Red and green antifreeze...can they be mixed?

Maybe “acid” wasn’t the best choice of words, but when you mix additive packages and rust inhibitors, you never know how they are going to react. After all, Dexcool is made with “organic acid technology.” (http://www.sancarlosradiator.com/antifreeze_coolant.htm) Also, “the OAT (organic acid technology) will cause precipitation of silicates in the green type and corrosion protection is greatly reduced.” (http://www.geocities.com/dtmcbride/home_garden/auto/antifreeze.html) So this probably won’t make your coolant “turn into acid,” but it will make your coolant more acidic than it was.

“If the coolants become mixed with Dexcool?, however, one study showed a possible aluminum corrosion problem in certain situations.” (http://autorepair.about.com/cs/coolingsystem/l/aa052601c.htm)

According to GM, “Mixing a ?green? coolant with DEX-COOL reduces the batch?s change interval to 2 years or 30,000 miles, but will otherwise cause no damage to the engine. In order to change back to DEX-COOL however, the cooling system must first be thoroughly drained and flushed.” (http://www.imcool.com/articles/antifreeze-coolant/dexcool-macs2001.php)

I don’t believe it. I have seen too many stories about head gasket problems that only manifested themselves after the coolants were mixed. I also find instances where GM warns not to mix Dexcool with other coolants:

“On its website, the company now also warns owners to consult their vehicle ‘owner’s manual for the type of coolant right for your vehicle’ and never ‘mix one type of coolant with the other.’” (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/08/gm_dexcool.html)

I’d return the red Dexcool and exchange for the universal coolant. Talk to the salesperson: This product can be used in Dexcool and green coolant applications.

I had the coolant changed on my wife’s Nissan. The shop put in DEXCOOL, without my knowledge; later I topped it off with a normal antifreeze, and wrecked a 1 year old Nissan radiator!!!

Sooooo; I would steer away from DEXCOOL under ANY circumstances, never mix it with anything else, and use the regular green stuff, and change every 2 two years!

GM is the only one who really doesn’t know how bad this stuff is, or they are not admitting it!

Some urban legends just won’t die!

Tester

Which urban legend would that be? The urban legend that you can mix Dexcool with other coolants is definitely false. Even GM says so on its web site.

“Never mix one type of coolant with the other.” <-----cited from http://www.goodwrench.com/PartsAccessories/EngineCareProducts.jsp

Read what Texaco, who makes Dex-Cool says about mixing the two.

Tester

First, Wikipedia can be edited by anyone. The accuracy of much of the information can’t be verified.

Second, I don’t see Texaco listed in the references on that page. I can’t even find the word “Texaco” on that page. So, what [i]does[/i] Texaco have to say about mixing the two?

Third, which do you consider a higher authority, General Motors or Wikipedia?

Are you kidding? Everyone knows Texaco makes Dex-Cool! And I believe the maker of the product knows more about it’s product than anyone else!

Tester

No, I am not kidding. The word “Texaco” isn’t listed anywhere on the web page to which you sent me.

So, what [i]does[/i] Texaco have to say about mixing the two? The only proof you have offered is a link to Wikipedia. If you are going to cite Texaco’s claims, how about just a tiny sliver of proof from Texaco or some other verifiable source? Just a smidgen of proof would be enough if it really exists. Surely such a claim would be easy to prove, right?

Lets do it the other way. You show everyone where it’s stated where you can’t mix the two?

Tester

Whitey, the interesting information is in reference 9 at the bottom of the page. It is an article about a Dexcool presentation made by a representative from GM and another from Texaco.

Lets do it the other way. You show everyone where it’s stated where you can’t mix the two?

Again? Okay. Fortunately, I don’t mind repeating myself for those of us who are slow.

“On its website, the company now also warns owners to consult their vehicle ‘owner’s manual for the type of coolant right for your vehicle’ and ‘never mix one type of coolant with the other.’” (GM Owners Still Steaming Over Dex-Cool)

“Never mix one type of coolant with the other.” (Certified Service Vehicle Maintenance & Repair | Experience GM) This is GM’s goodwrench.com web site.

“If the coolants become mixed with Dexcool?, however, one study showed a possible aluminum corrosion problem in certain situations.” (Car Maintenance, Repairs, & How-Tos)

So, for the [i]third[/i] time, what [i]does[/i] Texaco have to say about mixing the two?

jtsanders, I already saw that site when I was doing my research. It does a pretty good job of defending Dexcool, and it makes a lot of sense. It doesn’t, however, seem to address the issue of mixing it with other coolants.

I am about to go to court with Luke Chrysler over adding red to green antifreeze. Because of a minor water leak they have been adding red antifreeze to the green which originally came in the car. The result was a brown sludge. They power flushed the system as a part of the repair and managed to plug the heater core. Luke Chrysler wanted $1100 to replace the heater core. I’m certain that the mixture of the red and green antifreeze was responsible for the brown sludge that Hal’s Radiator Shop got out of the system for $180. I’m waiting for Luke Chrysler to respond.

Good luck. If you’ve been driving around with a leaky cooling system, you might have a hard time proving the damage was caused by their coolant, and not contaminants that got into a leaky cooling system.

You might be certain of the cause, but proving that to be the case in court might not be as easy as convincing yourself. If you haven’t already done so, you should consult with an attorney and perhaps have coolant samples tested by an independent lab.

I hope you don’t have a bad head gasket, because that could contribute to contaminated coolant and overheating.

Just go to the store and read the containers. I have in front of me a gallon of Prestone Concentrate Antifreeze/Coolant. It says that it is for All Makes; All Models, For ANY car or light duty truck; Works with ANY color antifreeze; Will NOT void warranty; Up to 5 years or 150,000 miles of protection. I have used Prestone in our older GM car with no problem mixing with Dexcool. Prestone is easily available at a nearby car parts store for a reasonable price. Don’t know what GM gets for Dexcool; have never bought it.

Dexcool, by the way, has worked without problems for the last 5 cars that we have owned including two now at 97k and 39k miles.

You mix antifreeze at your own risk. Even the bottles that say it’ll mix with anything.
I cannot see any reason whatsoever to take the risk. There are those that have done so without problems, but there are also horror stories. Variables such as the materials that the engine, head(s), radiator, and gaskets may be factors.

IMHO coolant isn’t so expensive as to not put the correct coolant in.

2 Likes

I too see no reason to ever mix coolants or use anything other than the specified coolant for your car. There’s nothing to gain by using one-size fits all coolants.

True, your car will probably be OK, but what if it isn’t? Why take the risk? Universal “all makes, all models” coolants are a myth. It’s simply not possible.

But to @frobe, it’s going to be near impossible to prove that any damage was done to your car by adding Chrysler Red coolant to your car, of which we know nothing. Not even the year, make, model, issues, etc.

2 Likes

The in question is s 2005 Sebring with the baby V6. It’haf a small watervlesk for some time. At regular oil change intervals Luke Chrysler wadto check all the fluids. That means if the water leak was bad enough, Chrysler should have added fluid. That they added their red to the original green. The result was a light brown scum. I aurthorized them to fix the leak. They elected to power flush the system. This caused the heater core to plug. They say that I’m at fault fir not cleaning the system earlier. I naintain that their decision to power flush caused the blockage. Especially, since Hal’s Radiator fixed the blockage in just a couple of hours. They got about 1/2 a cup of the same sludge out of the water jacket and now the heater worjs fine.

This is quite a mix up. “Baby V6” suggests you are talking about a Sebring sedan with a 2.7L engine, the coupe has a 3.0L Mitsubishi engine.

The 2.7 DOHC aluminum engine has used Mopar 5-year HOAT red coolant since the late 1990’s. All Sebring sedans in 2005 came with 5-year HOAT coolant. You should not have green coolant in your cooling system.

You are assuming that during oil changes coolant was added, they may have added water. Coolant is an expense, if the car was 1/2 a gallon low this should have been documented and you may have been billed for the coolant.

2 Likes