Here is the filter I installed. I put this in to try and save my radiator.




Here's what it captured just after a few minutes of idle time:




This is just a very small portion of what was in my radiator:




I dont know about you, but any coolant with the potential to do this doesnt belong in any vehicle. None of my vehicles will ever again be without a coolant filter nor will any see Dex Cool again.

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Scotty Hall
Bartlesville, OK
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it.

The only limitation you will ever face in life is yourself!

I understand your concerns. I'm not trying to steer anyone one way or another. Just giving my take on why I saw. Pre Dex back to the late 60's is as far back as I can remember messing around an engine compartment. the headaches caused by regular coolant. Or more precisely poor maintenance and not so much what was being used.

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04 Indy SS build #972
XP, TOG's, Lightning injectors, 2.8 pulley, 105 CC springs, Wizaired, 3.29 gears, tripleedgeperformance ported blower, machined LIM, 180* tstat, RS12YC@.053, FP rewire, Alt rewire, stage 1 V boost, PRJ wires, Stage 2 IC

wow I've never seen crap like that in a newer vehicle.

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04 Indy SS build #972
XP, TOG's, Lightning injectors, 2.8 pulley, 105 CC springs, Wizaired, 3.29 gears, tripleedgeperformance ported blower, machined LIM, 180* tstat, RS12YC@.053, FP rewire, Alt rewire, stage 1 V boost, PRJ wires, Stage 2 IC

Right. Prior to Dex Cool the only issue I ever ran into with regards to cooling system maintenance was scale and such build up in the radiator core, primarily due to neglect. I changed my green coolants out every other year. Dex Cool was the first and only coolant I ran across that showed issues even with regular maintenance.

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Scotty Hall
Bartlesville, OK
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it.

The only limitation you will ever face in life is yourself!

That was straight out of my vehicle and radiator. Prior to the radiator going bad and while on Dex Cool, I would have to open that filter up about two to three times a week if not more to clean it out to keep it from clogging up. After I got the new radiator and switched over to green coolant, I reached a point where I could go a month or two before having to clean it out.

My heater core is shot for the same reason I believe and I will eventually get to the point I pull it out and when I do I will cut that sucker open and take pics.

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Scotty Hall
Bartlesville, OK
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it.

The only limitation you will ever face in life is yourself!

Again, I don't care what people run. I only mentioned what I found as information, good or bad. A smart person will research, not just the Internet, and hopefully make an informed decision. Now I wished I hadn't mentioned what we found last night, because it is crapping up a thread about a very handy tool.

We need a tool sticky for people to add things that are helpful. Maybe a book and tool thread, since books are tools.

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04 Indy SS build #972
XP, TOG's, Lightning injectors, 2.8 pulley, 105 CC springs, Wizaired, 3.29 gears, tripleedgeperformance ported blower, machined LIM, 180* tstat, RS12YC@.053, FP rewire, Alt rewire, stage 1 V boost, PRJ wires, Stage 2 IC

Well I too am not meaning to detract a thread, but I am also just posting my experience with Dex Cool and the vehicles I have seen running that coolant including the Grand Am my wife had.

You have to keep in mind, that most are not going to do research concerning coolant. They are going to stick with what was in there until, as in my case, they have reason to run something else.

I would love to check all the vehicles that come to Branson and see how many exhibit the gel issue, would be an interesting experiment to say the least.

With regards to the book and tool thread, there is a section for Parts Best buys, maybe we could add a tool section useful for working on the GP.

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Scotty Hall
Bartlesville, OK
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it.

The only limitation you will ever face in life is yourself!

Hey Jason...Thank you x100

That tool is fantastic. Although I didn't have the need beyond the tools normal operation, it would be cool if it could be adapted to a T so it could fit in tighter places. However the tool as it is is awesome.

...and since the thread has been tainted by Dexcool opinions, an update. I found NO sludge or anything else, that would be troubling on a 100K mile car with dexcool only. Even the LIM water jackets were clean, and those surfaces are rough from the casting. Anyway I picked up the stuff in a gray bottle made by prestone that has big bold letters, Dexcool in the upper right corner. Despite the failing original plastic LIM gaskets, the parts of the cooling system I could touch or feel looked very good. No reason to switch from what appears to work well. I certainly would not send my son off to college with something I felt would give him car problems later.

Obviously my findings are relatively common from everything I've been able to process. However, for whatever reason, some vehicle have issues in their systems. There are several reasons for why some systems, not just Dex systems, have cooling system have problems. I don't doubt their findings either.

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04 Indy SS build #972
XP, TOG's, Lightning injectors, 2.8 pulley, 105 CC springs, Wizaired, 3.29 gears, tripleedgeperformance ported blower, machined LIM, 180* tstat, RS12YC@.053, FP rewire, Alt rewire, stage 1 V boost, PRJ wires, Stage 2 IC

After my sisters '98 Regal sludged up with only 35K miles or so...I drained mine and went green in my GTP. It looked good when I removed it, but why risk it for a car I plan on keeping for a very long time.

~F~

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