coolant question

[supersteve]

You'll be just fine.

[E61Silver]

How old is your x5 and do you plan to keep it?

Might be a good idea to flush the system and start fresh.

[motordavid]

Titz Post, SS...
We've beat this to a pulp, with never a resolve on what is
really in "BMW's" goop.

I would love to see an analysis of their P/L stuff.

Fwiw, I top up, (and, that topping up has been fairly
regular, though it's slowed, in the 5+ years and 57K
miles), with Dexcool.

This BMW coolant is akin to the BMW oil, imo.
A P/L promo and a gross margin deal for the dealer
and for all the soccer dads to buy BMW brand oil and coolant.

Rant over...I've beefed about this a dozen freakin times
here. Good points you have.
BR,mD

Originally Posted by supersteve

I have a botle of bot the Dexcool 50/50 and Peak 50/50.

The contents are list as:
Peak
Distilled water, Ethylene glycol and Diethylene glycol

Dexcool
Water, Ethylene glycol, Diethylene gycol, Sodium 2-ethyl hexonate and Sodium neodecanoate.

You can mix the green in any system. You cannot put orange in any system unless it calls for it. The two sodium based (salt) chemicals are whats forms the gel in your system.

I'm willing to place a wager on what is in (or not in) BMW's blend. Anyone have a bottle of BMW antifreeze?

[noncom23]

http://www.xoutpost.com/lounge/3938-n...t+brand+orange

Remember this one?

[supersteve]

Thanks David.

I agree that people are paying for BMW to relabel other companies products. I don't think they have a chemical plant to make antifreeze and they certainly don't have an oil refinery.

One place that I feel caution should be exercised is the auto transmision. BMW hasn't used the same brand across the years. There are too many aditives to mix brands for my liking and you'll never get all of it out.

[withidl]

Originally Posted by supersteve

The Orange Dexcool Stuff is the worst thing that can be put into an engine. It is worse than straight tap water.

Over time it begins to gel in the system. It evetually plugs every opening it goes through. Great if you have a leak. Bad if you want to keep you vehcle running. If you do use it you should flush your system every six months. Most Manufacturers are moving away from Dexcool because of it's plroblems.

What "withidle" is talking about is silicates. The only thing old is his information. Most green stuff is now silicate free. It is only the very cheap stuff that still has the silicates in it. It will also say it on the label.

You simply don't know of what you speak! I've run the orange DEXCOOL in my 2001 4.4i for 86,000 miles and my coolant system is absolutely pristine; no deposites whatsoever.

Additionally, when I worked for Texaco Lubricants Company I officed several doors down from Rich Armstrong, the nuclear chemist greatly responsible for the development of Havoline Extended Life Anti-Freeze/Coolant. GM thought enough of it to put their DEX-COOL trademark on it and use it as OEM fill in ALL of their vehicles.

I'll address your subsequent reply below.

[withidl]

Originally Posted by supersteve

I have a botle of bot the Dexcool 50/50 and Peak 50/50.

The contents are list as:
Peak
Distilled water, Ethylene glycol and Diethylene glycol

Dexcool
Water, Ethylene glycol, Diethylene gycol, Sodium 2-ethyl hexonate and Sodium neodecanoate.

You can mix the green in any system. You cannot put orange in any system unless it calls for it. The two sodium based (salt) chemicals are whats forms the gel in your system.

I'm willing to place a wager on what is in (or not in) BMW's blend. Anyone have a bottle of BMW antifreeze?

Again, you simply do not know of what you speak! As I type I'm looking at a bottle of neat Havoline Extended Life Anti-Freeze/Coolant. The only formulation references on the bottle are deliberately vague because, unlike food, all formulations are propritary (seceret) for competitive reasons. My bottle referencess "carboxylate inhibitors" (organic chemicals), the "ethylene glycol" base used in ALL coolants and "CPS#227994" (propritary formulation); no other additives are referenced. The disolved solids you referenced above are not in Havoline Extended Life Anti-Freeze/Coolant/DEX-COOL; General Motors simply would not allow it!

[supersteve]

How can you say I know not what I speak of, if you can't tell us what's in your bottle?

Honestly, several doors from the nuclear chemist Rich Armstrong. Big deal and so what? What does that have to do with Dexcool it'self. Your proximity to his office makes it a good product? No.

It took several of the worlds most intelligent (and Original) nuclear scientists, with unlimited resourches, several years to make the Atom bomb go boom. Did you have an office in New Mexico also?

I can speak from experience. @ 56,000 miles my Toyota Tacoma 3.4 V6 had sludge coming out of the lower radiator hose. A nice Orange color sludge. Needless to say, it was flushed and went green after that. I kept it for another 40,000 miles on the green without a problem.

Whats in your radiator?

[supersteve]

withidl send me your email address to [email protected]

I'll send you pictures of the prestone Dex-cool GM approved contents label.

Its states what I said it does, two sodium based chemicals.

We can discuss White Sands some other time
.

[supersteve]

Withidl,

The MSDS sheet for Texaco and AC-Delco Dexcool lists the following:
Ethylene glycol
Diethylene glycol
Potasium 2-ethylhexanoate
Water

They use Potasium 2-ethylhexanoate Vs. Sodium 2-ethylhexanoate which is stated on the Prestone label. Apparently not all dexcool is created equal. Suprizing? Not really.

In either case the supposed benifit to Dexcool is that it forms a "protective barrier" to prevent corrosion. I suspect that "protective barrier" is what is causing the the gelling that I and so many others have found in their coolant systems. The PH of Dexcool is acutaully more acidic than that of the green stuff. Go Figure.

As far as the original question of this thread. You cannot mix Dexcool type antifreezes with other types (says so on the label). You can; however, mix the green stuff with all types (again, says so on the labels).

In all seriousness, I respect your brand loyaty; however, I personally don't think Dexcool is a better mouse trap.