Prestone all-vehicle coolant

[K3WE]

I know this is going to be fun. The forum is full of book regurgitators, curious (sometimes scientific) rule benders AND "hold me beer, we gonna try somethin' folks...."

I had a leak and realized I was low on coolant...so I went off to Wally World to dutifully buy GM-approved coolant...

I looked hard, and all I saw (not even empty shelves) was "Prestone all-vehicle" and Wally's brand. I didn't see anything that said GM approved or Ford approved.

I can't remember when I last saw green stuff in a car- so I assumed, this would be pink stuff (and I'm not referring to RV winterizing antifreeze).

I open it (it's green) and pour it in....I KNOW that the GM folks are cringing.

I read the now-worthless internet and see lots of strong pontification that this is bad and other’s say "OK"...BUT BETTER YET, I GO TO PRESTONES WEBSITE AND WATCH A VIDEO TELLING ME IT'S OK TO MIX THE ALL-VEHICLE STUFF!

Also, to keep this interesting, I actually mixed stuff LONG ago...drove it a long while with no issues.

Looking forward to anyone with experience commenting. Not looking forward to it, but there will be rule regurtitators. ALWAYS fill the black tank and NO towing with a half ton and be sure to only use N2 in the tires...right?

🙂

[jfritz_drfritz]

this link is with regards to ford powerstrokes but I found it informative with reards to the different coolant rechnologies. This may carry over to your truck I don't know https://youtu.be/40WDW5xPqP4?si=NTwLOtr8PbdokfBd

[Grit_dog]

mkirsch wrote:

K3WE wrote:

mkirsch wrote:
So that makes you a "hold me beer" type?

Really, I don't understand what you think is so avant-garde, daring, revolutionary, or rebellious about what you did. It's "ALL VEHICLE" coolant. They couldn't market and sell it as such if it didn't work with ALL coolants. Bottle doesn't say "All but Dexcool" it says "ALL," period.

Should say right on the jug in the fine print what it's compatible with. For sure for legal CYA purposes it would CLEARLY say what it's NOT compatible with. If it doesn't say "Not for use with Dexcool" on the jug, you use it, and it damages your engine, they owe you an engine and there is no court of law on in the United States that would rule otherwise.

Don't know what back country hillbilly Walmart you went into, but my back country hillbilly Walmart carried Dexcool and all the other "special" coolants as recently as last July.

In other words, you don’t have experience mixing it, correct?

No, but I wouldn't have any qualms about using it if I needed to. Since the "right" coolants for all my vehicles are readily available where I live, I have a good supply of the "right" coolants for all my vehicles, AND I rarely need to add any coolant, it's a non issue.

I also would not feel the need to go on an online form and thump my chest because I did it and the world didn't instantly come to an end.

As someone who almost exclusively does all the work to my vehicles and toys, and those vehicles range from newish to 50 years old, I simply found the OPs post to be very informative.
However taking that view would not be very conducive to starting the obligatory internet argument….

[Grit_dog]

ls1mike wrote:

K3WE wrote:
I know this is going to be fun. The forum is full of book regurgitators, curious (sometimes scientific) rule benders AND "hold me beer, we gonna try somethin' folks...."

I had a leak and realized I was low on coolant...so I went off to Wally World to dutifully buy GM-approved coolant...

I looked hard, and all I saw (not even empty shelves) was "Prestone all-vehicle" and Wally's brand. I didn't see anything that said GM approved or Ford approved.

I can't remember when I last saw green stuff in a car- so I assumed, this would be pink stuff (and I'm not referring to RV winterizing antifreeze).

I open it (it's green) and pour it in....I KNOW that the GM folks are cringing.

I read the now-worthless internet and see lots of strong pontification that this is bad and other’s say "OK"...BUT BETTER YET, I GO TO PRESTONES WEBSITE AND WATCH A VIDEO TELLING ME IT'S OK TO MIX THE ALL-VEHICLE STUFF!

Also, to keep this interesting, I actually mixed stuff LONG ago...drove it a long while with no issues.

Looking forward to anyone with experience commenting. Not looking forward to it, but there will be rule regurtitators. ALWAYS fill the black tank and NO towing with a half ton and be sure to only use N2 in the tires...right?

🙂

So unless your are running a 3800, Vortec 305, Vortec 350, Vortec 454, 3.1 or 3.4. You really have nothing to worry about. I have an 11 second 1/4 mile 2000 Trans Am WS6 (LS1 Dry intake) in the garage with Prestone all makes all models in it for at least 6 years mixed with DEX. Sees Maybe 2,000 miles a year. Clean as whistle no sludge.

The Caprice I daily drive has it mixed in there too. LS based 6.0 runs Mid 12 second 1/4 miles. Did the Cam swap oh 5 years ago now running all makes and all models in that mixed with DEX, I put 10,000 miles on it a year. Clean!

The formula for DEX has changed since the days of the wet intake and plastic gaskets that failed when you ran it low in the engines I mentioned. While the Trans Am isn't a pressurized overflow tank the Caprice is and it makes a difference. The Trans Am doesn't suffer as it has a dry intake. No coolant or oil touches it. The unpressurized system ran low which allowed for the air touch the intake gasket which caused the gasket to fail.

If you run straight up conventional green in there. It will sludge, things will fail. That is bad.

The stuff you used is "sort of green" If you were to compare it to conventional you see it is more yellow.

I have six cars at my house, all registered all drive, all GM...No cringing. 🙂 3 of the cars have a mix of All makes All models and Dex. The Trans Am, The Caprice and my kids 2005 Buick with the 3800.

Like button! and great info Mike. Thanks!

[mkirsch]

K3WE wrote:

mkirsch wrote:
So that makes you a "hold me beer" type?

Really, I don't understand what you think is so avant-garde, daring, revolutionary, or rebellious about what you did. It's "ALL VEHICLE" coolant. They couldn't market and sell it as such if it didn't work with ALL coolants. Bottle doesn't say "All but Dexcool" it says "ALL," period.

Should say right on the jug in the fine print what it's compatible with. For sure for legal CYA purposes it would CLEARLY say what it's NOT compatible with. If it doesn't say "Not for use with Dexcool" on the jug, you use it, and it damages your engine, they owe you an engine and there is no court of law on in the United States that would rule otherwise.

Don't know what back country hillbilly Walmart you went into, but my back country hillbilly Walmart carried Dexcool and all the other "special" coolants as recently as last July.

In other words, you don’t have experience mixing it, correct?

No, but I wouldn't have any qualms about using it if I needed to. Since the "right" coolants for all my vehicles are readily available where I live, I have a good supply of the "right" coolants for all my vehicles, AND I rarely need to add any coolant, it's a non issue.

I also would not feel the need to go on an online form and thump my chest because I did it and the world didn't instantly come to an end.

[Lantley]

dodge guy wrote:
I can tell you from experience. Those “all vehicle coolants” will contaminate the system. Requiring it to be flushed.
Just buy the proper coolant and be done!

I'm with Dodge Guy on this simply because he is a tech and see lots of cars everyday. He has experienced a large sample of cars not just the ones in his driveway.

[4x4ord]

I don’t know anything about the various coolants so if I don’t have the “right stuff” I’d sooner run an engine a little low until I get the “right stuff” or if need be add pure water.

[BB_TX]

If the engine and cooling system are out of warranty, go for it. If still under factory warranty you could be opening yourself up for denial of covered service if they determined you used a non approved coolant that might in some remote way had some possible affect on whatever issue you might have had. And then it is up to you to fight that and prove it didn’t. That would mean lawyers. Much easier to simply use what the manufacturer specifies.

[ls1mike]

K3WE wrote:
I know this is going to be fun. The forum is full of book regurgitators, curious (sometimes scientific) rule benders AND "hold me beer, we gonna try somethin' folks...."

I had a leak and realized I was low on coolant...so I went off to Wally World to dutifully buy GM-approved coolant...

I looked hard, and all I saw (not even empty shelves) was "Prestone all-vehicle" and Wally's brand. I didn't see anything that said GM approved or Ford approved.

I can't remember when I last saw green stuff in a car- so I assumed, this would be pink stuff (and I'm not referring to RV winterizing antifreeze).

I open it (it's green) and pour it in....I KNOW that the GM folks are cringing.

I read the now-worthless internet and see lots of strong pontification that this is bad and other’s say "OK"...BUT BETTER YET, I GO TO PRESTONES WEBSITE AND WATCH A VIDEO TELLING ME IT'S OK TO MIX THE ALL-VEHICLE STUFF!

Also, to keep this interesting, I actually mixed stuff LONG ago...drove it a long while with no issues.

Looking forward to anyone with experience commenting. Not looking forward to it, but there will be rule regurtitators. ALWAYS fill the black tank and NO towing with a half ton and be sure to only use N2 in the tires...right?

🙂

So unless your are running a 3800, Vortec 305, Vortec 350, Vortec 454, 3.1 or 3.4. You really have nothing to worry about. I have an 11 second 1/4 mile 2000 Trans Am WS6 (LS1 Dry intake) in the garage with Prestone all makes all models in it for at least 6 years mixed with DEX. Sees Maybe 2,000 miles a year. Clean as whistle no sludge.

The Caprice I daily drive has it mixed in there too. LS based 6.0 runs Mid 12 second 1/4 miles. Did the Cam swap oh 5 years ago now running all makes and all models in that mixed with DEX, I put 10,000 miles on it a year. Clean!

The formula for DEX has changed since the days of the wet intake and plastic gaskets that failed when you ran it low in the engines I mentioned. While the Trans Am isn't a pressurized overflow tank the Caprice is and it makes a difference. The Trans Am doesn't suffer as it has a dry intake. No coolant or oil touches it. The unpressurized system ran low which allowed for the air touch the intake gasket which caused the gasket to fail.

If you run straight up conventional green in there. It will sludge, things will fail. That is bad.

The stuff you used is "sort of green" If you were to compare it to conventional you see it is more yellow.

I have six cars at my house, all registered all drive, all GM...No cringing. 🙂 3 of the cars have a mix of All makes All models and Dex. The Trans Am, The Caprice and my kids 2005 Buick with the 3800.

[dodge_guy]

I can tell you from experience. Those “all vehicle coolants” will contaminate the system. Requiring it to be flushed.
Just buy the proper coolant and be done!

[K3WE]

mkirsch wrote:
So that makes you a "hold me beer" type?

Really, I don't understand what you think is so avant-garde, daring, revolutionary, or rebellious about what you did. It's "ALL VEHICLE" coolant. They couldn't market and sell it as such if it didn't work with ALL coolants. Bottle doesn't say "All but Dexcool" it says "ALL," period.

Should say right on the jug in the fine print what it's compatible with. For sure for legal CYA purposes it would CLEARLY say what it's NOT compatible with. If it doesn't say "Not for use with Dexcool" on the jug, you use it, and it damages your engine, they owe you an engine and there is no court of law on in the United States that would rule otherwise.

Don't know what back country hillbilly Walmart you went into, but my back country hillbilly Walmart carried Dexcool and all the other "special" coolants as recently as last July.

In other words, you don’t have experience mixing it, correct?

[mkirsch]

So that makes you a "hold me beer" type?

Really, I don't understand what you think is so avant-garde, daring, revolutionary, or rebellious about what you did. It's "ALL VEHICLE" coolant. They couldn't market and sell it as such if it didn't work with ALL coolants. Bottle doesn't say "All but Dexcool" it says "ALL," period.

Should say right on the jug in the fine print what it's compatible with. For sure for legal CYA purposes it would CLEARLY say what it's NOT compatible with. If it doesn't say "Not for use with Dexcool" on the jug, you use it, and it damages your engine, they owe you an engine and there is no court of law on in the United States that would rule otherwise.

Don't know what back country hillbilly Walmart you went into, but my back country hillbilly Walmart carried Dexcool and all the other "special" coolants as recently as last July.

[blt2ski]

This sounds like a don't mix dino and synthetic oil. I've done both with no issues. If you need one or the other, only one issue available....they mix together to get you home, sometimes beyond.

Marty