If you are one of the vehicle owners of General Motors, you might be pretty familiar with the Dexcool. An engine coolant, often known as antifreeze, helps your vehicle engine to run smoothly, allowing improved heat transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what color is Dexcool? Usually, the coolant comes orange in color and sometimes turns out red. And it’s essential to understand its color to determine its condition in the vehicle, as a sudden change in coolant color means something very wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
General Motors<\/a> introduced the Dexcool<\/a>, one of the most effective antifreeze, in 1996. And since then, the coolant has established its reputation for taking decent engine care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The color of the Dexcool is quite different from the conventional engine coolant or antifreeze. When you pour the Dexcool, you’ll discover the coolant is pink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having mentioned that, there is nothing to worry about when you discover the fluid is not green or blue, which you are supposed to discover in the case of the conventional engine coolant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you mix the Dexcool with the distilled water, the color of the antifreeze can turn pink sometimes. And in most cases, it is recommended to mix the Dexcool with the water with a 50:50 ratio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides, the Dexcool often comes in red, depending on the type of coolant you buy. However, it won’t be wise to search for any orange or red coolant in the market and use it on your vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, you need to follow the recommendation of your vehicle manufacturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read Also:<\/strong> What is Dexcool?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have any car or SUV, you should use the Dexcool as an engine coolant or antifreeze to ensure optimal performance from the engine. And as you know, the Dexcool is either orange or red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, if you don’t find it green or blue (pink when mixed with water) in color, there will be nothing surprising as General Motors recommends using the orange or red coolant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then again, as you already know the original color of the Dexcool, if the color changes, you can take action to figure out the reason behind the fact. The coolant can be considered Okay and well-performing until it holds its original color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In most cases, the coolant loses its color if it becomes contaminated. Then you must change the coolant and put the right one in your vehicle’s fluid reservoir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, it can be said that you need to be well aware of the color of the coolant you use to monitor its condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read Also:<\/strong> Can Dexcool And Green Radiator Fluid Be Added Together<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
You shouldn’t buy random coolant from the market and use it to protect your vehicle engine from overheating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts and manufacturers recommend using the correct coolant color for your engine type. But what happens if you do otherwise?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The coolant for any engine plays a decent role in ensuring smoother performance. And here, if you choose the wrong coolant, unsuitable for the engine, it is not supposed to work well to protect the engine from overheating. Thus, the wrong color coolant can cause different parts of the engine to be damaged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If this happens, you’ll discover a dramatic change in your car’s engine performance, which you never expect as a car owner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another reason you should always choose the right color of engine coolant is the repairing cost of your car’s critical components will increase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, the Dexcool is not only responsible for protecting the engine from overheating. But it also plays a decent role in caring for your car’s thermostat, radiator, and water pump. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you do not use the Dexcool in the recommended car, you have to bear the costly repair of that component as they are prone to damage or malfunction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read Also:<\/strong> Is It Safe Mixing Dexcool and Universal Antifreeze? (Explained)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most visible difference is in color. But what more? Why do certain vehicles need Dexcool, and others need regular antifreeze? There are some differences between the Dexcool and regular antifreeze, except for color. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Dexcool is way more effective when it comes to long-lasting corrosion protection compared to regular antifreeze. You will find more resist-freezing capability in the case of the Dexcool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, regular antifreeze can be up to the mark when it comes to reducing engine heat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Dexcool and the regular antifreeze are made with different ingredients. We see ethylene glycol and sodium 2- ethyl hexanoate; imidazole makes the Dexcool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, most regular antifreeze is made of methanol and ethylene glycol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides, regular antifreeze is more often like inorganic additives. On the contrary, Organic acid technology (OAT) produces the Dexcool. But both types of coolants are efficient, based on the engine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we compare the regular antifreeze with the Dexcool in the case of the service life, the Dexcool is supposed to last longer than the regular antifreeze. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You are supposed to get the service life of around 5 years of the Dexcool. The period reduces to 3 years in terms of the regular antifreeze. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read Also:<\/strong> Can You Mix Prestone Antifreeze With Dexcool? [Compatibility]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a smart owner of automobiles, you need to be quite up to the mark when it comes to checking the color of the coolant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you do need to do that consistently because by determining the color of the coolant or antifreeze, Dexcool, in this case, you need to have a compact idea of the engine’s condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure your car’s engine is turned on. Open up the hood of your SUV or passenger car and locate the radiator in the engine compartment of your vehicle. Depending on the type of vehicle you have, the location of the radiator might vary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now you need to remove the radiator cap to look inside to inspect the color of the Dexcool visually. If the coolant is contaminated and turns dark, you can notice that by looking at the inside part of the radiator cap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also check the color of the Dexcool by locating the coolant reservoir and looking inside the pool after removing the cap. Well, the coolant is supposed to be orange in color if you are using Dexcool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also use the turkey baster to catch up some oil and put it in the plastic to better inspect the coolant color. Check this video to inspect the color of the antifreeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n