<VV> Reading the dang manual ...

[Charles Lee at Proper Pro Per]

I never thought old coolant could blow the engine, though ...

And the story about the temp gauge not working because there was no water to measure the temp ... ?????  
Nay truth to that ?


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Sethracer at aol.com 
  To: chaz at ProperProPer.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 11:47 PM
  Subject: Re: <VV> Reading the dang manual ...


  In a message dated 2/7/2007 9:39:32 PM Pacific Standard Time, chaz at ProperProPer.com writes:
    One diagnosis was the coolant, and apparently somewhere in the manual (I 
    haven't found it yet) it says to change the water ?
    What ?  Who in the world would change that ?  Oil OK, but water ?

    Apparently, the ph corrodes the gasket, which starts thing boiling (this 
    confounded thing uses water to cool it !)
    Can you believe that ? Water ? Why ?  Air is free, and you don't have to 
    change it (do you ?)


  Many years ago, coolant in water cooled cars had to be changed for each winter and changed back for each summer. That was because the anti-freeze of that era didn't work well in the summer but was needed for the freezing winters. The new "all-season" antifreeze could be left in for both seasons. It was referred to and marketed as "Permanent" anti-freeze. That meant it could be left in, and not changed every six months. It did not mean it could be left in "Permanently" - as in forever. It was intended to be checked regularly and changed to provide the correct coolant/water ratio and additive levels. Only in the mid-90's did GM go to virtually forever anti-freeze - that was Dex-cool. It was specified to be replaced at 100,000 miles. I have nothing but good luck with Dex-cool (or DexCool II). I have 118,000 miles on a 1996 Camaro 6-cylinder. I replaced the coolant at about 90,000, since I was replacing the water pump and the hoses in preparation for track competition. No problems so far.  -  Seth Emerson