Dex Cool Issues

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

One thing I'd like to see coming from Flat 6, LN Eng. or Pedro would be an in-line sleeve with a petcock that could be spliced into the lower radiator hose to make fluid changes easier for DIYers. It could be produced and sold cheaply and I suspect there's a market for it, maybe even rivalling oil filter adapters and mag plugs.

Perhaps it is because we change out coolant on a fair number of cars, but I really do not see the OEM prescribed drain method as all that difficult. Once you have the belly pan section off (about 2-3 min.), everything is out in the open; the engine drain plug, the hoses to the radiators, the thermostat housing, and heater hoses. As for flushing the system, we fabricated some bits from hardware store sourced plastic fittings that allow us to attach a garden hose to either the engine or radiators and back flush the entire system with hot (135F) water. Typically, however, unless the system shows signs of problems, we usually do not flush the system, preferring to thoroughly drain it and then refill under vacuum with a 50/50 premixed OEM coolant and distilled water. Been doing it this way for a lot of years and to date have not had one come back with problems……

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Perhaps it is because we change out coolant on a fair number of cars, but I really do not see the OEM prescribed drain method as all that difficult. Once you have the belly pan section off (about 2-3 min.), everything is out in the open; the engine drain plug, the hoses to the radiators, the thermostat housing, and heater hoses. As for flushing the system, we fabricated some bits from hardware store sourced plastic fittings that allow us to attach a garden hose to either the engine or radiators and back flush the entire system with hot (135F) water. Typically, however, unless the system shows signs of problems, we usually do not flush the system, preferring to thoroughly drain it and then refill under vacuum with a 50/50 premixed OEM coolant and distilled water. Been doing it this way for a lot of years and to date have not had one come back with problems……

All excellent points. But, you're not working on jackstands either...lol

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

All excellent points. But, you're not working on jackstands either...lol

Actually, we have done this on jack stands from time to time, a few times at Porsche gatherings where an "impromptu" tech session was held. We did it to demonstrate for the onlookers how it can be DIY'd. Only real difference was how long it took to get the car up on the stands and being on your back rather than your feet.......still, not that bad of a “backyard” project.

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Actually, we have done this on jack stands from time to time, a few times at Porsche gatherings where an "impromptu" tech session was held. We did it to demonstrate for the onlookers how it can be DIY'd. Only real difference was how long it took to get the car up on the stands and being on your back rather than your feet.......still, not that bad of a “backyard” project.

j/k... I have done it on stands and it's not that bad. Like many of the DIY tasks on the Boxster, the difficulty factor is often the product of actually getting to the work rather than the work itself.

But a handy, well placed petcock would make the job much easier, maybe even without having to raise the car at all.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

j/k... I have done it on stands and it's not that bad. Like many of the DIY tasks on the Boxster, the difficulty factor is often the product of actually getting to the work rather than the work itself.

But a handy, well placed petcock would make the job much easier, maybe even without having to raise the car at all.

I believe that is what the marketing folks call “mystique”……….

[rob76turbo]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Typically, however, unless the system shows signs of problems, we usually do not flush the system, preferring to thoroughly drain it and then refill under vacuum with a 50/50 premixed OEM coolant and distilled water. Been doing it this way for a lot of years and to date have not had one come back with problems……

What tools do you use to refill under vacuum? Is there a DIY on that someplace?

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by rob76turbo

What tools do you use to refill under vacuum? Is there a DIY on that someplace?

Very simple, you use one of these and follow the directions; it is the same tool Porsche dealers use, only it comes with adaptors to fit any car and costs about 1/5 what Porsche sells them for................



Unit is made by Uview, and they have a great website.............

[Paul]

Great website? Where are the prices?

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Paul

Great website? Where are the prices?

The sales site is on Amazon.com; unit costs about $100.....................

[Cloudsurfer]

Is the Porsche coolant a guaranteed thing, that's guaranteed to not cause compatibility issues? Assuming that your car is currently filled with factory coolant, absolutely. As has been pointed out, the issue is not in the coolant meeting proper specs, but in being fully compatible with whatever is currently in the system.

I don't think you can even buy coolant anymore, even the cheapest stuff around, that is not phosphate and silicone free, so is Prestone Dex-Cool acceptable? Certainly more than likely. Is the cheapest Walmart brand stuff probably fine too? Yup. Am I going to try either of these in my car? Nope.

If you do a complete flush, you can virtually run whatever you want in there. The key word there is complete. It will likely take 3 drain and fill with distilled water cycles to get everything out. I recently had to do this on my newest BMW, as when I purchased the car it had "standard" green coolant of unknown origin, and it took me 3 full drain and fill cycles until the water came out clear, without hints of green. Keep in mind also, that when doing this, you'll likely have to add a bit more coolant than water when you re-fill, as there will always be residual fluid left (the reason for the fill and drain cycles in the first place), which is now just water, not 50/50 mix.

If you're just topping off the system, I would save the hassle and just get the factory stuff. If doing a full drain and re-fill, you can save a little bit of money not buying factory coolant. At the end of the day, is all that hassle worth saving $20? Not to me.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by bmwm750

Is the Porsche coolant a guaranteed thing, that's guaranteed to not cause compatibility issues? .................

If you're just topping off the system, I would save the hassle and just get the factory stuff. If doing a full drain and re-fill, you can save a little bit of money not buying factory coolant.

Choice is yours; however, the last car we had in the shop that made the mistake of not using the OEM coolant (which can be purchased for $24/gal), cost its owner one Hell of a lot of money for us to clean out and repair................ So use whatever you please, but be aware of the consequences if you are wrong.................