Thread: Pill in Antifreeze

You really can't help yourself can you? Just have to keep it up to prove you have a weewee? Couldn't just leave it alone can you?

Are there times and places for such stuff. Sure. No one has too much money. Is it realistic to think any organic byproduct could forever hold it's own against heat and pressure. I don't think so.

Does the Duramax need any of those. NO! It need silicate free Dex-Cool and it should be changed on a regular basis. Testing can always help, clean drinkable water is rather a large assumption. Large city water is highly treated to protect the city's water supply system. The proper PH, TA and hardness are pretty much set for what would prevent damage to the water system. If one has a well or other water source then you may have to correct water.

Jefro,

At least I have a weewee. You apparently don't, let alone a brain.

I don't need your chemistry lesson. I have studied the subject far more than you have. Distilled water is what is specified for cooling systems, mixed with the proper coolant, in the proper proportions. If a supplement is required, then that goes in the mix, too.

GM approved the coolant supplement for its Northstar engine. Goodwrench specifies it for replacement engines. Those are facts and can be verified from a number of sources outside this forum. But you simply want to ignore them and/or line them out so they don't apply.

Let's visit your original, incorrect post again:

"Oh Brother!

There is no cure for a mechanical problem in a pill."

Sarcastic and wrong, from a poster who claims to be polite. Nothing you do changes that fact that the reply is incorrect. I have used the product and I know that it works as advertised.

I could care less about the Duramax and you apparently do not realize that there are many other types of engines out there. It was not part of the original question, which was general in nature. Questions get posted to the wrong place all the time on this forum. The original poster did not include any information about what vehicle or what engine might use a GM approved supplement.

Go drink some well water, preferably from an EPA superfund site.

No, your Barney Fife thought train thinks I was sarcastic. Once again you refuse to answer the original post because your poor self esteem. There is no need for any snake oil in his duramax. Oh brother! You are something else.

Yes I am.

I am correct.

A claim that you cannot make about the original post of this thread, water in diesel fuel, or the compression ratio of 6.2L diesels versus "big rigs" (thanks, again, NH2112).

Harry is right as rain people, G.M. recommends the Sealing Tabs- Supplement
on almost all it's aluminum engines and also the 6.2 and 6.5. It is a sealant and also a water pump seal lubricant for the weepage seepage problem. If I remember correctly G.M. before the pellets, on the Quad four, had a bulletin to put a catch plate and sponge under the water pump weep hole for seepage
G.M. also had a recall for throttle bodies and we put the pellets in as part of the recall.

The original post said does the duramax need these pellets to help head gaskets didn't he?

Originally Posted by jefro

The original post said does the duramax need these pellets to help head gaskets didn't he?

No, he said "Has anyone put the pills in radiator you can get from dealer to help the head gaskets? I 've not heard of this til a guy at work told me about it, anything to it?" No mention of a Duramax anywhere. Of course, I guess you could look at it as since he didn't say it wasn't for a Duramax, it must be.

I only see Duramax Diesels here What?
How can one get that so confused?

Just like all the incorrect posts to the Welcome section of this forum, posts are often put into the wrong category.

The original post to this thread, as NH2112 stated, did NOT mention a Duramax. Not even the poster's signature block indicates a Duramax.

I posted this in the DURAMAX DIESELS THREAD because i have a 05 2500hd diesel, meaning has anyone put these pills in their DURAMAX?

I have not. Can't see putting in nut shells unless there is no other way to stop a problem

Do you suspect a problem? I assume you just want to do the best maint.

We run Dex-Cool as it is low or no silicate. What I was told is that the silicates stick to the sides of the cylinders and prevent good heat transfer and overheat the piston and cylinder. The silicates also are claimed to damage the waterpump seals and coat the radiator and prevent heat transfer there too. Use clean drinkable water if you can from a larger city's water supply. There are plenty of test strips you can use to check radiators. I was told by the Austin water supply department that you can use pool/spa test strips. The are almost exactly what you would want except you don't need bromine or chlorine.

Sure, drive to a big city for tap water...

But before you do, you might want to read the following (From http://www.nichols.nu/tip514.htm):

"From the ASA Shop tech tips.
If you use hard water in these systems, you are asking for mineral buildup problems. Softened water, on the other hand, contains dissolved salts that act as an electrolyte, encouraging galvanic action between the dissimilar metals. That's why distilled water is quickly becoming the water of choice!

From an article by Gregory T. Fieldson B.S., PhD in Chemistry:
Should I use tap water or distilled water?
I recommend distilled water. If you have exceptionally soft water it would be acceptable, as well. Basically, the engine metals are going to corrode to some extent no matter what water you use, and hard water will encourage the resulting metal salts to precipitate.

From the Rover Tech Tips site:
Other contaminants can come from the water that you use with your antifreeze. Most tap water has a trace mineral content. Depending on the source of your water, you may or may not have minerals that will become sediment and block your system. The safest way to refill your system is to use distilled water. This should be a 50/50 mixture with coolant for the best heat transfer.

From the Red Line site:
The anti-scaling ingredients in Red Line WaterWetter allow its use with ordinary tap water. However, using with distilled or deionized water will accomplish some scale removal in the cylinder head area.

From a Saturn GM Tech site:
A 50/50 mixture of this product and distilled water is required.

From Aftermarket World tech site:
Antifreeze is mixed with water (preferably clean distilled water since hard water can introduce unwanted minerals into the system) , usually at a 50/50...

From the General Motors EMD (diesel locomotive) engine handbook:
Distilled water should be used in the cooling system to offset the accumulation of scale and foreign matter, which contribute to overheating the engine.

From MotorTrend online:
In addition, the use of hard tap water in the system leaves mineral deposits that can build up and restrict the flow of coolant; this is why it's recommended you only use distilled or soft water in the system.

And last, and most telling to me -

From Texaco's Product Bulletin on DexCool:
However, to maintain the integrity of a cooling system and to help assure long life, deionized or distilled water is preferred over tap water."

Interesting, in preperation for my Water Pump install I got some comic relief reading through this thread.

I don't know near as much as ya'll on this topic, but, I found the following exerpt from my subscription to AllData . . . it appears to suggest these 'tabs' are ok in the 6.6 Duramax, but, not in the GM Gassers. . .

I'm not saying it will 'fix' anything mechanical, I just noticed it and though I would put it out there for you all..

. . . . .

Your Vehicle: 2002 GMC Truck K 2500 Truck 4WD V8-6.6L DSL Turbo VIN 1 . . . . .


. . . . .

Notice: When adding coolant, use DEX-COOL coolant. If silicated coolant is added to the system, premature engine, heater core or radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the engine coolant will require change sooner-at 50,000 km (30,000 mi) or 24 months.

I don't think there's any disagreement that GM recommeds Dex-Cool, read on:


•The following notice applies only to the 4.8 L, 5.3 L, and 6.0 L engines.

Notice: DO NOT use cooling system seal tabs, or similar compounds, unless otherwise instructed. The use of cooling system seal tabs, or similar compounds, may restrict coolant flow through the passages of the cooling system or the engine components. Restricted coolant flow may cause engine overheating and/or damage to the cooling system or the engine components/assembly.

I still think I'd be hard pressed to put them in the DMAX

Just my 2 cents worth

Originally Posted by HJacobson

Sure, drive to a big city for tap water...

But before you do, you might want to read the following (From Distilled Water - Safe for Engine?):

"From the ASA Shop tech tips.
If you use hard water in these systems, you are asking for mineral buildup problems. Softened water, on the other hand, contains dissolved salts that act as an electrolyte, encouraging galvanic action between the dissimilar metals. That's why distilled water is quickly becoming the water of choice!

From an article by Gregory T. Fieldson B.S., PhD in Chemistry:
Should I use tap water or distilled water?
I recommend distilled water. If you have exceptionally soft water it would be acceptable, as well. Basically, the engine metals are going to corrode to some extent no matter what water you use, and hard water will encourage the resulting metal salts to precipitate.

From the Rover Tech Tips site:
Other contaminants can come from the water that you use with your antifreeze. Most tap water has a trace mineral content. Depending on the source of your water, you may or may not have minerals that will become sediment and block your system. The safest way to refill your system is to use distilled water. This should be a 50/50 mixture with coolant for the best heat transfer.

From the Red Line site:
The anti-scaling ingredients in Red Line WaterWetter allow its use with ordinary tap water. However, using with distilled or deionized water will accomplish some scale removal in the cylinder head area.

From a Saturn GM Tech site:
A 50/50 mixture of this product and distilled water is required.

From Aftermarket World tech site:
Antifreeze is mixed with water (preferably clean distilled water since hard water can introduce unwanted minerals into the system) , usually at a 50/50...

From the General Motors EMD (diesel locomotive) engine handbook:
Distilled water should be used in the cooling system to offset the accumulation of scale and foreign matter, which contribute to overheating the engine.

From MotorTrend online:
In addition, the use of hard tap water in the system leaves mineral deposits that can build up and restrict the flow of coolant; this is why it's recommended you only use distilled or soft water in the system.

And last, and most telling to me -

From Texaco's Product Bulletin on DexCool:
However, to maintain the integrity of a cooling system and to help assure long life, deionized or distilled water is preferred over tap water."

The radiator shop I deal with told me years ago not to use tap water in an aluminum cored radiator or engine with aluminum parts-intake, heads, block, etc. Same theory as the zinc sacrificial metal strip used on ocean going boats, you give the electrolysis something to eat other than the aluminum outdrive and engine parts, the softer metals will get eaten first. Only in this case, you're doing away with the electrolytes to stop the corrosion by using distilled water and anti-freeze. GM has been selling those treatment tablets for years, at least back to the early '80s and maybe longer. They came on a card with three tablets and were/are labeled as water pump lubricant and electrolysis preventer. The PH additive will help protect the head gaskets because of the electrolysis that can take place at the joint between the block and heads. This is made worse by the dissimilar metals in the heads and block. My take on #1 is the guy was asking if the pills would help prevent problems, not fix existing ones. If they lube the water pump and keep electrolysis under control, then the answer must be yes, they are beneficial to the head gaskets. Saying it's not is like saying a coat of paint won't stop steel from rusting, if you've stopped the corrosion, then you've prevented a problem. I know first hand that at one time not so long ago, John Deere would not warranty their industrial engines unless the cooling system was treated with Nalcool cooling system additive which has everything bar's leaks has except the stop leak in it. I was rebuilding maintenance of way equipment for a large railroad and we repowered some of it with new JD engines instead of the 4-71 Detroits originally installed. Mike

Is this what I paid good money to read?