Valvoline coolant change

[Heatstud]

I’ve poured over all of the threads I could find on this subject, but could not find a definitive answer.

I own a 2009 Ram Laramie. I took my truck to the local Valvoline oil change place for an oil change and the tech (who I think may have been the manager, she sure acted like it) told me my truck was overdue for a coolant change. I was not aware that Rams had specific coolants depending on the year, but did know that hemis must be coddled. I asked her 3 times if it was Ram 1500 specific and she said it was. So I agreed to the replacement.

Fast forward 3 months and I’m starting my first leg of a trip to Missouri to see a friend, then Arkansas to see family. Leaving Western Washington. As I’m going over the Cascades I notice my temp gauge is at the halfway mark. I’ve never, in 2 years of these types of trips and towing trailers, seen the gauge move even close to that mark. I pull over and look in the recovery tank and the coolant is green. Needless to say, I drove it to my destinations. It never got past 230, and looking at all of the coolant threads, this a death dealer.

Coming through the Rockies in Montana must have been the last straw. It overheated, blew off the recovery hose, and I got an unintentional stay in Butte, Montana. The mechanic found the water pump bad and the clutch fan going bad. But the bad news was it failed the head gasket tests as it was pumping exhaust gases into the water jacket. New heads and gaskets time.

My question is: Valvoline uses a Universally Compatible coolant and lists all of the coolants it is compatible to. I saw nowhere in their disclaimer that it is HOAT. Could this have been the source of the head gasket failure, along with poor lubrication of the water pump?

If she had said what they were going to use I would not have had the coolant changed. I’ve read enough on this forum to know that you need to pay strict attention to a hemi. Looks like I let the truck down. But I’m staring at a pretty steep bill for this work curious if Valvoline has any skin in this game. Help?

 

[Rlaf75]

There is "universal" antifreeze thats compatible. I flushed mine last year and used prestone universal coolant and it is green as well. I did the flush myself so I was able to take my time and flush it completely to get all of the original coolant out and started fresh with the universal prestone. After I flushed and refilled it I drove it for a week and rechecked the coolant to make sure its still green and not some blended off color which would indicate that I still had some original coolant in it. It is still bright green so I know its good.

I doubt you would've had any problems that quickly unless there was already an existing issue.

This is what I used

 

[Rlaf75]

 

[Ken226]

I’ve poured over all of the threads I could find on this subject, but could not find a definitive answer.

I own a 2009 Ram Laramie. I took my truck to the local Valvoline oil change place for an oil change and the tech (who I think may have been the manager, she sure acted like it) told me my truck was overdue for a coolant change. I was not aware that Rams had specific coolants depending on the year, but did know that hemis must be coddled. I asked her 3 times if it was Ram 1500 specific and she said it was. So I agreed to the replacement.

Fast forward 3 months and I’m starting my first leg of a trip to Missouri to see a friend, then Arkansas to see family. Leaving Western Washington. As I’m going over the Cascades I notice my temp gauge is at the halfway mark. I’ve never, in 2 years of these types of trips and towing trailers, seen the gauge move even close to that mark. I pull over and look in the recovery tank and the coolant is green. Needless to say, I drove it to my destinations. It never got past 230, and looking at all of the coolant threads, this a death dealer.

Coming through the Rockies in Montana must have been the last straw. It overheated, blew off the recovery hose, and I got an unintentional stay in Butte, Montana. The mechanic found the water pump bad and the clutch fan going bad. But the bad news was it failed the head gasket tests as it was pumping exhaust gases into the water jacket. New heads and gaskets time.

My question is: Valvoline uses a Universally Compatible coolant and lists all of the coolants it is compatible to. I saw nowhere in their disclaimer that it is HOAT. Could this have been the source of the head gasket failure, along with poor lubrication of the water pump?

If she had said what they were going to use I would not have had the coolant changed. I’ve read enough on this forum to know that you need to pay strict attention to a hemi. Looks like I let the truck down. But I’m staring at a pretty steep bill for this work curious if Valvoline has any skin in this game. Help?

How many miles are on your truck?

About 1-1/2 years ago, both my truck and the wife's Durango hit around 100k miles at the same time, so

I did a coolant flush and replace on both of them, at the same time using Mopar coolant.

Exactly a month later, both water pumps failed, at the same time...... The Durango was rattling and drooling coolant out the peehole under the bottom of the water pump. When I saw that, I immediately went out to my truck and pulled the belt and started tugging and wiggling the fan blades. Sure enough, all loose and wobbly!

The were both fine when I was doing the flush, but they both **** the bed within a month of the flush.


My new policy is that when it's time for a coolant flush, it's also time for a new, OEM water pump.

 

[mdc1990zr1]

I’ve poured over all of the threads I could find on this subject, but could not find a definitive answer.

I own a 2009 Ram Laramie. I took my truck to the local Valvoline oil change place for an oil change and the tech (who I think may have been the manager, she sure acted like it) told me my truck was overdue for a coolant change. I was not aware that Rams had specific coolants depending on the year, but did know that hemis must be coddled. I asked her 3 times if it was Ram 1500 specific and she said it was. So I agreed to the replacement.

Fast forward 3 months and I’m starting my first leg of a trip to Missouri to see a friend, then Arkansas to see family. Leaving Western Washington. As I’m going over the Cascades I notice my temp gauge is at the halfway mark. I’ve never, in 2 years of these types of trips and towing trailers, seen the gauge move even close to that mark. I pull over and look in the recovery tank and the coolant is green. Needless to say, I drove it to my destinations. It never got past 230, and looking at all of the coolant threads, this a death dealer.

Coming through the Rockies in Montana must have been the last straw. It overheated, blew off the recovery hose, and I got an unintentional stay in Butte, Montana. The mechanic found the water pump bad and the clutch fan going bad. But the bad news was it failed the head gasket tests as it was pumping exhaust gases into the water jacket. New heads and gaskets time.

My question is: Valvoline uses a Universally Compatible coolant and lists all of the coolants it is compatible to. I saw nowhere in their disclaimer that it is HOAT. Could this have been the source of the head gasket failure, along with poor lubrication of the water pump?

If she had said what they were going to use I would not have had the coolant changed. I’ve read enough on this forum to know that you need to pay strict attention to a hemi. Looks like I let the truck down. But I’m staring at a pretty steep bill for this work curious if Valvoline has any skin in this game. Help? I do pay attention and try to keep all fluids OEM unless there is a know problem with an aftermarket solution to correct the said problem.

I’ve poured over all of the threads I could find on this subject, but could not find a definitive answer.

I own a 2009 Ram Laramie. I took my truck to the local Valvoline oil change place for an oil change and the tech (who I think may have been the manager, she sure acted like it) told me my truck was overdue for a coolant change. I was not aware that Rams had specific coolants depending on the year, but did know that hemis must be coddled. I asked her 3 times if it was Ram 1500 specific and she said it was. So I agreed to the replacement.

Fast forward 3 months and I’m starting my first leg of a trip to Missouri to see a friend, then Arkansas to see family. Leaving Western Washington. As I’m going over the Cascades I notice my temp gauge is at the halfway mark. I’ve never, in 2 years of these types of trips and towing trailers, seen the gauge move even close to that mark. I pull over and look in the recovery tank and the coolant is green. Needless to say, I drove it to my destinations. It never got past 230, and looking at all of the coolant threads, this a death dealer.

Coming through the Rockies in Montana must have been the last straw. It overheated, blew off the recovery hose, and I got an unintentional stay in Butte, Montana. The mechanic found the water pump bad and the clutch fan going bad. But the bad news was it failed the head gasket tests as it was pumping exhaust gases into the water jacket. New heads and gaskets time.

My question is: Valvoline uses a Universally Compatible coolant and lists all of the coolants it is compatible to. I saw nowhere in their disclaimer that it is HOAT. Could this have been the source of the head gasket failure, along with poor lubrication of the water pump?

If she had said what they were going to use I would not have had the coolant changed. I’ve read enough on this forum to know that you need to pay strict attention to a hemi. Looks like I let the truck down. But I’m staring at a pretty steep bill for this work curious if Valvoline has any skin in this game. Help?

I do pay attention to what goes into my vehicles, I try to stick with OEM unless aftermarket has a solution to a known problem. With that being said, I believe coolant and colors are overblown. I have a 2016 that uses purple OAT and I keep it fresh with a fluid dump and new to fill. This keeps the color and formula consistent. If for any reason I had extra time and wanted to penny pinch, I don't see anything wrong with a proper flush and filling with original organic green, universal whatever or even lets say, Toyota red formula. It is more important to keep it uniform. It will all cool when mixed properly. A proper rinsing of the old and a fill of anything will keep the engine cool.
With that being said, I have had no special filling machines or vacuum devices to fill the system. I have never had to use the bleed screw around the water pump houseing. Refreshing the coolant in my Ram is not any easier or harder than any other vehicle I have done in the last 44 years. They all have their quirks, but nothing works better than gravity and time.

 

[Burla]

You need to post the coolant, universal's are generally compatible with your OEM hoat unless it was orange container dex clone. Was the coolant level good?

3 mos it doesn't sound like a coolant issue to me, sounds like the clutch went it happens. If it was coolant you could cut open water pump and see crystals.

 

[Burla]

It could be related if coolant was low, did you check it a couple times after?

 

[EdGs]

I've alway heard that chemical flushes can be bad if not done properly. Not saying they did this, but I know several who had a water pump fail after a chemical flush.

No idea how they did your changeout, but might just be pure coincidence. Water pumps can fail at any time, they are made by humans after all.

There are compatible aftermarket coolants, and it is possible to refill with good ole Prestone green if your system is properly emptied.

I've done a couple coolant changes in my Ram over the years and always use the factory coolant. A little more expensive, but not much, I bought 2 gallons of Mopar concentrate for $58 (at dealer) and 2 jugs distilled water. 4 gallons of 50/50 for about $15 each. Not bad.

Believe it or not, my Ram still has the original water pump at 212,000 miles (knocking on the side of my head....lol). I must have the unicorn water pump.

But I live in FL, very rarely haul and never towed. No dealing with road salt and such like so many others.

My radiator failed at 192k, and the Motorad thermostat I bought decided a month ago to start opening late, and I saw my temps climb to 230°+. Found out my fan clutch was shot, and bought a Calorstat 192° stat. Excellent stat so far.

I feel your pain with a large, expensive repair, having just gone through a $6K cam/lifter+ job. I'm not sure if you will get anywhere with Valvoline, but wIsh you the best.

Keep on keeping on is all we can do.

 

[mdc1990zr1]

I've alway heard that chemical flushes can be bad if not done properly. Not saying they did this, but I know several who had a water pump fail after a chemical flush.

No idea how they did your changeout, but might just be pure coincidence. Water pumps can fail at any time, they are made by humans after all.

There are compatible aftermarket coolants, and it is possible to refill with good ole Prestone green if your system is properly emptied.

I've done a couple coolant changes in my Ram over the years and always use the factory coolant. A little more expensive, but not much, I bought 2 gallons of Mopar concentrate for $58 (at dealer) and 2 jugs distilled water. 4 gallons of 50/50 for about $15 each. Not bad.

Believe it or not, my Ram still has the original water pump at 212,000 miles (knocking on the side of my head....lol). I must have the unicorn water pump.

But I live in FL, very rarely haul and never towed. No dealing with road salt and such like so many others.

My radiator failed at 192k, and the Motorad thermostat I bought decided a month ago to start opening late, and I saw my temps climb to 230°+. Found out my fan clutch was shot, and bought a Calorstat 192° stat. Excelkent stat so far.

I feel your pain with a large, expensive repair, having just gone through a $6K cam/lifter+ job. I'm not sure if you will get anywhere with Valvoline, but wIsh you the best.

Keep on keeping on is all we can do.

Fresh coolant keeps the water pump lubed. Sticking with OEM fluid changes leaves nothing to chance with compatibility and saves time and money in the total evacuation of the old fluid to replace with another fluid. Unless there is a component failure and you’re half way to total evacuation, I just don’t see where the juice is worth the squeeze.

 

[Burla]

I've alway heard that chemical flushes can be bad if not done properly. Not saying they did this, but I know several who had a water pump fail after a chemical flush.

No idea how they did your changeout, but might just be pure coincidence. Water pumps can fail at any time, they are made by humans after all.

There are compatible aftermarket coolants, and it is possible to refill with good ole Prestone green if your system is properly emptied.

I've done a couple coolant changes in my Ram over the years and always use the factory coolant. A little more expensive, but not much, I bought 2 gallons of Mopar concentrate for $58 (at dealer) and 2 jugs distilled water. 4 gallons of 50/50 for about $15 each. Not bad.

Believe it or not, my Ram still has the original water pump at 212,000 miles (knocking on the side of my head....lol). I must have the unicorn water pump.

But I live in FL, very rarely haul and never towed. No dealing with road salt and such like so many others.

My radiator failed at 192k, and the Motorad thermostat I bought decided a month ago to start opening late, and I saw my temps climb to 230°+. Found out my fan clutch was shot, and bought a Calorstat 192° stat. Excelkent stat so far.

I feel your pain with a large, expensive repair, having just gone through a $6K cam/lifter+ job. I'm not sure if you will get anywhere with Valvoline, but wIsh you the best.

Keep on keeping on is all we can do.

yeah chemical flush could be the cause depending on the flush, was a flush used and which flush was used? Why RMI25 is so popular, leave in flush and removes slime safely.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I doubt they did a chemical flush. That takes extra time and that cost's time/money. Most likely they removed the old coolant and put in new.

I would assume before you set out on a long trip you check the coolant level at least once before leaving, right? I mean, that's kind of owner responsibility. You have to assume it was the young new tech doing a coolant exchange, so you gotta keep your eye on their work.

It's hard to say what happened there.... probably the water pump failed and overheated the engine...warped the heads. That would have been a good time to have the dealer install a new cam and lifters....

 

[EdGs]

I doubt they did a chemical flush. That takes extra time and that cost's time/money. Most likely they removed the old coolant and put in new.

I would assume before you set out on a long trip you check the coolant level at least once before leaving, right? I mean, that's kind of owner responsibility. You have to assume it was the young new tech doing a coolant exchange, so you gotta keep your eye on their work.

It's hard to say what happened there.... probably the water pump failed and overheated the engine...warped the heads. That would have been a good time to have the dealer install a new cam and lifters....

+1 on checking the coolant level. The couple times I've changed my coolant, it took 6 or 7 daily checks, along with adding coolant each time, until the level stayed at the filler neck.

 

[Heatstud]

Welp, kinda what I figured. I’m in the HVAC/R field for close to 40 years and this kinda thing I learned long ago. Take the load off and something will take a dump. I just hate coincidences. Thank you everyone for responding. And for the member who mentioned checking it before I even left? Yes, I felt that pang of guilt when the coolant painted the engine bay! LOL! A little late, but lesson learned. My ‘69 340 Dart was so much easier to deal with.

 

[CaptOchs]

Your manual will tell you which coolant is compatible. But who knows what Valvoline put in there. Maybe they stuck some Japanese car coolant in there.

I wouldn't let Valvoline touch my car, EVER. They overfilled the oil by 2 quarts on a Suburban I had. We argued over the oil capacity. I changed it many times. This was just before going camping, so I started off towing. About a half hour into the trip, oil was spewing out of the exhaust. It was all over the camper I just washed/waxed too. I had to drain the excess out by buying tools in town and cutting the top off a milk jug. It was a mess. I feel the engine lost power after that. Valvoline wouldn't do anything because I didn't take it to a mechanic right away and the truck had over 100k miles on it. I was young and didn't really have money to sue them, so I was pretty much screwed. They offered 3 free oil change coupons for ruining my truck and vacation.