bluebirdvision Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 1999 Buick Regal LS 3.8 Non Supercharged Has Low Coolant light on. Levels are normal. My Uncle said that the coolant is the consistency of clay! He said not to worry about it, that it obviously has not been changed, and that it is a characteristic of Dex-Cool when its past due for changing. He said he'll flush it and that it'll cost $60 to replace the coolant sensor , well that damn light can stay on for $60, I'll just check the level myself weekly LOL My main question is: Is it normal for Dex-cool to like turn to "clay" with the amount of miles and age of my car? I'm asking because my Uncle tends to be protective of me, and would say that even if the engine in my car was close to blowing up. LOL Car does not ever overheat (I have only put about 50 miles on it in teh three months I've owned it.) Oil does not appear to have any coolant in it. Thanks BBCV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuminaPower92 Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 otherwise know as mississippi mud. Definitely would do a complete flush and refill with proper consistency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebirdvision Posted September 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 oh, I'm going to do it. I was just wondering if my head gasket was blown or something. What causes it? miles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Dex-Cool had some issues when it first came out. GM authored some service bulletins about flushing procedures and such. Some folks claim that it doesn't tolerate air in the system; but that doesn't make sense to me because they never bitch about the coolant in the overflow tank turning to sludge, and that's exposed to air 24/7. "I" think the problem occurs when it's exposed to combustion gasses leaking into the cooling system...but I'm not spending millions of dollars for a chemical analysis of affected cooling systems. Flush the contaminated stuff OUT, and I mean VERY THOROUGHLY. Refill with fresh coolant (Dex-Cool, some other brand of extended-life coolant, or plain-ol' green. Your choice.) "I" would clean the existing low-coolant sensor and see what happens. The two vehicles I own with Dex-Cool are in great shape, and years overdue for a flush 'n' fill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebirdvision Posted September 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Okay! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white4d96 Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 (edited) My guess? Someone refilled the system with green coolant. IIRC regular coolant and Dexcool don't play nice. Flush that bad boy and make sure you get ALL that crap out. Drain old stuff, fill with water, get to operating temp, dump water. I've heard people say to repeat that one or two times, YMMV. Then put whatever coolant in. That way you get as much Dexsludge out of the engine as possible. Edited September 28, 2011 by white4d96 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 it may take 2 flushes. Mine was real bad like that. you might consider replacing your LIM gaskets first if they are oem. and check your upper intake around the EGR while you are at it, make sure its not warping. Common problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmetz1967 Posted September 30, 2011 Report Share Posted September 30, 2011 Make sure you use distilled water with Dex-Cool.....Dex Cool does not like tap/well water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 I just went through dexhell on a 3100 century. somewhere someone made it almost a 50/50 mix of green and dex. what a mess. waterpump went out about a month later and it got unplanned coolant flush again when that was replaced. might do good to run a radiator cleaner solvent and water around for a day or so to break down some of the crap buildup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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