Radiator coolant leak (driver side, upper radiator hose area)

[Digger]

Blue silicone is a lot better than what I was suggesting and a pretty fair price for the package.

[Dsvorc41]

I'm planning to do the work this Saturday! I'll update the thread once I finish it. I'm debating whether I should flush the orange coolant (Prestone Dex-Cool Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant) out of the system and switch to something else. I read the thread about coolant type (http://saabworld.net/showthread.php?t=26022) but I couldn't come to a definitive conclusion. Do you have any advice on which way to go for 1999 9-5?

[Digger]

I can't give you a definitive answer on best coolant as your 20 year old engine is to new to be old and to old to be new. Should you use orange or green is a plus and minus whichever way you go.

A few years back Dex got a well earned reputation for eating GM intake gaskets when it got old and acidic. Something that the green stuff that had been around for years never did and a lot of cars got switched to green. Eventually those cars started experiencing all the problems that came with the green and the simple fact is that all coolant eventually breaks down and if you mix it 50 / 50 with tap water it breaks down faster.

No better time to flush than when you are replacing hoses and radiator and my advice is flush the system before you replace these parts no matter which coolant you choose. I suggest using the Dex and cutting it 50 / 50 with distilled water as it is better for the modern cooling system and a little kinder to the planet than using the green and replacing it every two years or 24K miles.

[Dsvorc41]

I can't give you a definitive answer on best coolant as your 20 year old engine is to new to be old and to old to be new. Should you use orange or green is a plus and minus whichever way you go.

A few years back Dex got a well earned reputation for eating GM intake gaskets when it got old and acidic. Something that the green stuff that had been around for years never did and a lot of cars got switched to green. Eventually those cars started experiencing all the problems that came with the green and the simple fact is that all coolant eventually breaks down and if you mix it 50 / 50 with tap water it breaks down faster.

No better time to flush than when you are replacing hoses and radiator and my advice is flush the system before you replace these parts no matter which coolant you choose. I suggest using the Dex and cutting it 50 / 50 with distilled water as it is better for the modern cooling system and a little kinder to the planet than using the green and replacing it every two years or 24K miles.

This is immensely helpful info! Thank you for your patience and guidance. I really appreciate it.

[Dsvorc41]

I just realized I completely forgot to update the thread. Since my last post here, the fuel pump stopped working so I replaced that, and then a couple of weeks later I replaced the radiator and that solved the coolant leak problem. Replacing it was actually a lot easier than I thought and took maybe 2.5 hours. I followed this tutorial http://saabworld.net/showthread.php?t=759 and everything went smoothly. Thanks again for all the info!