Cadillac Catera Maintenance & Repair

jld7

For some reason puddles of water are showing up on the floor of my car it's not even raining been to several mechanic no one seems to know what the Problem is can anybody help me need some help

lou89

lou89

lou89

I suspect a leaking heater core leaking coolant from under the dash, passenger side. Feel it between fingers, would be a thin oily consistancy. DON'T TASTE OR LET CAT OR DOG LICK IT-WILL KILL. Other test, spread paper towel or newspaper under that dash area-not in wet- to see where a leak is dripping from. No exp with this on a Catera, but others. Heck to get to within Dash. Meanwhile if this is prob., you can bypass the heater core from under hood by removing in and out hoses, join them with a connecter(parts Store), taking heater out of coolant circulation loop. O K for summer, no cabin heat in winter. Keep you going , in a pinch. Soak up the coolant from carpet with newspaper, paper towels..let dry and shampoo carpet area-likely wet padding under. open car as much for air-pull carpet bac, if possible.Wish you well.

lou89

I suspect worn piston rings in engine, letting motor's oil leak into cylinders and burning-owner confirmed. White smoke friom tailpipe. First thing-check oil level by pulling dip stick from engine-wipe with clean rag or paper towel, reinstall and pull again for a clear reading.Stick marks will tell safe level-do no over fill.Frequent cks can prevent ruining engine. Need to know how condition of rings-a mechanic can do compression test on each cylinder to know where you are -too worn, will not pass safety insp most states-maybe would not pass for prev owner.Check sticker date. Chk owner if he had tried an oil additive from parts store.What weight oil he was using.You might be able toput a heavier weight in to minimize oil burning.Dash guageNOT a coolant level indicator-is Temperature guageBIG difference for you.Coolant level chk under hood look at plastic coolant resevor.Wish you well.

catera97

I will have it checked first thing on Tuesday...I guess my question to you is the white smoke has stopped, and I can drive around town with no overheating issues..Also, checked the car this morning, and the oil level is fine..Is this a car, being that it's running fine be safe to continue driving? Or should I wait till tuesday? I started the car after checking the oil and let it run for about 20 minutes in the parking lot...No white smoke, no stalling, nothing wrong...Thanks so much for your response, and I'll be waiting to hear if you think anything could be seriously wrong or if it's just what you stated previous...Again, thanks

Mr_Shiftright

As a rule, white smoke is coolant burning. Oil burning will generally produce a light, blue smoke that lingers for a long time. Coolant burning produces white-ish smoke that dissipates quickly.

gnguru

If you haven't gotten your car stalling problem fixed yet, I would change out the Crankshaft Position Sensor before I messed with that nuetral safety switch hoopla. That is generally the number one culprit of your symptons. Good luck.

catera97

You know I've been on youtube and lots of other self-help forums and I realized that green anit-freeze is not dex-cool...Dex-cool is red most commonly and sometimes orange, so could this be an issue that I would need to get sorted? I'm kind of a novice when it comes to repairs, but I'm very much willing to learn. Bascially, I'm afraid this guy not using Dex-cool might have ruined some gaskets somewhere and caused water to get into the system. If that seems possible than is the next course of action to flush everything out and refill? Thanks in advance, and hope your 4th of July is a great one!!!

lou89

Sounds reasonable-why coolant in combustion chamber ? Cracked block ? I won't risk a yea or nay on the safety of driving..if the oil level is monitored and the coolant level closely watched and the previous owner had been driving regularly with no mechanical problem, engine power satisfactry ,,,,,???

gnguru

White smoke (and NOT blue) is a good sign that water and/or anti-freeze is getting into the combustion chamber. There are four possibilities for this to happen. Starting from the least expensive to the most expensive they are: 1. You have a failed intake gasket. 2. You have a failed head gasket. :mad: 3. You have a cracked head. 4. You have a cracked block. :sick: Only way to know for sure is some engine disassembly and of course if it's a cracked block, we're talking complete engine removal.. Good luck.

lou89

I think a mechanic is in order.A valve gasket replacement is not normally complicated nor is plug replacement. From your question, not for you to tackle. Ask friends if they know a reliable/honest mechanic, if youare a member of AAA, ask for list of AAA approved repair services, I have depended on this and think I got a fair shake. If you see oil leaks from valve cover, oil usually hits hot manifold and burns.Check oil dipstick for oil level.Check previous messages re sensor problem preventing running. Sorry can't be more help- not been down that road with my 89.

lou89

Sounds right on.

catera97

Ok so, I've drove this car now for 200 miles, has never came close to overheating and havent seen white smoke for 190 miles..The coolant light came on to indicate low coolant, so I added coolant to the resivoir...I guess my question this whole time is since I paid so little for this car, I'm waiting for something major to happen..The white smoke cloud for the first 10 miles went away, and I'm hoping after adding coolant the indicator light will as well...If you guys have anymore knowledge to lend me that would be great...Thanks so much

cadijunky20

did you see any white smoke coming out of the exhaust this time, and the first thing i would do is run a compression test on it to tell you if its your heads, gasket etc etc... and to answer your question about dexcool, if the last owner flushed your system out really good you can switch out the coolant to the universal green... even if he didnt its still better than that gasket killer they call dexcool

catera97

Ok, went to the mechanic today, he drove it said it drove wonderfully..Haven't seen any white smoke out of the exhaust for I would say 170 miles now...He ran the check engine light, in lehman's terms for me he said that it was something to do with the cat converter due to needing to change out the fuel filter but that can be done at my earliest convienence...I plan on doing a complete system flush and tune-up here in the next week or so and changing that fuel filter...Not trying to jinx it but all I'm using this car for is to drive 8 miles round trip to work each day...It seems it can do that no prob, and for 375 bucks, you can't beat that!!!! Thanks guys will keep in touch with how it's doing and I hope to hear more of your feedback...Thanks again

jpf

When adding coolant be sure it is a 50/50 mixture coolant and water. If you're just adding anti-freeeze you're actually diluting the mixture. You can buy the coolant already pre-mixed from many auto parts stores (e.g. WalMart, etc.). Good luck.

lou89

DO NOT BE CONFUSED....YOU HAVE THE ANSWER . GO TO WALMART AND BUY A JUG OF 50/50 ANTIFREESE . BE CERTAIN...THAT YOU BUY THE CORRECT TYPE OF ANTIFREEZE----THERE IS THE TYPE FOR GENERAL MOTORS CARS OR THE TYPE WHICH CLEARLY SAYS " FOR ALL MAKES OF CARS " . DO NOT USE ANY OTHER . 50/50 IS PREMIXED FOR YOU -- HALF ANTIFREEZE -HALF WATER. OTHERWISE BUY A JUG OF 100 % ANTIFREEZE AND GO TO THE TROUBLE OF MIXING, AND SPILLING , IT WITH WATER . ANIMALS ARE ATTRACTED TO IT AND IT WILL KILL IF THEY DRINK IT. IF YOU DO MIX, SUGGEST YOU MIX WITH DISTILLED WATER . ADMINISTER THE FLUID INTO YOUR CATERA PER THE MANUAL . HAPPY , COOLANT MOTORING .

chico29

I recently bought a Catera that had the engine switched at 60,000 miles. Car started everything seemed fine. Till one day the mechanic was going to deliver it to me and it just turned off while driving and wont turn on any more. When i open the door and put the key in the ignition and turn it, The word security starts flashing. Is it normal for the word "SECURITY" to flash?? These would be the factory alarm. Please help not trying to put any money in to it yet. Maybe ill break even and junk it. Thanks in advance.

Mr_Shiftright

Did you try getting out, locking the car, then unlocking it and trying to start it again?

chico29

Yes! I Also noticed that to the left of the dash there is a "S" Flashing but its not identified in the owners manual!! Any help with that. Thanks

Mr_Shiftright

The flashing S is a transmission code, so that's another problem.

The security light on means that the security system cannot arm itself for some reason.

So you mean that the car doesn't do anything when you turn the key? Or does it crank and crank but not start?

Seems like you have a number of issues going on here at once.

chico29

Mr_Shiftright
The car cranks but does not start. Also the security light goes off after 3 or so flashes!!

justmelord

I believe the crankshaft positioning sensor is either bad or mis-adjusted.

gnguru

Got rid of the ole Catera a long time ago but wanted to jump in on this one. The crankshaft position sensor does not need any adjustment. It is either good or bad so just install a new one and don't worry about any "mis-adjustment"!!

gnguru

Got rid of the ole Catera a long time ago but wanted to jump in on this one. The crankshaft position sensor does not need any adjustment. It is either good or bad so just install a new one and don't worry about any "mis-adjustment"!!

gizmo4me2

Got a 89 Catera, my cooling fan run all the time, even when I start in the morning. Please can any one help.

splaga

alldata manuals gives you that but I have a 2001 catera and it says that sensor is the one located on the passanger side on exhaust pipe closest to engine if you email me at splaga@charter.net I can send you a photo.

shellyc

I have a 98 catera and I just replaced the transmission, but something keeps blowing the fuse causing the car to have a slow takeoff once it gets into second gear it rides great ,what could be the problem....

lou89

HAVE NOT HAD THAT EXPERIENCE. I WOULD TAKE IT BACK TO SOURCE OF THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION .

spamrjohnmd

my 98 is doing the same thing did u solve the problem???

ybscorp

Is it ok to use E85 in my 2000 Catara. They say that it is 111 octane rating. Will it hurt the hoses

ybscorp

no body want to chime in on this one so, Yes it will run on E85 gas but not sure of the ?? of will it harm the hoses, a rubber hose guy says "that the hose shuld be fine but that some of the O rings may degrade over time and leak. If you use it keep real good track of anything with a O ring for leakage"

lou89

I would not use E85 unless your 2000 is stipulated as a FLEX FUEL VEHICLE BY THE MANUFACTURER. Gasoline sold commonly is E10 and is safe for older cars. Otherwise, costly damage can result. E10 is 10% ethanol-90% gasoline. Forget the octane claimed. E fuel is less efficient than pure gasoline. Tests(CA) by Edmonds on a 2007 Flex Fuel Tahoe indicated 20 t0 26 % less efficient miles per gallon.(google " thanol fuel "; for other links as well. Fewer MPG and thus more costly per mile of vehicle operation. The 667 miles tests resulted in a 36,5 gal reg gas use ( 18.3 mpg) and E85 required 50 gal(13.5mpg), $30 more fuel cost. They computed the carbon effect with gasoline @706 lbs., E85 @703.1 which rreally a tie; a scant o.5% difference. Also go www.gov.com/ethanolfuel, I believe it is. I do not think you Catera is RATED FLEX FUEL by GM, check the manual or Dealer.Donor use E85 in your fuel system. Ethanol is a solvent whic will destroy components not yet engineered by mfr to wirhstand E85.

ybscorp

YA thats what every body says. the MPG I cant find as my speedometer is currently not working but it does run hotter at the cats. e85 does not have as many BTU's as gasoline does. The chemist f rends I have say the fuel lines may not be rated for this to go though them. It also doesn't start well in cold weather. dont have much invested in the car. The fuel line probliom may br solved soon with some help from my chemist friends and some sort of braded and lined hose. the injectors and seals are a problim yet to be thought out. Im guessing that the O2 sensors are going nuts trying to read the ourput they are geting also. I havent got a meter on the temps or the O2 reading yet to see how much differnt it is from gas eather

lou89

Curious as to how many tank fillups you did with F 85 fuel.

ybscorp

about three weeks ago i did a complete from empty fill up and ran till it was empty. i have done three E10 fill ups since then and was running fl gas that was around E10 for about 10 fill up before that. I then did about 4 fill ups of Fl E10 gas and filled it up from empty. It got to about 38 deg and the thing would barely start. I got it to start and the only way it would stay running was to keep the rpms to about 2k till the heat gage started to move then it settled down and ran fine, at that point I started puting in 1/4 th tank of E10 at a time for about 4 times. It has been runing E10 fl gas ever since.
I didnt find the gov.com/ethanolfuel link they sent but there is a intersting comment at http://www.strohmautomotive.com/ethanol.html about its use in an Mg with carbs and problims it may have. It also give a link to site: http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/methanol.html that says page no longer found

lou89

Ethanol is a solvent and can destroy fuel lines and O rings that are not yet engineered by GM to tolerate E85. Also, ethanol absorbs water and if the vehicle is not driven regularly, the ethanol and water can separate with the water settling to the bottom of your gas tank and accumulating in the fuel filter, suggesting that you probably should replace the fuel filter and drain any water from the tqnk. If those two conditions are present, your starting and rough running problems can occur. If you used e83 long enough to break down a fuel hose, etc, there could be that reidue in the fuel filter and tank. Call gasoline distributor(s) in your area to see if they have an outlet for non ethanol fuel that you could use for a while in your car, is another thought. I wish you well, I know this situation is frustrating; a real pain in your get along.

1998catera

the original posting is from 2007, but hope this can help others out.

if the battery dies or is replaced, the sunroof switch doesn't work unless it is reset by depressing it for 5 seconds. i found this out by reading the owners manual.

patrick1965

Mechanic says it is the high side a/c pipe with muffler and port for charging. He can't find a replacement part. Any help?

dallasdude1

lisle95

I have a 99 catera, and had oil cooler go bad. Changed it out and now when the car starts it runs for 20-30 secs and dies. it will restart right away, but again dies. Note computer gives me a code for loss com with vss. Can loss of vss signal result in engine shut down? If not any other suggestions?

pscallan

Desperate in Ashford wa. Engine turns over but no spark. Sprayed starter did not work. I know very little about cars and desperately needing advice. Live 30 miles out of any town with car repair services. thanks in advance!

gnguru

What in the world do you mean by "sprayed starter"? First thing I would do is to replace the camshaft position sensor. You can get one online or at your local auto parts dealer. Online is probably your best deal but I'd shop around....

caterablues

#1381 of 1429 TC Warning Light flashing by carfinder14

Jun 11, 2011 (1:37 pm)
I have a 97 Catera with a wierd problem. When first running the car the TC warning light will start flashing and the car will lose power. Turning of the traction control system fixes the problem. I need to know the sensor that controls the traction control or what could be causing this. Any help wold be appreciated.

Is there anyone out there to tell me the reason my 2000 Cadillac Catera is now doing this?

mr_jakx55555

replace heater core

joe428

with this car having so many problems. why was there no recall?
its Caddie what about its rep? i wont look at the newer ones, now

rosenew

I have a cadalliac catera 98 and the first problem is my alarm system comes on whn i openn my door and close it...it stays on at 5mins my alarm on my key ring doesn't wrk anymore. wat will i have too do for that...second my hair runs fine but sometime like yesterday my car seem like it wanted too start but wouldn't. and whn i turned the key over it was like a fan coming on. so i let it sit and this morning. it its completely dead. help me

retiredase

I have been adding steering fluid for a while now every month. last week car started tracking when I hit the brakes and quickly has gotten worse. Have they has an issue with rack and pinions? It almost feels how a rack with bad mounts would act. Been a shop owner and master tech for decades but am retired and the arthritis makes a little job a longer job. hoped to get an idea on this so I didn't have to get underneath it. don't have the luxury of my own shops anymore. so has this been a common issue on the catera or does anyone have a diagnosis from what I told you? thanks much

tiana3

I bought a used Cadillac Catera from my next door neighbor, it had 104,404 miles, I had the car all of two months, and it started running hot. Needless to say, I put the car in the shop to correct the problem....so then about 4 months later, my agnition switch went on the car, I put the car in the shop yet again, I got my car out of the shop, a month later,a shock came lose, and was slicing my back tires, yet another repair, when it came back, the car would make a squealing noise, as I tried to make turns, or I was going slow.

So today as I was headed to work my brakes failed......I am thru with this car,I want to sell it and be done, I have never had so many problems with a car!