Was Cooling system weirdness: NOW DEXCOOL SUCKS!

[pwl at mindspring.com (Ron Bunch)]

In August 1999, I bought a new 99 GMC Suburban to haul my tpys, junk, dogs, grandkids and other extended family. Gave it to my wife as a DD so she could battle Atlanta T-boners and other traffic as safely as possible.

Two years later, it developed a slight coolant leak, blowing steam after she shut it down in the driveway. So, I would top it off when cool in the morning then check it to find the source when my wife returned home. 

Finally found the leak. It was blowing a little steam where the heater hose entered the block. 
Aha! I found the leak. 
I'll show her. 
So, I brought my wife outside and pointed to the fitting. 
She asks, "Where?" 
So I touched it. JUST touched it.
Whereupon the metal fitting TOTALLY failed, still under pressure, and launched about a half gallon of boiling coolant from the block toward where I stood by the right front wheel, facing rearward. I had no time to move, only to raise my right elbow and shield my face. 
The ca. 200degree coolant hit my right side, right face , and upper right arm. (I was only wearing a white T shirt.)
Pain was right up there with a trip flare burn I had in another hot place a long time ago.
Anybody wants to see the 3rd degree burn photos, I'll send them off list. 

Dexcool had corroded the fitting. 
I later found that GM had known about this for years and not done a recall. There have since been several lawsuits and TV exposes. Dexcool has been eating all sorts of GM components for years, including heater boxes, coolers, radiators and even trannys. Dexcool also corrodes the GM intake manifold seals, but that's nothing an old guy can't fix with Barstop/Barsleaks. (I hate pouring that crap in a good engine's cooling system, but it works.)

I wouldn't put Dexcool in anything else I own. Certainly not my 86 8v I special ordered in Sep 85. 
VW DID NOT TEST THOSE METALS FOR DEXCOOL.

I only keep Dexcool in my GMC 350 because I don't want to compromise my case in a vehicle that has otherwise been fantastically reliable.

Any questions?


-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Ruffi <sciroccos@earthlink.net>
Sent: Jun 6, 2005 10:19 PM
To: Scirocco-L <Scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Subject: Cooling system weirdness

Hi.
The trip home was a definate test of a lot of my car's parts.  Luckily,
nothing broke.  I had replaced some hoses, the metal coolant pipe, added the
missing "bypass" hose and filled the system with red dexcool-compatible
long-life coolant.  When I originally finished the changover, the water pump
impeller-to-housing gasket leaked a little.  I was able to snug it a little
and the dripping stopped, but it bugged me.

David U. told me he had heard of a couple of other people who converted to
that type of coolant and had leaks...

About 2 hours after my return from Cincy, I went to move the car and found a
tiny puddle below the car.  I checked the car and found a very tiny amount
accumulated where the lower hose-to-waterpump connection and much more
coolant leaking out of the seam of the expansion tank.  The PO had changed
this tank at some point and it looked to be in otherwise good shape.

I had the system filled to the "high" mark when it was cold and it was a bit
above the mark when hot.  The car ran nice and cool in the 90 degree heat,
with the gauge in the lower end all the way home.

Maybe I overfilled the radiator?  Maybe the red coolant somehow creates a
higher system pressure?  Maybe a defective cap, combined with too much
coolant cause the tank fracture?  Maybe the red stuff is too "leaky" for my
old car?  good thing I made it home ok.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Jim



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