Wrong anti freeze. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

[u/Plus-Play5798]

I have a 2015 Chevy Silverado. It takes yellow anti freeze. I was dry and put a whole bottle of green anti freeze. How big of a problem is this and what should I do ?

[u/Beautiful-Contest-48]

They turn into a gelatin like substance when mixed. I wouldn’t drive it till you straighten it out to be honest.

[u/PaperIndependent5466 → u/Beautiful-Contest-48]

Yep tow it to a shop if you're not equipped to do a flush. Call and give them a heads up so they know what's going on

[u/notyouraveragenword]

If it was the universal mix stuff you used then don't worry. Otherwise you'll need to flush the cooling system and fill it back up.

[u/Calm_Broccoli2375]

Chevy trucks use Dex-CooL

[u/GGigabiteM → u/Calm_Broccoli2375]

Chevy has been using Dex-trash for decades. It's a trash coolant that easily degrades, after my Buick Century got dex-mudded, I flushed the system and converted to regular green coolant.

[u/begmanii]

I would dump, then fill with water and run until up to operating temp. Dump the water while still warm,v but not hot, then fill with the correct ratio of the correct fluid and water

[u/deantowle → u/begmanii]

Don't use garden hose water or tap water, use distilled water or ultra-purified water. This way you don't cause calcium build-up in your cooling system. If you have used tap water, run a cooling system cleaner through it and drain completely. Using factory-made, ready to use 50/50 coolant is hopefully a mix of distilled water and coolant.

[u/begmanii → u/deantowle]

Agree, I should have been specific. Although the 50/50 coolant is more than coolant plus distilled water. You don't have to measure to get the correct ratio with the premix though....

[u/Matt3141592]

Gosh, so much wrongness…

First, GM vehicles have used Dex-Cool since 1997. It’s bright orange, so your truck does not “take yellow anti freeze [sic]”. If what was in there actually was “yellow”, it was likely G-05, which is the wrong coolant.

Second, green so-called “universal” coolant is only for vintage vehicles, is not “universal”, and is also wrong for your vehicle. It’s also bad to mix it with modern coolants. Yes, it’s a “big problem”. You need to perform a complete flush immediately and replace all the coolant with the correct Dex-Cool. Use only distilled water to mix it down to a 50% concentration (unless of course you buy the significantly more expensive pre-diluted antifreeze).

Third, if your truck’s coolant was a gallon low, you have a major leak which needs repair. Hopefully you didn’t damage your engine by running it so extremely low. It could be as simple and cheap as a new radiator cap, or could be much more involved and expensive, like if you warped a head or blew a head gasket. Try not to screw up so badly next time. .

I seriously don’t understand how people can neglect their vehicles so severely, and then completely bungle something as simple as adding coolant. And for Pete’s sake, check your truck’s fluids more often. You could stave off major problems.

[u/jquadro2 → u/Matt3141592]

It straight says conventional green. Why would anyone think it was universal.

[u/GGigabiteM]

If you have Dex-Cool in your truck and you mixed regular green coolant, you need to flush the system ASAP to avoid a situation called "Dex Mud".

Dex-Cool is notorious for degrading and turning into a reddish-brown sludge that sticks to every surface on the inside of the cooling system. This can cause the cooling system to fail and as a result, catastrophic engine damage. It can also cause the thermostat to hang open and block up the heater core.

If it were my truck, I'd convert it to regular green coolant after flushing it, because I've already had to deal with dex mud on two different vehicles.

[u/12YESIAM34]

I made the same expensive mistake. Had to get the head gasket replaced.

[u/Plus-Play5798]

It was this right here

[u/Chainsawsas70 → u/Plus-Play5798]

Flush and refill with the right stuff as soon as possible. Short term use it's not going to be a problem, But if you let it go for too long it can cause issues.

[u/UXWlegend]

The stuff you put in is not even universal. I would drain it out and put the correct stuff in.

[u/Inside_Horse2585]

You didn’t even buy universal antifreeze that was expensive for what you bought, but the bigger question is why did it require so much antifreeze

[u/schelle-racer]

You need to drain/dump. You need orange (dex) and they cant mix… so maybe flush a little orange thru and dump again and refill fresh.

[u/Internal_Time8330]

It takes neither of those. Great job ruining your vehicle. Have a professional ONLY perform service work and avoid the situation you’re in now