10 Apr 12 20:12, Mark Hofmann wrote to Roy Witt:   
      
      
      
    RW>> The Dexcool in my Z28 was orange...hmmm, could be that it was more   
    RW>> water than Dexcool.   
      
    MH> I seem to remember my Monte Carlo's antifreeze was the red Dexcool   
    MH> when I bought it brand new.  Later, it seemed to turn more orange and   
    MH> got the notorious "goop" formations in it.  Looked like a brown   
    MH> sludge.   
      
   I did a power flush with a system cleaner, so anything like that would   
   have ended up in the flush machine. Harry wouldn't have been a very happy   
   camper if that was the case.   
      
    RW>> I've never had a problem with it and the Z28 has never given me   
    RW>> anything to worry about in the cooling department. Early on, I   
    RW>> replaced the 195 degree thermostat with a 180 and that was the only   
    RW>> thing I've done to it in the cooling department up until the coolant   
    RW>> flush and change.   
      
    MH> I'm curious to know why some people didn't have problems with Dexcool   
    MH> and many others did.  There are so many factors, it is difficult to   
    MH> say.   
      
   The problem could have occured when people used tap water instead of   
   adding more Dexcool to the system when it was low on coolant.   
      
    RW>> Chevys have been famous for that. The old cork type of gasket would   
    RW>> shrink   
    RW>> with age and the 4 screws would come loose, allowing oil to seep   
    RW>> under the cover gasket. The rubber replacement gaskets were even   
    RW>> worse, slipping out from under the cover when they got a dose of   
    RW>> oil. I tend to stick with   
      
    MH> I think my 80' Malibu has the cork value cover gasket.  It has a slow   
    MH> leak for years, but not bad enough to make me have to replace it.   
      
   OTH, I would have fixed that leak when first detected.   
      
    MH> I did have to have one of the value cover gaskets replaced on my   
    MH> Monte Carlo just recently.  I saw some oil leaking recently, took it   
    MH> back to where I had the engine installed, and they replaced the   
    MH> gasket.   
      
   That's cool...   
      
    MH> They have been great with the warranty.  Both problems were minor -   
    MH> and both were gasket related.   
      
   If you spend a lot of money maintaining your vehicles with them, they're   
   going to take care of you as a good customer should be.   
      
    RW>> My 55 Chevy had a 30-30 Duntov cam in it. Adjusting the valves (.03   
    RW>> intake and .03 exhaust} with the engine running and the covers off   
    RW>> allowed   
    RW>> the oil to pump over the fenders. I found a set of rocker clips   
    RW>> (still have them today) that covered the oil hole in the rocker   
    RW>> which kept the oil in the engine, until it flooded the head and   
    RW>> overflowed onto the exhaust. I learned to do only one bank at a   
    RW>> time, shut it down, clean it up and re-install that cover before   
    RW>> tackling the other bank of cyl.   
      
    MH> I have never done anything like that, nor would be brave enough to   
    MH> work on the open engine while it was running.   
      
   There's nothing to be afraid of, there's just a bunch of rocker arms   
   'rocking' away opening and closing valves under those covers. With   
   hydraulic lifters and after the initial adjustment with the engine   
   running, there's no need to R&R the covers again.   
      
   For solid lifter engines, especially that 30/30 Duntov cam, required valve   
   adjustments about once a week; or after a hard run on race day.   
      
    RW>> That it will. Rather than service a PCV, I just replace them   
    RW>> periodically.   
      
    MH> Me too.  All that stuff in brand new in my Monte Carlo.   
      
   Same here.   
      
      
                   R\%/itt   
      
      
     ... Only those who will risk going too far can possibly   
     ... find out how far one can go ~ TS Eliot   
      
      
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    * Origin: Roiz Flying \A/ Service * South Texas * USA * (1:387/22)