Cadillac Catera Maintenance & Repair

hulacatera · December 2005

Our '98 Catera had the transmission replaced just a couple of months ago (Sept. '05) and back at dealership because of smoking under hood (that disappear and we didn't see an oil leak) and same start of hesitating before shifting into gear. Had tremendous help from GM themselves on replacing low mileage transmission. Now looking at approx. $1200 for: valve cover gaskets, ignition wiring and oil leak ... was told this is all "engine" and not transmission related. After car being at dealership since late Monday afternoon, at least finally have service man that answers phone and will call back. WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MY LITTLE CATERA?????? WHAT A CHRISTMAS PRESENT!!

:sick: :surprise:

pjscon · January 2006

I have the exact same problem you are describing. Was the delership able to fix the problem?

pbs · January 2006

I just recently had a problem with my 97 Catera with 141K in mileage. A few weeks ago the emergency brakes basically fell to pieces and had to be unseized. I waited for parts and last week after GM tried to repair them (wrong parts) I experienced additional problems with a clunk in right rear wheel (more brake stuff fell apart) then the trans select lights started flashing (like X-mas lights), and the "brake light" and "check engine light" came on. Then when I tried to select a gear (ie. D) it would only light up in 3rd then was sluggish to move and the engine lagged. As it got up speed it would later light up in "D". However when trying to shift into "P" no lights come on. The dealer wants to replace the transmission switch (~ $145) as a first attempt. The worst case is a transmission at $2,400. The dealer says that they have never seen this problem before and even called GM service techs about it. This list indicates that others have had the same problem. Can anyone tell me what the actual outcome and solution was. I am a little suspicious of the "never seen or heard of this problem before" response. Overall the car has been good and my GM dealer has always been excellant in responding to any problems.

milanhavlik · January 2006

does any one know where I can get key codes for my catera? the orignal dealer closed and the hot lines say they dont have them anymore nor the dealer any ideas? also anyone know how many hours it takes to do a timimng belt replacement(recall was done on tentioner)for normal mantaince?how about why my temp gauge flaucates alotbetween middle and almost hot? anybody try any proformance chips?thank any body for any info you got

hulacatera · January 2006

e041643, sorry to be so long in answering your message; just now saw it. I got GM to help me by calling them directly. When dealer her in Hawaii said $5+ I figured that just wasn't right with my low mileage and the care I've given the car. GM dealt directly with dealer on replacing the transmission and know costs here; figured they got dealer to be reasonable about the labor (all union here). I'm also stuck because they are only Cadillac dealer on island! Car in shop again (3rd week without car); this time saying around $1200 for repairs. Thinking about calling GM again for help in dealing with dealerhip. I do love that Catera but don't think I can afford to keep forking out for major repairs every two months!

krist_eros · January 2006

hi Sylvie
Once u have a problem, the dealer must fix it.
Since u have a short in the electrical system, whether u have a new battery or an old battery, it will get drained.
I also had a battery drain problem on my older 525 BMW and I traced it to a latching relay, u may have the same problem.
It definetely takes expertise and a good manual with wiring diagrams to fix an electrical problem.
U must start by evaluating the current drainage by inserting a multimeter between the car and the battery.
good luck
kris

krist_eros · January 2006

hi Lynn
I can inform u that Yahoo has a very good catera owners site where there is mechanic member whose name is Chad and offers very good responses to Catera problems.
Good Luck
Kris

milanhavlik · January 2006

I am a catera owner the most problematic of them all the 97 I learned to afford it by getting a after market extended warrenty....I reccommend you do the same if you have low mileage..

grantii · January 2006

Hi, I recently purchased what I thought was a steal. I have a '98 catera with 68K miles on it. Already this car has cost me 1500 and i've only owned it 2 days!. I had the oil changed and the person noticed a leak. His estimation was it is transmission. Through talking to other people, it was deemed to be a coolant leak. Cadillac stated that I need my engine coolant and heater control valve replaced ASAP in order to drive it. Just got it out the shop.....and the same issue is present. There's smoke emminating from the same region and when i open the oil dipstick area, there's smoke emmitting from there as well. Cadillac stated to give it a few days to let the oil burn off. Personally, I thought that they would have tried to clean it off or something...since this is a caddy....you don't want your product smoking - litterally - down the street. Now my car doesn't seem to heat well unless it's at 90 degrees, but as soon as I turn it down, it's quite chilly inside. Is the heat being affected by this quite expensive repair?

Also, my headlights seem to only light the immediate area around my car. Cadillac has stated that the aim on this car can break, resulting in purchasing new headlights altogther? Has anyone else had this experience where it's just glowing around the car instead of pointing outward? Can this be fix or do i really have to buy new headlights?

And one more thing....I'm having an issue where when I hit bumps, my car is flying into a different direction. Cadillac has stated that an alignment can solve that issue, but it flies off even when driving in a straight line, or it over steers in curves. I have to fight the wheel to make it move where I want it to. Luckily its dry for now here in Michigan, but i don't want to skid in this car, because it's got a mind of its own in the steering area. My thoughts are toward tie rods....am i thinking correctly for those that may have experience this also?

Please reassure me that I didn't just waste 4500 on this car - not including the 1500 just spent in immediate repair?

I've always loved how this car looked which was the principle reason for buying it. :shades:

thanks for your response!

pbs · January 2006

I have a '97 Catera and did have the headlight problems. It seems that the lights slowly slip down and that attempts to realign become impossible. I have had both replaced, one by insurance after meeting with a deer, the other (soon after) the dealer replaced with no charge, after the warranty period was up. The problem appears to be in the design, the allignment mechanism seems to corrode and loosen up allowing the lights to slowly tilt down. I took it in several times before complaining to the service manager. He decided to replace the assembly without charge.

vr4707 · January 2006

hi, well im pretty sure i can help you on this one since i have the same exact car and i encountered the same exact problem. 1st of all that problem isnt rare in the catera since i have a friend with another 97 cat and he experienced our problem also. my dealership told me the same thing they told you, but they wanted to charge me a lot more. well to make a long story short, i decided to give it a crack on my own since i didnt have anything to lose. what i found was the transmission circuit board (located in the main tranny pan) was extremely filthy and the connection plug was loose (the Connector plastic clip had deteriorated and broke) so after cleaning up the board and rececting the plug, i decided to put a brand new tranny filter since i had the tranny exposed. after that the car ran fine. my friend later encountered that he also had a filthy circuit board and did the same as me. his also runs fine now. well my advice to you would be to give this a shot before spending more money than you have to. remember if you decide to go my way, you might as well replace the filter while your at it.
I hope this can help you in any way
David
P.s. catera's dont have a tranny oil dipstick so when u fill ur going to have to pump the transmission oil through the drain plug found on the right side of the trans mission, fill until fluid reaches the bottum of the plug hole.
H

vr4707 · January 2006

im pretty sure you can pick up that gasket for roughly a third of the price that you would pay at the dealership from a kragen or autozone. and no you dont have to replace the timing cover if its in good shape.

vr4707 · January 2006

hi i also experienced your same problem on my 97. well if the brake light that your experiencing is an icon of a circle with with 2 choppy outlines on the sides then you have to replace your brakes a.s.a.p. Now the pulsating of the brake pedal may be because either ur braking to hard and the abs is kicking in or your rotors are warped (this usually happens when the rotors are hot and they make contact with water (puddle, etc.), so what you can do is if they arent too warped and they have plenty of thickness left then you can have them turned (take advantage of this option since you will need to replace the brakes anyways), otherwise you will need to replace the rotors completely. now on the transmission. im pretty sure, although you didnt mention, the transmission is also sluggish right? well what happens is that the filtration system in these cars dont really do their job, so the circuit board inside the transmission get very very filthy and sometimes (like in my case) the connector that goes to that, loosens up as well, since theres alot of vibration that goes on inside, and the clip that holds the connector in place is not very strong. so what you would have to do is get the circuit board cleaned up (a simple clean shop rag should do it)and make sure that the connector isnt loose. i would also recommend that you change the transmission filter and gasket while you're at it.
Well if you ever decide on doing the job on the tranny circuit board, let me know and i can walk you through it with instructions as best i can.

Hope that my information comes to good use for you
David
well if you ever decide to

pbs · January 2006

Thanks for the reply. The problem was the transmission switch and after getting the wrong switch first the right one arrived, installed, and tested. Everything working fine now. Cost was $299 for switch and $402.90 for labour, all CDN$'s. A bolt did sheer off during the repair due to corrosion and had to be repaired. Car runs great. Looking at the list it appears that the problem seems to appear in the '97s at around 80-90,000 miles. Maybe this should be a regular maintenance check at that mileage.

The emergency brakes also had to be completely repaired at just over $900 CDN including the cable. This was an unrelated incident, but just happy that both were fixed at the same time instead of an extra trip.

1999caterrible · January 2006

The problem with your car is the oil cooler. It is letting your oil & anti-freeze mix. Cadillac has since replaced your oil cooler with a new design. You can find a new oil cooler on Ebay.

treborrenrut · January 2006

It sounds like I have a collapsed lifter I was wanting to know if there is any adjusting or something i could do if any one has any info plz leave me a email. Also I can feel the tick on the right side of the engine like it is a lifter any info plz respond

hulacatera · January 2006

Aloha -- wanted to give you all an update on our '98 Catera. After being in the shop from 12/19/05 until 1/9/06 for the valve gasket/ignition wiring/oil leak, another $1K repair job, -- found our car smoking after driving about 10 miles only from dealership. Was on highway so didn't notice the smoke until I stopped; called dealership and they thought it was spillage. In a store about 40 minutes; more than enough time for car to cool down; drove home, about 5 miles and pulled into the middle of garage to move bikes -- when I pulled car out and into its slot -- I found oil leaks on floor of garage -- another call to dealer. Put papers under engine and we checked dip stick and found it to be at least a quarter over full-line; dealer towed car in next day (Tues.). Wednesday afternoon, they said there was no leak; that we were getting false oil readings but want to keep one more night! Shorten story here; car supposed to be okay and said I would pick up (first thing Thurs. 1/12th). Thursday, car not ready when I arrive at 7:00am; still needs to be rechecked; hour and a half later ... still waiting! Finally got my car back at 4pm on 12th. Here's EXACT WORDING OF WHAT DEALER WROTE ON REPORT: "70070 DG, found left side valve cover gasker leaking oil also found all spark plug holes filled with coil, caused by leaking valve cover o ring seals, advised, with S/A go tok, removed upper plenum and lower intake manifold assembly, removed bank 2 driver side valve cover, cleaned and installed new valve cover seal and o ring seals, reinstall led valve cover and all upper parts, road test car, found #2 spark plug has missfire, caused by oil leak, also wire is soaked with oil, advised got ok, removed all bank 2 driver side plug wire s and isntalled new wires, cleaned all old oil leaks from top of engine to under engine area. Road tested, rechecked all engine peramters with tech 2, all operating within specs, put car back ob hoist and recheck to and bottom of engine is dry, no leaks found, note; also drained about half qrt oil, then rechecked oil level is to spe cs now, not over filled, completed." NOW, FELLOW-CATERA OWNERS -- drove minimally (noticed new oil leaks, minor). Called dealer for recheck, 1/19. Drove car into town today and on way home "Check Engine" light is on and staying on. Cooled car down for 1/2 hour after getting home and turned back on and Check Engine light still on. Called dealer and they said that it has to do with "emission ???" and still drivable until my appt. but they would have to check that too!!!! NOW, I will say that GM has been vigilent in staying in touch with me and contacting dealer BUT, IS IT MY IMAGINATION OR IS SOMETHING SCREWY WITH REPAIR WORK OR IS CAR READY FOR JUNK PILE OR LEMON LAW???????

jpeeps · January 2006

I have a 98 Catera and for some reason or another It will crank but then cuts of like 15 mins later. Payed too much money for this car just to keep sitting in my driveway. After it cuts off I can wait a couple hrs and it will start again. Does anyone have any suggestions to what the problem maybe. My mechanic said it is probably the ignition module. Going in the shop this week. Has anyone else had this problem and if so what was wrong.

desparybo · February 2006

hey hows it going, i have a problem where i put it in drive in doesnt want to catch and drive, it just revs. i have noticed alot of rumble when the car is shifting gears, but now it wont even drive unless i put it into 1st and then even its supper slugesh. do you think i should take the tanny pan off and see about the plug and circuit board?

ksparz · February 2006

Apparently the tech who changed my oil tighened the cannister too tightly the last time and stripped(?) something internally. Consequently, when I took it in to have the oil changed this time they cannot remove the cannister--it loosens, spins but will not come off. It can be retightened.

What may be happening?

Thanx for your help!

Keith

wilkenstx · February 2006

I just bought a '97 Catera from my brother. Same story as others, fine car but lots of problems.

The car radio, interior lights, etc. only work once the ignition is shut off. They do not work while the engine is running. I suppose that these items have separate circuits for ignition on and the time until you open the door. I also suppose that the electrical problems are all related.

Where should I look for the cause? My hunch is a relay. I have ordered the GM service manual.

wilkenstx · February 2006

I found the solution. Fuse #10.

tbprince · March 2006

More than likely it's the crankshaft position sensor. I had the same problem.

scojo2 · March 2006

We should have read this web site before buying our 98 catera. We had the exact thing happen this past week. Took it to Pep Boys, and Discount Auto today because it would just stop while idling at a light. No electronic problems. New battery. Seems to get to hot and just cut off. Did you ever find out what it was??
Is there a lemon law about this vehicle??

andarius · March 2006

I am an electronics tech. I do mechanic work as a hobby. My wife has a 2000 catera. The twilight sentinel was my first target when it would let the lights stay on an unusually long time. This cause a battery to die. After replacing the battery all seemed fine for about 6 months. Then it started again.

Come to find out the system uses a relay to control the lights. The twilight relay is seperate from the others if I recall. The relay would hang, releasing after a varied amount of time. Replaced the relay (local parts shop) all is working well.

used · March 2006

have your coil checked out. just happened to me, parts and labor 600 bucks.

used · March 2006

will not shut off. drained my battery completely. anyone know how to fix?

lfrench · March 2006

Half dash lights out sun roof works sometimes, odometer not working is this a relay? which one?

caddysgirl · March 2006

My 98 cadillac catera has had the check engine light on also car has been stalling but after allowing to sit it starts and drives as normal, mechanic said that it is the emissions system problem and is caused by possible air leak in the hose.

caddysgirl · March 2006

98 cadillac catera ocassionally stalling in traffic then starts up and drives fine ,check engine light wont go off.

mmarykay4u · March 2006

Hey I have the same problems with my 2000 Catera but the fuse that keeps blowing says its a water pump relay, so now they are saying there is a short in the wire somewhere, do you know something better!

mmarykay4u · March 2006

Hey my Check Engine Light just came on today, I tried everything in the manual that is says to do. Does anyone know what it might be on a 2000 Catera?

mmarykay4u · March 2006

So thats the problem its not the radio at all, what are the symptoms if the heater aux pump,valve cover etc?

ptv · March 2006

Yes, our '98 Catera is doing the same thing...always starts just find in morning and when I come home from work after setting 7 hours...If I use it for short trips and let it sit for 1/2 hour, it won't start....let it sit for 2-3 hours and it starts right up. Lately, if I let it idle for 5-10 minutes it just shuts off and won't start again for 2-3 hours....it's going to the shop on 3/31/06, but in talking to the expert at the shop, he doesn't know what is doing it.

ptv · March 2006

Head light problem....same as mine...internal plastic gears are stripped...my solution was to take the headlight assembly out, drill a small hole through the bottom of the plastic, screw in a screw that pushes the interior housing up to aim the headlight further out in front of car.

dan3700 · March 2006

i have the same problem the radio works only when the car is turned off. if you replace fuse number 10 it will work completely for a few minutes and then blow the fuse again. any answers will be rewarded at this point

lfrench · March 2006

where can i get a sunroof module. dealer wants $750.!!!
(w/ instalation). is it hard to get to the right side dash lights? 3 right gauges lights out, dealer says bulbs?? where can get a shop manual?

tiger65 · April 2006

What do you mean internal gears? I just cut a headlight open to find a way to fix the problem and do not see gears. May have to cut more?

mmarykay4u · April 2006

I have the same problem with my radio, the fuse keeps blowing have you found the problem yet.

tommeek · April 2006

I hope you've had this addressed - if not - Autozone stores will do a code read for free and tell you what the issue is. There is a large Catera forum on Yahoo that has most Catera-related answers.

golfchic · April 2006

I had the same problem with my 2001 catera, only it died in the middle of the highway, started then drove 1 mile died... it was the FUEL PUMP.

golfchic · April 2006

I am having similar issue, the TCS and ABS lights come on and the speedometer needle wont move nor is the mileage adding up... what the HECK is it... anyone know? oh, now the backlights where the oil pressue is went out. HELP!!

cookfamily2001 · April 2006

Did you ever find out why the gearstick was shaking? Mine does the same thing, I have put money into this car and it run great except for the gearstick shaking.

golfchic · April 2006

the lights are going crazy, my powersteering fluid drained out, the tires wearout every 10 miles... and because the tie rod is stuck on it, no one will do an alignment. plenty of water in the car, but light is on... brake light on... does anyone have answers to this lemon of a car?

hdog1123 · April 2006

I recently had a problem with my ac going out on my 1997 catera. I took it to a local shop and they said that the high side hose was faulty. It was leaking the freon out, but for some reason they did not have the tools to fix it. So I had to take it to the dealership. The freaking hose cost $323 without labor, as a result I had to pay 877 to get the hose replaced and the entire system recharge. The AC blows perfect now without any problems. It sounds like you may have to get a dignostic check on the ac system. That's what I had to do in order to fix my problem

hdog1123 · April 2006

I am having a simuliar problems with my 97 Catera. My trans service light comes on and my car want shift correctly, but if I turn the car off and back on the car shift perfectly until the light comes on again. I took it to the dealership for something else, but I had them to run a code check and they said it was slipping issues with the tranny, but it only slips when the light comes on. The dealership said that I needed to replace the entire tranny, but it just seems odd because the tranny shifts perfectly until the tranny service light comes on.Any suggestions.............

dray1997 · April 2006

I own a 1997 Cadillac catera with 83,000 miles; I have the same problems with my car like the rest of you. Suggestion, we should all get together and file a class action suit against GM for ignoring our complaints. They have not been helpfull at all. That will teach em.

adam1995 · April 2006

my 1998 cadillac catera has an electrical problem, my radio and interor lights work when the ignition is not turned over, but do not work when ignition is turned over and car is running,,,,,please help me know what is wrong , how to fix it, and if it is a fuse, where the location of that fuse is

adam1995 · April 2006

where is this fuse located,, under hood, steering wheel, ?

rsavoie · April 2006

Just bought a 98 Catera, engine just rev's when it shifts fron 1st to 2nd. in D2, second gear holds just fine. when shifting out of 1st to 2nd, 'nothing' ! changed tranny oil & filter, no luck. Any suggestions?

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