I have a 1998 Express van. It has the 5.7 Vortec engine. Under the hood there is a sticker which recommends 'dex cool' coolant.
There are posts on the site referring to 'dex cool' corroding gaskets. If this is true, what is the best alternative/option for coolant/antifreeze ?

 

I'm not sure which would be the best swap. I'd like to know also. At 36,000 when i change the fluids I was going to change the Antifreeze also.

 

dex-cool has been found to wipe out gaskets and aluminum parts over time. switching to the green stuff is easy BUT you have to flush the entire system of the orange stuff. every last bit has to come out. the orange and green don't mix well. flush system so that the only thing is water coming out, the you can drain the water and use the green stuff. as far as brand, personal preference. prestone, peak,all others pretty much the same.

 

I'm gonna go with Prestone personally. It's what I ran in everything else. I've never flushed the entire system, how do you get it all out the block?

 

So, regardless of brand etc, as long as the coolant is 'green' are you saying I'm OK to use as 'dexcool' isn't green ?

 

there are a couple ways to get all the orange out. easiest way is to take lower radiator hose off block, shove hose into the thermostat opening on intake, turn on, let it run. downfall is that this isn't really environmentally sound, but the orange is supposed to be friendly anyway. supposed to be. they also make flush kits that install in the heater hose line(s), but these aren't always that effective. NOW, if your rigs are still under factory warranty i probably wouldn't do this. generally, warranty will be void. and enychevyuk, you can use the green AFTER making sure all the orange is completely out of your system.

 

I am about to void my warranty to the extreme anyway, only got 16,000miles left on it anyway.

 

watch out fer that Murphy guy and his retarded laws!

 

I thought that this "eating away" of aluminum parts and gaskets was due to the antifreeze being old and already broken down. This old antifreeze then turns acidic and starts to eat away everything. Am I right or is thing something that I have heard/read wrong?

And there are also some bolts on the block (sides) that you can take off that will dispose of the fluid within the block. These are kind of a pain to get to. The hose method is a lot easier

 

you are correct, but the orange stuff breaks down faster. it has something in it that starts the process alot sooner than the green. GM has recognized this and supposedly changed the formula for newer (07 and up i believe). as with anything tho, there are some who have never had a problem.