until about 2005. Every single UOA posted here with these engines shows coolant in the oil if it has the factory gaskets. Or do a flush every 30,000 to 50,000 miles like you will end up doing with green stuff anyway. Spend a saturday swapping it out and move on. If you are really worried get the updated intake and gasket. Just don't get scared, and don't be stupid about it. I had a 98 Bonneville that I put 210,000 miles on I changed the coolant every 40,000 miles, which was the key to not having any problem. Direct bolt on for the older ones with the problem In 20 got updated gaskets and intake which eliminates the problem. The gasket problem is an issue, but not as many cars have it as you would believe. If you want to change to the green stuff, get all the old out or it will gel up however it is not necessary. It does not apply to 8 cylinder engines.At any rate. Now I'll say it's specific to 4 and 6 cylinder engines. Here's a class action lawsuit regarding Dexcool. I'm going to talk to my engine builder (Karl!) before deciding if I'll use becools coolant. I also understand that BeCool only wants their own coolant used in their radiators. If course this would apply to my radiator as well, but I purchased a new BeCool radiator that's still in the box so I'm not worried about that. If I'm not happy after flushing it as above, I guess I'll replace it before installing my engine. I've been reading that dexcool will harden if allowed to dry out, possibly permanently blocking the heater core. I'm planning to do this with my impala that has been sitting without an engine for about 9 months. Recommend you disconnect the heater core hoses and back flush the heater core. While at autozone, go across the street to walgreen's, CVS or what have you and get a couple of gallons of distilled water to mix w/ the coolant OR just get the 50/50 pre-mixed stuff. ![]() That'll keep the cooling system happier than anything else you can do for it. How to remove it? Flush completely and fill w/ fresh on an annual to every 2 year interval. They just do, no matter how diligent you are. Thing to understand is that iron blocks produce fine rust sediment. A more compelling argument could probably be made as to whether if you split a crumb in 2, whether you now have 2 half crumbs or 2 crumbs.Ĭorrosion fighting capabilities are top notch for both products. green is such a minor, splitting hairs issue anyway if either is flushed within a 2 year expanse. Either stick w/ green or if you want to run dexcool, do another complete flush and use dexcool mix only. Just make sure whatever you put in it should be completely filled w/ same. You mixed in the green because you came dangerously close to blowing apart your engine w/ ice and it's all you had. The stop leak pellets mentioned are how it got a bad rap. Usually more expensive and since I flush the system completely before the recommended service interval (for the coolant) and green is easier gotten.and cheaper.and just as good for the interval I intend to use it, I use green.
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