Hello All,

I purchased a brand new aluminum radiator today. It's a dual row large fin made by US Radiator. I haven't used an aluminum radiator in a first gen Camaro before. This car has a cast iron block with aluminum heads. I believe the engine is 2 or 3 years old with maybe 5 or 6k on it. It's a 350. The old radiator was copper & brass with regular anti-freeze.


MY QUESTION IS: Do I need to run special Coolant like Dex-Cool in an aluminum radiator. This car also has aluminum heads. Or will regular anti-freeze do the job?

Thanks!!

I've been told, after the fact, after my aluminum radiator developed a leak along with my aluminum head engine that if you use Dexcool, it needs to be in a closed loop system. Not vented to atmos. I had a BeCool system with their overflow can that was just vented on top. After about a year I started seeing a small drip from the radiator. Then the head and then the other side of the radiator. I don't know if that was the direct result of the Dexcool but with my new one, I'm running the G05 Zerex.

Todays coolants are formulated for aluminum radiators ... keep in mind most cars comming off the production lines these days all have aluminum radiators and aluminum heads ...prestone green will work .

yes dexcool likes a closed system ... no air in the system ...air in the rad causes a white creamey sludge to develop in the rad for some reason ....if it is a open system .
closed systems are ones that fill from a remote tank .. so theres no air in the rad ...unlike the old rads with a fill cold line on the passenger tank .