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Cadillac Owners: Problems & Solutions

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Comments

  • mdean1mdean1 Member Posts: 2
    Hi - anyone having experience w/excessive oil burn? I'm burning a quart every 1200 miles - looking for feedback w/someone who owns a this year vehicle.
  • mnjoemnjoe Member Posts: 36
    wrong. Mine has both voice commands and ventilated seats. Look at the 1SG premium luxury performance package. The ventilated seats work great. They actually wick air and moisture away from you rather than blow cold air on you (as in some other makes). The voice commands seem to be hit or miss. I need to practice and read more about it. The navigation and phone commands work pretty good. The commands for other functions sometimes do (ie: changing the temperature, radio, or cd). Luckily everything is redundant with simple to use knobs. We use it everytime we get in the car, however, to indicate driver 1 or driver 2 ... my wife and I generally only have one key fob with us, but switch off driving (we both want the fun). We have a new STS V8 Premium Luxury Performance (1SG) with AWD and adaptive cruise control/heads-up display.
  • mwaynemwayne Member Posts: 2
    I am trying to secure the regional general manager's name and address for Nebraska. I am having a reoccuring transmission problem, 5th time, and now cadillac wants me to pay for an entire new trani. Help
  • cadillacranchcadillacranch Member Posts: 1
    I drove an 04' Sevile STS at an Alberta Cadillac dealership with just 14,300 kilometers on the clock. Tthe STS was still available as a Canadian model in 04'. a
    the car seemed to ride very firm even at low speeds.The tire pressures were at 36 psi so no doubt dropping back to 30 would take the thump out of the ride but this is below recommended inflations.
    I have found another in the province of Quebec this morning and when I questioned the sales manager of the Chevrolet dealership as to why the car was traded into them with only 12,500 kilometers (7 or 8.000 miles) his reply was "the owner found it rode to hard".
    What is the word on the street in regard to the 03' and 04' models with the new magnaride suspension? GM's advertising hype would have you believing that it would have been softer until called upon the 'firm up'.
  • doyledoyle Member Posts: 1
    Trunk pull down on 93 deville does not work sometimes. It has refused to work once and later during the night it did pull down and worked about twenty times since then. Now it has refused again. I'm in trouble if it is raining!! What to do and how to fix?
  • puzzeled1puzzeled1 Member Posts: 4
    Hi
    I have a 95 concourse. while tightning the pos batt. turminal I shorted the wrench on the engine mount, now it won't turn over or show anything on the dash. I checked every fuse I could find and they show good. what's the prob w/ this thing and how can I fix it before my wife kills me.

    Thanks for any help you can give me. Bill
  • puzzeled1puzzeled1 Member Posts: 4
    also the dome lights are very dim. It acts like there's a direct short someplace taking all the power. But where can it be. The batt is fully charged
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You may have to remove the cables and clean the ends--be sure you have your radio codes ready beforehand if your car requires code resets or any kind of resets. Check your owner's manual before removing the battery cables.
  • puzzeled1puzzeled1 Member Posts: 4
    Already did that no luck. Checked for a fusible link from batt to fuse block, none there. checked all maxi fuses all ok. checked contunity from batt term. to fuse block, good. checked fuse block for power. reading 12 volt on buss bar and fuse connections. still doesn't do anything.
  • puzzeled1puzzeled1 Member Posts: 4
    PROBLEM SOLVED :) One of the side post batt terminals was bad. The top posts read good but when I replaced the batt everything was fine. After several hrs of checking wires for continuity and fuse blocks it was as simple as changing the batt. Boy do I feel stupid hehe.
  • stilesstiles Member Posts: 6
    Guess I misunderstood when you said "AC Seats" we all have a little wind blowing around in that area!
  • deadeye5deadeye5 Member Posts: 93
    First start in the morn:all instuments go buggy 1."Theft sys. disturbed" 2 "Check airbag" 3 " heater blower goes to max" 4 no power seats 5. no clock 6 No control over temp on heater/air..THEn all gets normal.THEN back to buggy. THEN back
    to normal - after about 20 min of this all is Ok. ???????????? Have heard "Ign switch is going bad-will not recognize key (Wifes key makes no diff.) Have any
    of you had or heard of this prob.. Have about 77,500 mi on it..

    HELP Charlie
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    My 2003 Deville (Base model) (44,000 miles) makes a creaking noise when pulling ahead from a stop at normal speed. This has been diagnosed as a worn strut bushing and is covered under warranty. The car is in the shop for repair. This is for the information of those who may have the same problem. By the way, my 2000 LeSabre had the same problem at 12,000 miles and Buick refused to fix it. I soon sold the Buick (should have invoked the Lemon Law) and have switched to Cadillac for good. Warranty support for Cadillacs at least at my Cadillac/Chevrolet dealership has been great - far better than for any other GM car I've owned.
  • netsfannetsfan Member Posts: 3
    The reception on my XM Factory installed radio on my CTS is less than satisfactory. While on a recent vacation I rented a Buick LaCrosse I received XM reception while even in a parking garage! With my new CTS the reception cuts out numerous times and makes the Buick look like the luxury car. Anyone have any suggestions?
  • bop1956bop1956 Member Posts: 1
    hi there
    I just had major problems with my 1991 DeVille. Had to replace the evaporator and the engine control module/computer. spent a lot of money and now they tell me that probably the body control modul is also not working properly. same with the control modul for the climatic, now that I have cold air it's only blowing out to the windshield, the other fans do not work.
    do you think that the different modules/parts are identical with your car?
    thanks
    bop1956
    ps ServiceID is:1G6CD53B1M4276846
  • 43314331 Member Posts: 1
    How can I disable or bypass the Drive control alarm message on my 96 Cadillac Deville?
  • blkhemiblkhemi Member Posts: 1,717
    What do you mean by drive control alarm message. If it is up on your DIC, then you must get it checked out.
  • kap1kap1 Member Posts: 2
  • kap1kap1 Member Posts: 2
    Were is the transmission fill cap located on a 98 Caterra?
  • biggabebiggabe Member Posts: 2
    i own a 2003 cadillac cts, since some time ago, the information center suddenly turns off, and restarts a few seconds later.

    HOW CAN I FIX IT
  • riskybusinessriskybusiness Member Posts: 58
    (cross posted in Cadillac CTS forum)

    OK, need your help on this one:

    2003 CTS, 3.2L, 5spd automatic, 57,000 miles, build date March 2002.

    Owned since new, all service per schedule, Mobil 1 since 10k.

    Check Coolant Level warning light came on a while back. Level was down about 1/2" below "Full When Cold" line, so I topped up with 50/50 Dexcool/H2O mixture. Figured that after 3.5 years and 55k+ miles it was normal. Took about 1.5 quarts of coolant mixture to top off.

    Week later, noticed a small (3") stain/puddle of coolant on the driveway after being parked for a few days. Fluid level still OK. Another week or so of regular driving, level down again, another small puddle.

    Dealer service put in the tracer dye, and tell me the leak is from the rubber seals on the engine oil cooler that is (inexplicably) placed under the intake manifold. Its purpose is to regulate engine oil temperature, and it is apparently a similar design as the Opel engineered 3.0L Catera DOHC engine on which the 3.2L is based. Dealer is aware of similar leaks in the Catera. :lemon:

    Here's the problem:

    The thing is so inaccessible that it's 6 shop hours to R&R, and when they get in there, it could require replacing the cooler itself ($250), all of the lines, etc. Since the seals are rubber (O-ring?) type, and not regular gasket material, dealer says adding leak-stop tabs won't work. :cry:

    So far, no coolant in engine oil, no catastrophic leaks. Does anyone have an opinion/recommendation on what to do here? I'd prefer not to shell out upwards of $700 to fix what is currently a "nuisance" leak, but don't want to risk major engine damage, either :confuse:
  • mikkismikkis Member Posts: 2
    i recently had a message come up on my message center that read speed has been reduced to 90mph. Anyone have a clue as to what this may mean?
  • 511510549511510549 Member Posts: 1
    :cry: PURCHASED NEW 02 DEVILLE (32V NORTHSTAR) BURNED 7QTS FIRST 3000 MILES.LISTEN TO ENGINE VERY CAREFULLY FOR KNOCKS OR NOISE IN TOP OF ENGINE. BE SURE TO GO TO DEALER AND COMPLAIN.BEFORE WARRANTY IS UP.GM HAS A PROGRAM TO FIX THE PROBLEM, REPLACE PISTONS WITH LARGER ONES.HOWEVER THEY DON'T REPLACE THE BEARINGS WHICH COULD CAUSE PREMATURE BEARING FAILURE.IF NO HELP FROM DEALER CALL GM AND COMPLAIN. DEALER WILL PROBABLY DENIE KNOWLEDGE OF SUCH PROGRAM AND TELL YOU THE OIL CONSUMPTION IS NORMAL.

    THEY KNOW THEY HAVE A PROBLEM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • blkhemiblkhemi Member Posts: 1,717
    Did you also get a message that said " TOP SPEED REACHED- REDUCING SPEED"? If so, then you must've been going mighty fast.
  • blkhemiblkhemi Member Posts: 1,717
    7-quarts in 3000 miles. That's almost the whole oil pan's worth of oil. Oh, GM definetely would've been buying that car back.
  • mikkismikkis Member Posts: 2
    no just message stating speed reduced
  • blkhemiblkhemi Member Posts: 1,717
    If the message comes on as soon as the car is started or when the vehicle gets upto about 35 miles an hour, then you should get the VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR checked. Sometimes the sensor can throw out intermentent codes to the computer and it will in turn flash it on your DIC. If the car drives normal, then this may be it.
  • blkhemiblkhemi Member Posts: 1,717
    But come on Swede, 7 quarts in 3,000 miles. Way excessive, wouldn't you say? I have both my '03 DTS and my '05 STS V8 AWD and neither has never burned that much oil. The most that my '03 burned was a 1/4 of a quart because I was too lazy to change the oil at 3,000 miles. I know the Northstar burns oil, but this absolutely insane.
  • gregnielsengregnielsen Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1993 Cadillac that needs to be smog checked for California registration. The "Service Engine" light has come on so no one will check for smog status. Everything I can find indicates that I may be able to remedy the problem by replacing the ECM. I have a new ECM, problem is I am unable to find the location of the old one. I have read it is behind the glovebox, no! I have read it is in the airbox, no! Does anyone have any idea where I can find the ECM on my '93 Seville?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Hasn't anyone pulled codes to find out why the engine light is on? Replacing the ECM without reading codes sounds like a bad idea.
  • db3db3 Member Posts: 1
    I purchased a 2002 Escalade Certified Used Car from a local dealer. The car had 39,000 miles on it. I have owned it for 2 years, we use it very little around town etc., however we will be driving to Florida in a few weeks. My concern is that at 44,000 miles when we had the vehicle serviced the front end was severely out of alignment. The dealer said that the rear left tire belt had failed and that we must of hit something. Reluctantly we paid for a new tire and alignment, but explained to the dealer that neither of us remember hitting anything, especially hard enough to ruin a rear tire. Now at just 49,000 miles the car is doing the same thing. We are scheduled for service this week. Are we to expect the same story? We know we did not hit anything. Should we take it to an independent mechanic rather than the Cadillac dealer?
  • blkhemiblkhemi Member Posts: 1,717
    Always,Always,Always get a second opinion.What you are in need of is a 4-wheel alignment, not just the front. It is in my opinion that the Caddy dealer is messing around. A vehicle that is rarely driven shouldn't have this problem, especially since no one remembers hitting or running over anything. I'd take it to an independent shop like a Goodyear but certainly not Firestone, and let them look at it, I've had my DeVille there on occassion and they fixed things the dealer said they couldn't fix.
  • biggabebiggabe Member Posts: 2
    i own a 2003 cts, suddenly when driving, the center information display and the sound systems turns off, and on and off and on again,,, it could be some 2 to 10 times continously, till it turns on again and stays that way.

    Could any body help me ?

    Another problem,,, the front lights, the right one seems to point in a different direction than the other one, it seems to be not alligned ... how could i allign this xenon lamp???
  • shetokashetoka Member Posts: 2
    I recently bought a 94 STS and the ac dont work....we took it back to the place we bought it and when they attempted to put freon in as soon as the seal was broke on the freon can the car instantly just shut off.....is this a safety measure or is there something drastically wrong??? anyone know about this????? also what is the normal coolant temp for a northstar v8 (I believe 4.2?) it seems to be running about 210-225 is that normal....we didnt get a owners manual (Im still working on that!)
  • blkhemiblkhemi Member Posts: 1,717
    The car shouldn't be running if there is freon being installed into the compressor. This can be very damaging. The car does indeed have built in sensors to detect when something like this is going on. Your engine size is 4.6L and the operating temp is within normal range.
  • hogleg44hogleg44 Member Posts: 1
    My wife had a similar problem with her 1993 Fleetwood although in her case it was not intermittent. She was preparing to leave on vacation and the trunk lid pull-down failed. I saw no obvious mechanical or electrical faults. I purchased a replacement mechanism from the dealer ($93.00) and installed it myself. The trunk pull-down then operated flawlessly until we later purchased out 1998 Seville STS.

    The installation required removing the trunk lining and removing the inoperative unit. I had to disassemble the pull-down mechanism housing and install the new part. Elapsed time was about 20 minutes start to finish. You should be sure that the mechanism is lubricated properly with white lithium grease.
  • mike737mike737 Member Posts: 1
    '96 Cadi STS had a significant fluid leak only noticable right underneath transmission on garage floor (puddle). It was viscous and orange-red. My first thought was my transmission pan is loose and leaking transmission fluid. I was told by the garage repair shop I was wrong. They said it was radiator fluid. They want to charge me $280 to repair the "radiator" leak.

    Two things:

    1. There is not, and hasn't been, any evidence from fluid leaking around my radiator (not obvious), and there was no 'snail' type of trail from beneath the radiator; so I don't know why it puddled up below the tranny. How can tranny fluid be of an oil consistency and at the same time orange-red?

    2. The repiar shop wants $280, but in a couple of weeks, I want to trade it in on a new Cadillac DeVille. Am I going to see any residual benefit from repairing this before I trade it in?
  • joe771476joe771476 Member Posts: 19
    Antifreeze is usually green or yellow. Tranny fluid is red. However the tranny fluid is cooled via the bottom of the radiator. I'd get a second opinion.
  • joe771476joe771476 Member Posts: 19
    I inherited this junk in the 90's and I am determined to make it to 200K with the second engine. However when I replaced the engine and then went through emission testing (which is a total joke) the test for the third gas Nitrous oxide (NO) failed by just a hair. Now this car had been tested before for the two gases HC and CO and passed. Lately it has failed NO limits worse than the first time! What gives emission testing the right to test for NO when the car was not tested for it from the beginning!? Were 1985 cars built to meet NO limits in NON California states? Does anyone know how I can get the specs from a 1985 window sticker that should state the compliance? I don't think this car was meant to meet NO limits.
  • blkhemiblkhemi Member Posts: 1,717
    Your garage shop was indeed correct. The Northstar engine that is in your STS has a coolant formula called DEX-COOL. It has a orange-reddish color to it, unlike the green associated with regular coolant.
  • llkeithllkeith Member Posts: 1
    I have a '96 Cadillac Seville SLS with 75,000 miles. The car has run great for me until recently when I parked it for a short time then came back out and tried to start it. It would not start, even with a jump from a friend. The next day I changed the battery and the car started and ran beautifully.
    The next day after driving my friend to the airport I stopped in at a gas station and returned after a few minutes to find the car would not start again. No interior lights, no dash read out - nothing. Someone tried to give me a jump, but to no avail. After sitting around chain smoking for 30 minutes the interior lights and dash display suddenly came back on and the car started perfectly.
    I drove home and the next day I took the car on several short trips with no problems starting it. The voltage readout indicated the battery was running at a constant 13 volts. When I went to start the car this morning the keyless entry worked and the interior lights came on when I opened the door. Everything seemed fine. Then everything went dead again. No lights, no dash display. No noise whatsoever when I tried to start it. Unlike the last time, the interior lights have not come back on and the car remains completely dead.
    Of note, the most recent cut off of all power occurred immediately after I placed my iPod into the car dock (which is connected to the cigarette lighter). The first two times I had left my iPod on when I shut my car off. Not sure if that matters, but please help.
  • jamespnjamespn Member Posts: 1
    I recently purchased an old 1984 El Dorado that had the BRAKE LIGHT lit. Pedal travel seemed a bit low, so I thought it might be a simple problem of bleeding the brakes. I took it in and had the brake system bled but was told the rear brakes were not working and that I needed a new master cylinder.

    I purchased a remanufactured master cylinder and was just called by the repair shop that I still did not have any rear brakes. I told them to troubleshoot it now but was not sure I could afford to have it fixed.

    I've searched the internet for a brake system schematic/ drawing for this car but have not been able to locate one.

    Is there anything common between both rear calibers that would prevent fluid from getting to both of them? I can't believe that both rear calibers could possibly go out at the same time.

    Any help is appreciated.
  • chicanopridechicanopride Member Posts: 1
    dies sometimes while driving mostly when hot ,when pressing gas it sputters and dies also tranny just started doing this when i put it in drive it wont shift gears it stays in first gear ,please help
  • dwillensdwillens Member Posts: 3
    Hi,
    I've got 2000 DHS that just made 70,000 miles. Car has been great. A few weeks ago my "check coolant level" message came on, so I checked it, it was low in the reservoir so I filled it up. The message went away and then about a week and a half to two weeks later it came on again, so I checked again and it was low in reservoir again and I sort of assumed I may have had an air bubble or something when I last filled it so I filled it again. Each fill up I had to raise the level in the reservoir at least 3 inches, (it was about 1/2 inch to an inch from the bottom). No overheating was happening whatsoever. The temp gauge didn't move at all, I'm pretty sure it was just the level in the reserve. I was watching both from the first time and then to the second time for leaks on the ground and there are none. The last fill up in the reservoir was last friday or so and my coolant level message came on again today. When I was driving on the highway today suddenly the "service engine soon" light came on blinking 4 or 5 times. I know that means a missifre occurred and I was wondering if it was related to my problem. My oil is not foamy or white or showing signs of water in it. I'm wondering if my head gasket is leaking. The engine seems to be running fine and producing plenty of power and this is the first time this has happened. The missfire light has never come on before. My plugs could need replacing and my oil is due for a change in the next few weeks, its at 9% life of so. Any help on my problem is appreciated.
    Thanks,
    Dave
  • dwillensdwillens Member Posts: 3
    Hi,

    Today for the first time and somewhat a relief I discovered a small dip spot under the car while it was parked at work. It was orange and definately the coolant. These are the first drips I've seen. I'm going to investigate the hoses above that area.

    Dave
  • blkhemiblkhemi Member Posts: 1,717
    Dave, I had the same problem you're having around the same mileage on my 2000 DTS. Turns out, it was the water pump. These things are so small that it's hard to believe they belong on such a big engine. The drips started small, and then escalated to the point where I was putting water/coolant in my car everyday. I was really scared at this point and decided to take a couple minutes and jack the car up and investigate. The pump had just a little weep hole big enough for coolant to seep out. I was like you in taking the Interstate everywhere I went so I didn't detect any overheating. I'd really get it fixed as the Northstar is an all-aluminum motor which mean the heads can warp very easily.
  • dwillensdwillens Member Posts: 3
    Hey thanks for the info. I'll check that out as soon as possible. About where were your drips coming down? I'm not very familiar with where all the parts are on this engine, first time I've needed to do this kind of maintenance.
    Thanks
    Dave
  • blkhemiblkhemi Member Posts: 1,717
    My drips were hitting the ground in the middle of the car but the pump is actually on the left side of the motor. Seems like the coolant would leak out of the pump and follow a groove to end up in dead smack in the middle of the car, as if the radiator had a leak. Good luck
  • ssteveksstevek Member Posts: 45
    My son's '82 Deville heater blower motor no longer runs. Previously we could get it going by re setting the 4 wire connector on top of the motor. I don't know the function of the wires, I wonder if it's possible to find a schematic for an '82. I believe it would be similar if not identical on 1980 to 1984 models. My other son's truck had a similar situation which ended up being a bad blower resistor assembly. I temporarily rigged it so it would at least run on high only.
  • ssteveksstevek Member Posts: 45
    My son's '82 Deville also failed the NO emissions. The other 2 were well within limits, NO was off the chart it was so bad. The emissions testing station couldn't complete the test the first time because of something to do with the way the way the transmission shifted when it was simulating travelling at road speed. But now I wonder if maybe these older Cadillacs should qualify for a waiver. The state requires at least proof of $660 in repairs towards emissions compliance. That would probably be futile, I can see it failing again.
This discussion has been closed.