Coolant info

[kevera]

I know this topic has been brought up before but I'm still cunfused.I have to replace my original coolant in my 04 vibe.Now I know it has toyota 2 yr coolant in it.I'm not sure if I should use dexcool or the toyota long life red stuff.I know I should flush the system totally to remove all traces of the old coolant,but what is everyone else using,some say regular green,some use dexcool.So just let me know what you all are using so I can get this done.Thanks

[djb383]

Most coolants now mix with, and are compatible with, all colors and all brands. I'm not a big fan of Dexcool, so I replaced the coolant in both of our '05 Vibes with Prestone green. You can't possibly remove all traces of the previous coolant, that's why the new will mix with the old, no problem.

[kevera]

I heard it gelled up when mixed with green anti-freeze.

[djb383]

That's why it's called hear-say and the internet is full of it. Go to the auto parts store or Walmart and read the labels and get the facts. None of them say "do not mix with red, pink, orange or whatever color". They all say "mixes with any color". The coolant formulas changed years ago in order to be compatible.

[engineertwin2]

It is true that not all coolants are compatible with each other. The other possibility could be that the coolant you have is not intended to last as long as the OEM coolant...I say go for OEM Toyota coolant...As far as never being able to remove all of the previous coolant, you could remove if flushed properly. Realistically, it will take a couple of flush cycles, but you aren't talking about mixing 50-50...

[Raven]

I hear that Himilayan Yak's milk is compatable with all systems.Have you ever seen a yak with a cracked udder?

[djb383]

And which coolants are incompatible so we will be sure not to mix them.

[mikey00]

Quote, originally posted by djb383 »Most coolants now mix with, and are compatible with, all colors and all brands. I'm not a big fan of Dexcool, so I replaced the coolant in both of our '05 Vibes with Prestone green. You can't possibly remove all traces of the previous coolant, that's why the new will mix with the old, no problem.05 Vibes came with Toyota Super Long Life Pink in them not Dexcool or Toyota Long Life Red. It is good for 5 years or 100K. If you used regular Prestone Green, you downgraded. If you used the new Prestone which is called "All Makes and Models" it should be good for 5 years/150K. I think when the time comes I am just going to pick up Toyota Super Long Life Pink and stick with whats in there.

[djb383]

The Prestone bottle says 5 yrs/150,000 miles just like DexCool. Does the Toyota coolant last even longer?

[mikey00]

Quote, originally posted by djb383 »The Prestone bottle says 5 yrs/150,000 miles just like DexCool. Does the Toyota coolant last even longer?It's the same. Although Toyota recommends the first change at 100K and 150K there after in their maintenance schedules. Toyota made a lot of noise about high silicate coolants causing water pump seal failure is one reason to use Toyota. I don't know if this is valid or not.

[djb383]

I had 2 '05 Vibes (still have one). I assumed they had a factory fill of DexCool. I'll take your word that they have Toyota coolant from the factory and if that is the case, I'm not a big fan of Toyota coolant either and here's why. I added an aftermarket temp gauge and installed the sending unit in the upper radiator hose. To do this, I had to cut the hose and in doing so, a small amount of coolant was lost and collected on the black plastic panel directly below the upper radiator hose. The next morning the coolant had dried and turned into a reddish chalky flaky powdery substance. I presume it did this due to being exposed to air. So, would the same thing happen if somehow air were to enter the cooling system? I don't know, maybe not. I do know I've never seen Prestone do that. I'm not saying DexCool and/or Toyota coolants aren't good products, I'm sure they are. GM and Toyota both have too much at stake to jeopardize their engines with an inferior coolant.In my opinion, today's Prestone and several other brands of coolants are just as good as DexCool and Toyota coolant and that's why they say on their bottle, they can be mixed with any color coolant. Use whichever coolant you like and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

[kevera]

That's why I was asking what everyone was using.I have a Sunfire Gt and being a member of a sunfire group this has been a long debate.DJB383-The dexcool has been shown to gel up on some GM vehicles,this stemming from air getting into the system.So,that's why I wasn't sure what to use on the vibe being that it is a toyota.I switched over to regular green stuff on my sunfire,but the vibe is my "reliable vehicle"so I wanted to get a few opinions.I talked to a few other people and decided to go with the prestone extended life stuff,I figure it's not dexcool and as long as I flush everything out I should be fine.

[hakune]

Honestly avoid dexcool i've seen so many bad things happen with dexcool.sludge and allgo with yota pink or red

[djb383]

Just got back from our local Walmart. All 3 brands of coolant on the shelf (Prestone, Peak, Super Tech/Walmart) say compatible with any brand, any color and protect up to 5 yrs/150,000 miles. The Prestone is available in either red or green, for those that want to stay color coordinated.

[CAN-AWD-VIBE]

so what went into mine after they replaced the head gasketpart number is 88862159 just described as "coolant" but not as Dexcool or anything else.anyone know for sure what that p/n is???

[djb383]

Went to GM Parts Direct and entered 88862159. It came back saying "no parts were found matching your search. Sorry.

[CAN-AWD-VIBE]

i dont think any fluids will show up on GM parts direct, but thanks anyway.i called the only dealer in town thats open right now and they say it pulls up as old school greeni think i will get some of the toyota stuff and do a full flush while its still pretty fresh. damn

[mikey00]

I was at the Toyota dealer picking up some trans fluid to do a fluid change in my Lexus and decided to pick up a gallon of Toyota Long Life Red for the Lexus and a gallon of Super Long Life Pink for the Vibe. This was just to have some on hand in case I needed to add a little before the next change. Good thing I asked the price first. One was $16 and the other $20. Now I know the Lexus has Toyota Red and the Vibe Toyota Pink and I would like to use the same but enough is enough. I went over to Wal-Mart and got a gallon of Prestone All Makes and Models for $6.88. As mentioned above this stuff is 5 year/150K and compatible with everything. I can even use it in my DexCool filled Oldsmobile. The Prestone is urine colored and picks up the color of whatever it is being added to. They even have a chart that shows the color of different coolants before and after adding Prestone. It would be interesting to see what this urine colored stuff looks like if it were being used after a flush when there was no coolant color to pick up.

[ragingfish]

Had my vibe been around for a coolant change, I honestly would've taken it to the dealer, and said "do your thing." If GM is supplying them a coolant for the Vibe, and when said coolant is used problems such as gelling or head gaskets blowing up or something results, then IMHO, that's a problem for GM. I let their dealers maintain my car, I did my part. If their fluids destroyed my car, they better fix it.

[djb383]

Wonder how dealerships got the name 'stealership'? Probably wasn't from doing good work, for a fair price.

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by djb383 »Wonder how dealerships got the name 'stealership'? Probably wasn't from doing good work, for a fair price.That's all subjective.The long-time members here all know my dealership has been my dealership for my entire life (and most of my parents' lives). We trust them 100%. The owner is a close family friend, and the owner and service manager both called me to see if I was ok after my Sunfire was totalled. They'd do anything they could to help us...I trust them, and their work.I recently had a problem where I had to have my moonroof drains fixed (a known problem in the G6 coupe is poor assembly of the roof drains at the factory. They disconnect and the roof begins draining onto the headliner). When I picked up the car, there were greasy fingerprints on the headliner and moonroof trim. And they also were supposed to perform the entire course of "Maintenance II" on GM's simplified maintenance list...but it got overlooked someow. I mentioned it to both the dealer and SM -- they were overly apologetic, and they set up a time that was convenient to ME and I brought my car and they fixed the roof, and completed the balance of the maintenance. They didn't try to push blame on me, and they didn't argue. They know me, and they know I wouldn't try to scam them. The point of my long-winded post is that yes, I know personally MANY dealerships are thieves. When i decided to go trail-riding in my vibe right after I dropped it, I hit a deep hole and heard a loud bang. Discovered I smashed up my oil pan and tranny pan. Took it to a local dealer (not my regular one) and asked them if I was ok, or if I had a problem. They took one look and said "yup, you need to replace both the oil and trans pans. That's a disaster waiting to happen." Told them to screw off, went to MY dealer, they told me "it's banged up, but there are no leaks, and it's not interfering with the capacity of each fluid reservoir, so we say leave it, and worry about it if problems develop." Never had a problem with either pan up to the day I traded in the Vibe.I feel your pain...But have faith there are some honest-to-goodness dealers out there...

[djb383]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »That's all subjective.The long-time members here all know my dealership has been my dealership for my entire life (and most of my parents' lives). We trust them 100%. The owner is a close family friend, and the owner and service manager both called me to see if I was ok after my Sunfire was totalled. They'd do anything they could to help us...I trust them, and their work.I recently had a problem where I had to have my moonroof drains fixed (a known problem in the G6 coupe is poor assembly of the roof drains at the factory. They disconnect and the roof begins draining onto the headliner). When I picked up the car, there were greasy fingerprints on the headliner and moonroof trim. And they also were supposed to perform the entire course of "Maintenance II" on GM's simplified maintenance list...but it got overlooked someow. I mentioned it to both the dealer and SM -- they were overly apologetic, and they set up a time that was convenient to ME and I brought my car and they fixed the roof, and completed the balance of the maintenance. They didn't try to push blame on me, and they didn't argue. They know me, and they know I wouldn't try to scam them. The point of my long-winded post is that yes, I know personally MANY dealerships are thieves. When i decided to go trail-riding in my vibe right after I dropped it, I hit a deep hole and heard a loud bang. Discovered I smashed up my oil pan and tranny pan. Took it to a local dealer (not my regular one) and asked them if I was ok, or if I had a problem. They took one look and said "yup, you need to replace both the oil and trans pans. That's a disaster waiting to happen." Told them to screw off, went to MY dealer, they told me "it's banged up, but there are no leaks, and it's not interfering with the capacity of each fluid reservoir, so we say leave it, and worry about it if problems develop." Never had a problem with either pan up to the day I traded in the Vibe.I feel your pain...But have faith there are some honest-to-goodness dealers out there...Dude, you're lucky...you're fortunate and your in the minority. Don't forget to send your dealer a Christmas card.