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Cadillac DeVille

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Comments

  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    I hear ya about those PIA blade refills. On my 96 and now my 02 I just buy the whole blade ! I use the winter (rubber covered) ones come snow time.
    I use a 22 in. on the left and a 20in. on the right so the right one won't slap and chip the paint on the fender and hood lips.
    Just turned 10k miles ! NO problems or issues with my 02 Deville base. Hoping it will give me 6-7 yrs. 100k plus troublefree miles as my 96 & 90 did !
    Just got some stuff from Caddy on their new SRX
    suv. My woman loves that huge see thru roof !
    Brochure sez you can get a 4.6 Northstar in it !
    None on the lots near me yet. Hmmmmmmmmmm.....geo
  • barry45rpmbarry45rpm Member Posts: 98
    Yeah, wouldn't you know it, I have an '01 Intrigue also. The parts book said it takes 22Narrow, but now I know it takes the same 22Wide (8mm) refill as the '02 DHS.... what a nightmare!
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...either from the Cadillac dealer or, if I'm lucky, Pep Boys will have them. I went through the same hassle with my '94 DeVille back in the day.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    I had a similar problem with my 2000 Sable...one blade 20 inches, other 22 inches...refills were annoying to install...considering blades were $7 each and refills were $4/pair, I said to hell with it...bought 2-20 inch blades, threw out the 22 inch blade (can't tell the difference in the rain), and just change the blades every six months, costing about $15, twice yearly...ain't too much money, and my time is worth more than the money saved combined with the aggravation factor...IMO

    Bob
  • mdm4mdm4 Member Posts: 33
    Barry, My 2000 Deville is still acting up so the dealer gave me a flight controller. It is a computer hooked to the car's computer and every time I feel the problem I press a button and the problem is recorded. I had this device for two weeks and recorded four instances where the car is surging or misfiring when it kicks down from 4th to 3rd gear. The dealer said that the #4 cylinder has a miss. You had mentioned that it could be the coil pack, is there a coil pack for every cylinder? Thanks Mark
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    2000 and up Northstars have a mini coil that sits on each plug. If you notice, there are no plug wires running across the engine like pre-2000 Northstars had.
  • mdm4mdm4 Member Posts: 33
    Barry, Thanks, I will tell the dealer that next week when I bring the car in. They found this miss 3 weeks ago and only updated the software which didn't correct the problem. I will keep u informed.
  • barry45rpmbarry45rpm Member Posts: 98
    I am not a mechanic, but I believe there are 2 coil packs each controlling 4 cylinders. Next years models have a revised coil pack so that if only 1 cyl is misfiring, only 1/4 of the coil pack needs to be replaced. Currently even if 1 cyl is misfiring, the whole coil pack has to be changed.
  • zster1zster1 Member Posts: 6
    Do all Northstar engine engines consume lots of oil ? It seems like GM is doing nothing about this problem, with many postings talking about excessive oil consumption (a quart every 1000 or so). I asked a Cadillac salesman about this and all they could say is it is a high performance engine,they all use it. I say bull to that as I have a BMW which uses no oil and a Mercury Tracer with 120K+ on it and it uses no oil. I also said I see atleast 10 Northstar engines at the back of his dealership at any one time sitting on shipping crates. He said we do a lot of bodywork; what does that have to do with engines ?Is GM having to replace that many ? Does synthetic oil (Mobil 1) make any difference and what causes the oil consumption (stuck or carboned-up oil rings)? Does anyone have high miles (200K+) on the Northstar. I really like the car but with seemingly a bum engine it makes me question buying any Cadillac with the Northstar. Any thoughts anyone ?
  • zster1zster1 Member Posts: 6
    Does anyone have knowledge on when (what model year)the Deville will be redesigned ? Also of it will be front or rear wheel drive ?
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    From what I've read, Northstars do consume a little oil, but 1 quart every 1000 miles seems a bit much. I have an Intrigue which has the Northstar based DOHC V6 and between the 3-4K oil change intervals the most it has been low is 1/2 quart. I have heard of a few cases where a Northstar engine has had to be replaced, but from most accounts I've read, these engines will probably outlast the rest of the car. As for the next Deville, I've read 2006 and that makes sense as Cadillac seems to be on a role with new product. 03 was the CTS, 04 will be the XLR, SRX, and CTS with new V6 engine. 05 is supposed to be the CTS-V and also next gen STS so 06 would be a good time for the next Deville. No word on whether it will remain FWD or will go to RWD. I saw make it RWD and build a high end sedan to take on the S-class and 7 series. And if somebody wants a large, cushy riding, 6 passenger sedan, just send them over to the local Buick dealer to check out a Park Avenue.
  • divmsmdivmsm Member Posts: 7
    Hi Everyone,

    After 25 years of driving SUVs, I had to trade my newest & much loved 2001 Toyota Highlander (great car) with only 9650 mi on it. Knee problems w/access did me in. I had to get a big
    car with very easy in & out. Among Buick Park Ave.,Lincoln Town Car & DTS, went with Caddy.

    At the end of the week, I will get my fully loaded 2001 DeVille DTS, silver, 29,000 mi, $30,888. Still has that new car smell - don't know how unless they bottle it. I checked it out thru Carfax & has had only 1 lease owner, no accidents - all good reports.

    I've never had an 8 cylinder before, only 6s or 4s. I've read the posts here about the Northstar
    and the oil. 8 qts. seems an enormous am't of
    oil. I intend to keep this car for at least 10-12 years so I want to start things off right. I usually get oil changes every 4,000 mi or so.

    The dealer tells me that it will be fully ready for driveaway with fluids newly checked, tire pressure right, etc.

    When I get the first oil change, should I start off w/ synthetic oil, or go with Pennzoil or Quaker State, etc. I live in Massachusetts with
    moderate to hot summers & pretty cold & snowy winters. 10W 30? or what? If synthetic oil, what's good as I have never used that before.
    Does this Northstar dipstick read just like any other dipstick?

    Do I have to buy premium unleaded fuel or is the
    medium grade ok? I've always used regular unleaded, now about $1.54/g. The premium is about $1.78/g. Rather than the grade name of the gas, is it the octane level I should be looking at? More driving will be local than
    highway, at least for now.

    For you long term Caddy drivers, do you have any
    advice you think I should have as I start my DTS
    adventure?

    I'm looking forward to being part of your group.
  • barry45rpmbarry45rpm Member Posts: 98
    ...was designed to run on 87 octane REGULAR gas. Anything else you're wasting your money. If you change your oil every 4000 miles use the oil prescribed on the filler cap. I believe its 5w 30. With 4000 mile intervals, the oil is like new all the time it in your car so synthetic is a horrific waste of money. The Nstar engine is a remarkably smooth powerfull engine. "Refined power" not screaming brute power. Read the manual in the glove box. Do what it says and nothing more. You'll be pleased. Drive the car don't worship it. Make SURE the dealer has reset the tire pressure monitors in the wheels so that they report the TP's from the correct position they are mounted in. Often dealers will rotate the tires & the sensor does not know which corner of the car it is now located in so you will get an incorrect report.
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    If you've never had a V8 before, your in for a treat especially with a Northstar. 8 quarts is alot compared to smaller engines, but I believe the V8s used in other high end cars like MBs, BMWs, Lexus, etc also take more than the usual 5-6 quarts. The dipstick should read like any other. While it is a very complex motor, it is still an internal combustion engine so some basics still apply. Of the three big cars you compared, the DTS is by far the best. And with FWD and traction control, you should do pretty well in those snowy Mass. winters.
  • richw5richw5 Member Posts: 152
    is a high performance engine. barry45rpm is right, read your manual. The Northstar doesn't like to be over-filled with oil. Seven and a half (7 1/2) quarts of oil is enough.

    Every once in a while, put the gas pedal to the floor. Wide Open Throttle (WOT) cleans carbon from the cylinder walls and makes the engine run better. A few runs to 60 or 70 mph or until no carbon smoke comes out of the exhaust, will do it.

    There is a group of Caddy owners, including one of Cadillac's engineers, that answers questions on the web. (caddyinfo.com) They are a great bunch of guys and will go out of their way to help other people.

    Changing your oil at 4000 miles will help keep the engine running for a long, long time. Once you get to know the Oil Life Indicator (OLI) built into the computer, you'll find that you can trust it, and drive for thousands of miles more between changes without harming the engine. However, a few extra dollars spent changing at 4000 mile intervals is money well spent.

    Good Luck with your Caddy,

    Rich
  • lunar2lunar2 Member Posts: 4
    Greetings,
    For the past couple of years, I had been in the market for a fuller sized auto; I had been driving an 86 300ZX which I decided to keep. To make a long story short, I had been closely researching and following the msg boards on both the Audi A6, Infiniti Q45t and the Seville DTS; the DeVille was never one of my choices. A month ago, I was ready to buy and started with a local Cadillac Dealership (Lindsay/Alexandria Va). We've gotten rain for the past 2 months so I did an initial test drive of a Seville on a very wet Saturday; handling was far from impressive so I figured I was done with Cadillac/American and started for the Infiniti...BUT THE CADILLAC SALESMAN SUGGESTED THAT I TRY THE DEVILLE AND ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT I'M GLAD HE DID!! The feel of the car from the moment I opened the door and sat in was great. And then when I started it up and pressed on the accelerator, I was hooked. And its handling on wet pavement was very assuring! So needless to say, I'm extremely pleased with my purchase. It has been about 1 month since I purchased it and I have no regrets thus far. According to CARFAX, I'm the second owner following a commercial lease; car had approx 37.5K miles when I purchased it. AND ABOVE ALL, IT REALLY FEELS GOOD TO BE HAPPY WITH AN AMERICAN MADE AUTO; I really didn't think it was possible for me. I look forward to sharing the ownership experience with you guys and I hope I'll continue to have good news to share!
    BrzMst2000/light leather interior with grey accents and wood package...awesome
  • hydra2hydra2 Member Posts: 114
    Welcome to the DTS club. Glad to see that you love the car like most of the owners. The DTS is just a blast to drive. You must read the manual (more than once) to get maximum benefit from all of the high tech programmable gadgets the dts showers you with. The 2000/01 dts had a few teething pains that disappeared by the 02/03 versions. You might want to check the history of your car more closely&investigate the pros and cons of an extended warranty before the original warranty runs out. I doubt if you'll need it and I'm not trying to alarm you (I don't plan to buy one)but they make some people feel safer.

    Enjoy your car, life is sweet in a dts.
  • mdm4mdm4 Member Posts: 33
    Well the dealer found that there was a problem with the #2 and #4 cylinders. They replaced the spark plugs, spark plug insulators/boots for those two cylinders. The car is still surging/misfiring when it downshifts from 4th to 3rd gear. Just got off the phone with the dealer and he has nothing else to offer me except to go for a ride with a tech. again (which I have done three times already). Does anyone have any other suggestions?
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    Was the Seville an SLS or STS? I can't imagine that an STS would handle much(or even any) worse than a DTS. Now an SLS I can, as it uses a softer suspension setup and softer tires as well. I had an SLS as a rental last summer and while I generally loved the car, there were some handling manuvers that my "lowly" Oldsmobile Intrigue could do better than the SLS. Enjoy your new car.
  • fjk57702fjk57702 Member Posts: 539
    The SLS suspension doesn't have the computer controls and the tires/wheels are smaller. The wheels are 16 inches with 225/60R16 tires while the STS has 17 inch wheels with 232/55R17 tires I think. I like the way my SLS handles though, but it came with Michelin Symetry tires which may be a bit better than past model years. The DTS does have a touring suspension (computer controlled).
  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    Did you ask the dealer about the recall that I posted about ? Its a few posts back.
    Took mine in for that emission recall and they zapped the computer while I waited.
  • truesdaildoctruesdaildoc Member Posts: 10
    I have a 1990 Cadillac deVille (4.5 V-8). It has about 119k miles on it. Had the radiator replaced recently. However, I recently noticed some coolant leaking from the left side of the car (drivers side). Can someone tell me which hose might be leaking (upper/lower?). I'd like to have an idea of what is wrong before I bring it to a service center.
    Any help is appreciated, thank you.
  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    Prob. a loose or bad clamp. Easy fix...Take it back to the guys who replaced the rad.

    Don't forget to ask them if they put in the GM "sealant pellets" when they replaced the radiator. VERY important !
  • hilton3hilton3 Member Posts: 1
    can any one tell me if they know of multiple bearing failures in 94 deville water pumps. I have replace ours 4 times to date. Last one went 40,000 miles.
  • fjk57702fjk57702 Member Posts: 539
    My service manager tells me that the northstar water pumps last anywhere from 25,000 miles to 250,000 miles. So multiple replacements are not unusual for a car and some cars never have a replacement.
  • truesdaildoctruesdaildoc Member Posts: 10
    Thank you sonjaab for your help. I do have other questions for you (or any one else who may be able to answer my question).
    I wasn't able to go back to the original dealer who replaced the raditor. I went to a radiator shop that came recommended. They had to solder a side tank. First question: he also replaced the cap. The old one was from the original radiator, it was all rusted. Could this old cap not have been presurizing correctly, thereby causing this problem?
    Also, he added those sealants pellets you spoke about. Could you please give me more information on these? Such as, what are they for, and what could happen if the previous service center did not use them?
    I'm trying to gather up as much information as possible because I don't feel as though I should have had to lay out additional money for something they did wrong.
    Thanks again
  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    Those sealant pellets have been used for a few years now (88 and up?) in the Caddy alum. V-8s.
    They are supposed to prevent internal coolant leaks in the engine. If memory serves me Caddy calls for 100k miles coolant service and tablet replacement or when ever coolant system is serviced.

    If not used a BIG $$$ repair bill could come later down the road.......

    Most auto parts stores sell the GM equiv. tabs
    Bars Leaks is one and they come already crushed up.

    What year is your Caddy? My 96 and 02 had no rad. cap. Does yours have a copper rad.? Most new rads have a alum. cooling grid and plastic side tanks. Thus not repairable...Well they can be "recored" but too many leak problems if they are not crimped together properly. There are copper replacements aval. tho. but very pricey . Just put a copper one in my buds VW...Almost $400 bucks wholesale !!!!! ..........geo
  • truesdaildoctruesdaildoc Member Posts: 10
    My Cadillac is a 1990. It has close to 120k on it. Mine does have a radiator cap, both the old radiator (original?) and the new one. Not sure if my radiator is alum or copper. Is there someway to tell? It's y probably alum. though. The raditor shop that repaired my new one put those tablets in, so I shouldn't have to worry about a high $ bill down the road. (knock on wood). Thinking I need to talk with another Cad dealer, get something in writing about leaving an old rusted cap and not using the sealant pellets having do to with what happened.
    By the way, how do you like your Caddy's? I like the styling of the 2000+.
    Thanks again for your insight.
    JR
  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    Look at the side of the rad. tank. The newer ones have plastic side tanks.
    Its good to know that the rad. shop put those sealant tabs in tho. Many folks have been burned on that issue.

    90 huh? ...I had one from brand new. Loved that car. It had the Bose CD player. Man that mother cranked ! It also had a ASC aftermarket sunroof.
    Leaked like crazy..Hated it !!!!! But that car went to 130k troublefree miles for me. And its still around too ! I used to BURN that Michelin tire off the corner. Used to blow off my bud in his 5.0 stang ! That pre-Northstar motor would crank.
    MUCHO more guts off the line than my 96 or 02 Northstar Devilles!
    As you can see I love to PUSH on my cars, especially beating down those 6 banger superior wannabee import luxury cars off the corners or hiway !..............geo
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...had the non-Northstar 4.9 V-8. Boy that engine was a powerhouse! That car went to 100 MPH with absolutely no effort.
  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    Hows that Seville doing ? How about that Impala?

    Have ya seen the ads for the new Impala SS?
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...are doing just fine. I've seen the ads for the Impala SS and am rather disappointed. I'm more impressed with the Caprice patrol car in the ad. Now, if that Impala was a V-8, I'd show some serious interest. As it is, it's just a silly graphics package and hardly any performance improvement over the 3.8 Impala LS.
  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    I thought they were supercharged? Hmmmmmmmmm

    Nice day today anyway..Gonna wash the Caddy.....

    Then go riding the jetski in the beautiful 1000 Islands NY !!
    ...geo
  • truesdaildoctruesdaildoc Member Posts: 10
    I know what you mean about the pre-northstar caddie engines. Don't let the 180-HP rating fool you :). Torque rating is at 240, which helps launch it off so quick. Off-the-line power IS tire smoking, and these cars certainly can hold their own. By the way, I notice you're from NY. Me too. Originally that is. Brooklyn born and raised. Then lived 18 years in Staten Island. Now I'm on the west coast, and missing that food. Have fun this weekend.
    JR
  • libertycatlibertycat Member Posts: 593
    VERY NICE!!! I loved the wood trim (unfortunately, no wood steering wheel or shifter; we had a six passenger). The seats were AMAZING!!! The front seats were 5 feet thick and the rear seats were indescribable. This is my favorite sedan under $60K. At a dealer, I saw one with the wood steering wheel and shifter and they were WAY pretty. I imagine the DHS and DTS are even nicer than the base, although that is hard to imagine. I know DTS stands for Deville touring sedan, but what does DHS stand for? I didn't like the digital gauges, though, I wish Cadillac instead had those beautiful white-faced gauges. The digital ones remind me of a Suzuki Aerio and 80's cars/trucks.
  • barry45rpmbarry45rpm Member Posts: 98
    DHS stands for "Deville High Luxury Sedan"...and yeah, that digital cluster makes the whole car feel like a cheap a piece of cr@p. What the hell were they thinking? ...and no matter what the brochure says, the car isnt a 6 passenger car. That center front seat is so hard, the head of the kid unfortunately sitting there sticks out thru the sun roof. It would probably be better to just have a 60/40 seat like the old days, if they really wanted 3 across in the front.
  • libertycatlibertycat Member Posts: 593
    Adults comfortably sat in the front center seat with no complaint on fairly long trips. Plently of room for them and VERY comfortable.
  • barry45rpmbarry45rpm Member Posts: 98
    How could it be VERY comfortable? It is no more than a plastic lid for the hidden console under it, with a quarter inch of foam rubber laid on top of it, covered with the leather seat skin. There is NO "give" to it and certainly no cushion to it. It is definitely NOT a seat in the way other 6 passenger cars are. I wouldn't want to go further than to the Mall on it. Its a "bleacher seat" in the midst of "sky box" lounges. If you look inside the console, you will find compartments to wind up and hide the (rarely used) R & L seat belts & buckles for that seat. Even Cadillac doubted that the lid would be used as a seat.
  • snomojoesnomojoe Member Posts: 14
    Are you missing something. My 2002 DTS has the digital cluster but it also has the option of a neat analog speedo and tach. Just have to push the mode button on the dash.
  • barry45rpmbarry45rpm Member Posts: 98
    You DO have the option of switching back & forth as I do. However the digital cluster on the BASE Deville is HUGE, and features a 2 inch high, 3 digit LED readout centrally and on the right a 3 inch tall green fuel gauge, & on the left a 3 inch tall green water temp gauge. That is all you get. The button you speak of in this case turns the water temp & fuel guages on or off. UGLY green cave drawings on a black background. The cluster we have is simply beautiful. And appropriate for a car in this price range.
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    Back in the 80s and early 90s I loved digital instrument clusters, but I think the Seville and DTS/DHS electroluminescent clusters combine the best of both and they look great. I love how the cluster is dark until you start the car then the needed glow red and sweep the dial.
  • libertycatlibertycat Member Posts: 593
    Adults sat in it fine for us. They and I thought it was VERY comfortable and roomy on long trips. I don't understand why u don't agree.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...has the dual electroluminescent analog/LED digital display. I have my car constantly in the combination mode.
  • truesdaildoctruesdaildoc Member Posts: 10
    Are you able to turn off the analog display on your Seville, or just turn off the dig?
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    I had an SLS as rental for a week last summer and with the instrument cluster you could switch to (1) regular analog style gauges, (2) regular analog style gauges with a digital readout of speed in the top center part of the cluster, or (3) gauges dark with the digital speed readout being the only thing displayed. I kept it on setting 2 as I liked have the digital readout give me the exact speed(espeically since I was an out of towner) and it was also fun to watch the speed jump in increments of 5 or so when taking off from a stoplight. I'm not sure why anyone would use the digital speedo only setting as it just didn't look right. And the full cluster just looks so much better.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...the analog display as well as the digital.
  • barry45rpmbarry45rpm Member Posts: 98
    Evereyone agrees that the ability to choose between the 2 types of displays is neat. However on the base Deville all there is, is the giant green digital speedo/fuel/& Temp scales. Huge green things on a largely completely empty black face. Cave drawings! Besides, did you ever notice that with an analog speedo you always know just about what speed you are travelling by the vague peripheral area of your line of sight that the the red pointer is hovering at... With digital, you must drop your eyes, READ and understand the exact number, since the numbers are always in the same place. And is it THAT important to know if you are going 62 OR 63 MPH? Remember guys, you are turning the digital part on sometimes for a period of entertainment...and then you turn it off for a serious instrument cluster. A base Deville owner has no such option.
  • truesdaildoctruesdaildoc Member Posts: 10
    I understand what you're saying about the dig display and how the 94 and newer base deville's only get the large empty black face, however, pre-'94 displays were shorter, and had the fuel display off to the lower left side, and therefore they don't look as "cave drawing" like. My deville, a '90, has the dig display, and I myself, prefer it over the analog speedometer, (the huge one from left to right, only other dash available) that only went to 85. I don't know about everyone else, but I like to know how fast I am going past 85, and also find myself able to glace down and recognize my speed in a second's time. I'm going to look at a seville sometime this weekend and check out this dual display everyones talking about. Analog is nice, but only when it's a real speedometer that registers at least 120. :)
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    I remember those old speedos that stopped at about 85 MPH. Nothing like a car that was designed during the era of the double nickel national speed limit. I've gone above 85 in my Intrigue so many times that if it's speedo stopped at 85 it would probably be broken by now. BTW, those old Caddies(80s and early 90s) with the digital speedos, did they really go above 85 MPH. Some older Ford and Chrysler cars with digital IPs were not calibrated above 85 MPH and if you were going faster than that(scary thought in some of those cars) it would just blink "85".
  • fjk57702fjk57702 Member Posts: 539
    I only use the analog display on my Seville. The digital readout is above the gearshift indicator, which is barly readable, so I have to bend down to see the digital MPH display. The gearshift is clearly marked on the consol, so the electonic display is not needed.

    My 84 and 86 Corvettes (with digital displays in color) would go beyond 85. The analog part would shift its pattern though, so you had a more precise display up to 55, and then a more compressed one above that. I once got the 86 up to 185 kilometer per hour, was trying for 200 but a curve in the road came up.
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