Cadillac Deville: Problems & Solutions

glennopperman

1993 CADILLAC DEVILLE
NOTHING HAPPENS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START. THERE IS NO NOISE MADE AND THE BATTERY IS GOOD.
IS IT MY STARTER?

ooops

I own a 1990 sedan deville, 4.6L. it recently started losing power while accelerating through 2nd gear. the codes showed that there was a fault in the egr, so i replaced that. then it showed that the air blower was bad so i replaced that and the 02 sensor, ran good for about a week, then started backfiring. this car has been babied to death, I have had it in the dealership 3 times since the problem started and they are baffled? Me too. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks.....

terclo

I HAVE A TRACTION DIABLED MESSAGE READOUT ON MY INFORMATION BOARD AND ALSO HAVE A ANTI-SKID LIGHT ON IN THE DASH. I WAS WONDERING HOW SERIOUS THIS WAS AND WHAT THE COST WOULD BE TO HAVE IT CHECKED. IT DOES NOT SEEM TO AFFECT THE BRAKING SYSTEM AT ALL. ANY AND ALL HELP WOULD BE APPRICIATED. THANK YOU

jdobbs

I understand that these northstars have a tendency to blow the head gasket and that leads to a few thousand bucks. Has anyone experienced any of these advertised quick fixes that supposedly stop the leaks? I am not a proponent of "quick fixes" but recently my caddy is really missing on start-up but after about driving for 20 seconds it runs smooth. The third problem is when the AC is od and I accelerate there is a flatuating noise that occurs until I let up on the accelerator. Any comments on any. (BESIDES GET RID OF IT!)

bolivar

Start problem may be either the Fuel Pressure Regular (allowing fuel to enter the vacuum line that is attacted, which is then drawn into the intake causing overrich condition with hard starting) or,
an injector (or more than one) may be leaking, allowing fuel to leak into a cylinder again causing overrich and hard start.

bolivar

Once the head gasket is leaking very much, nothing can be done except a new gasket. And Timezerts should also me installed when this is done. Involves pulling the motor, overdrilling all the head bolts, rethreading, and screwing in Timesert. Which is steel insert that the head bolts screw into. These will not 'pull out' or loosen and the head gaskets should never fail again. Few shops know how to do this. Many Cadillac dealers will not do it.

You should be running the 'pills' in the cooling system. These are available at Cadillac and I'm pretty sure your car has a sticker on the plastic cover over the radiator that gives the GM part number for these. About $8 for 6. Do not put them in the surge tank under the radiator cap. There is not adequate flow there to move them throughout the system. You should pull a radiator hose loose and put 3 to 6 pills in there. If you go this far, you should just pull the lower hose and drain the system, refilling with long-life antifreeze and water, 50/50 mix. The 'pill' which has ground gensen root (no lie, this is what is in it) is about the only thing that can help. It will fill and close off very minor leaks. But if the head bolts start to loosen, the head gasket is going to leak, the car will run hot, hot, hot and something major will have to be done -replace the motor or replace the gaskets (do both of them since the motor is pulled) and timeserting the head bolts.

rdmd5634

87 deville 4.1 a/c will quit running (clutch) when i cross a couple of contacts at the window electrical switch it starts running, (i`m scared) ever heard of that before? thanks

pittbull69

I have a 1995 cadillac sedan deville, my AC does not blow, it says ac compressor off and very low refrigerant, but I have had refrigerant put in the car. My mechanic told me it was an electrical probelm, if I hold this peice down the air will blow but it's not cold, and when I let this peice go it stops blowing all together. I need to know the problem ad if possible what is the name of this piece!

jeffc

My son bought a 1986 Cadillac Deville, mint 51000 miles.

While trying to install an aftermarket stereo ( why, I'll never know)the digital dash suddenly went out. Any ideas what happened? Where does he start? Hopefully, he isn't looking at a major repair job

ram84

A buddy of mine has a 88 deville and hes been having problems with overheating. We replaced the radiator(it had a leak)we also replaced the Water Pump(thought it was bad). Then we noticed it was still leaking, it looked like from the water pump, but it was actually leaking from inlet pipe from the radiator. It still had a steady stream coming from the "Y" pipe going to the radiator(not the hose)My question is, is the pipe replacable? It looks like the pipe is connected to the block, unable to tell for sure(bad view).
If anyone has an idea, a solution, or any suggestions on this problem. Please post.
Thanks in advance
-Ram84

mark_wny

Hello - new poster to this board. I like DeVilles from the late 90s - very clean design. I've been thinking of getting one - but also think it might be advisable to buy a new Northstar engine to go with it. What's the $$ for this? Does Cadillac sell them or do I go to a re-seller? Is this a common practice? Advice from Cadillac experts (you guys & gals) will be welcome!

Mr_Shiftright

That doesn't seem to make any financial sense. A new Northstar crate engine + installation will cost you as much as an entire good running 1998 Deville! In other words, it would be cheaper to just buy another car if the motor fails.

mark_wny

Uh huh - well, that's why I was asking the question; I didn't know what a new engine costs - or if it was even available. Let me ask a related follow-up: Let's say I found a used Deville with 60K miles or so. Is there a standard check-up and parts-replacement list that a mechanic would normally recommend? I am perfectly willing to put a few thousand into the car to bring it up to snuff -that is, to get another 60K of mileage out of it.

sls002

I think a replacement northstar is around $5000 installed, but that is a guess on my part. About 3 years ago someone I know had a 99 DeVille that needed to get a new engine and as I recall the price tag was about $5000. This engine failed as a result of a coolant leak that was allowed to leak for some period of time.

Mr_Shiftright

sounds too cheap. The engine alone is around $4,400 and you have to allow for labor to install, belts, hoses, etc. With the engine out, there are so many things that one should do while one has the chance. Of course, I am thinking labor rates where I live, so maybe you could cut corners in the right part of the country and get everything done for $5K. Out my way, it'd be a lot more than that.

SURE, a mechanic and you could come up with a maintenance checklist for a "60,000 mile make-over". That's a great time to do belts and hoses and transmission service, flush out the brake system, coolant flush, rotate tires, test the suspension, maybe swap out the 02 sensors and give the water pump a good look-over.

The problem with putting in a new engine, is that it's still in an old car.

mark_wny

thanks for the info!

sub2500

Dealer has a low mileage engine from a 2000 seville, why am I being told that it would be too much trouble and money to make it fit my '99 Deville?

mark_wny

This is a variation on my earlier thread - just curious to know if any of you have successfully carried your Cadillacs well past the 100,000 mark. I realize it takes some investment; just wondering how often it actually happens.

bolivar

I'm not sure, but I think 2000 was the model year when the Northstar underwent a significant re-design? Mainly to allow the burning of regular gasoline. This needed fairly significant changes inside the motor - rings, pistons, heads, etc.

I would think, at a minimum, the 'computer' of a 1999 would not support a 2000 motor - with different sensors, and associated wiring differences, being possible.

It might be possible to make this change. Your dealer probably doesn't want to get into such a job, one which is not covered in any service manual and might have multiple incompatibities which would not be obvious. And impossible to develop an accuracy cost estimate for the job. So, why attempt it. The mechanics in the shop probably have plenty of other work rather than taking on a 'hot-rod' type of motor swap.

mack690

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I own a '97 DeVille in exceptional condition except that the NS engine has blown a Head Gasket. I have since given the car to my son and helping to locate an engine. I'm wondering if anyone out there knows if a newer year engine can go in to replace the '97 engine, and if so, does anything on the engine need to be changed to '97

jefplane

Hi, I posted a few weekes ago about blowing map sensors on my 94 concourse deville, it seems that I just keep replacing the things and they keep burning out. Does anyone know what may cause this problem?

Mike

geo9

My 90 DeVille went to 120k troublefree miles and
is still running. My 96 Deville had 110k miles
but needed those $2500 front electric struts
replaced which were a dealer only item at the time.
So it went bye-bye..........
My 03 has been troublefree and now has 41k miles !

No problems doing 100k miles here !!!!!!!!!!

deltacadillac

I am happy and proud to say that i have over 258,000 miles on my 1988 ElDorado the engine has never been taken apart nothing but general matinance untill last winter i had to replace the fuel pump and sending unit. Since i only paid $900.00 for this car im thinking i got a bargain as i have put 62,000 of these miles on the car myself Johnny Rogers Delta Junction Alaska

deltacadillac

hello i sure would be grateful for any ones help in finding the correct firing order on my 1964... 429 cadillac motor.
im having trouble getting it started up as i bought it at a garage sell and the distributor has been loosened and turned im not sure the previous owner didn't try to work on it and did not get the plug wires back in the proper sequence any help would be appreciated thank you in advance... just learning in alaska

Mr_Shiftright

1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3 (clockwise)

Standing in FRONT of the car, #1 cylinder on the distributor cap is at the 2 O'Clock position and #8 is at 3 o'clock. Timing marks are just over the pulley on a little tab and read 0 5 10, with 0 at the bottom and 10 at the top. Plug gap is .35, point gap is .16, dwell angle is 30, ignition time at idle is 5 degrees BTDC, valves are hydraulic and not adjustable, plug type is AC # 44

txcaddi2000

I have a 2000 DHS with 52,000 miles. Six weeks ago my "check oil level" light came on - I checked, was low. That was the first time I ever had to add oil between oil changes. today - check oil level came on again, I checked; again, had to add oil.
I have no leaks, checked parking space at work, no drips, and I have the garage floor covered in brown paper under the engine to easily be able to check for any leaks, no drips.
I have also had to add coolant twice in the past 6 weeks, not a lot, but enough for the "check" light to come on. The car has never run hot, never over-heated, and is immaculate under the hood.
Before I take it into the shop, can anyone tell me what they think my problem might be? I don't trust my dealer, as I have had "issues" with them in the past over repairs (like an $800 break job, for which they only replaced the front breaks, not the back - which they did not tell me until the job was complete and I was trying to get my car- just one of several horror stories with Sewell). I would appreciate any suggestions, just so I don't get taken to the bank again. THANKS!

bolivar

Coolant use scares me. This is one indicator of a leaking head gasket. May not be leaking enough to run hot, but enough to be pulling it into cylinder and 'burning' it.

Oil use? Bad gasket usually does not cause this. Maybe you just suddenly also had the 'sticky rings' problem which causes significant oil usage. And can sometime be reduced by 'blowing out the motor' with several high-rpm runs out on the road.

But with a possible head gasket problem, I don't know if I would do this. Unless you want to go ahead and verify a leaky head gasket. If so, whomp the heck out of the car. It if starts to overheat, I think it has a failed gasket.

txcaddi2000

thanks Bolivar. I do drive the car hard each day already, I drive 30 miles to work, half of the trip is bumper to bumper stop and go - our weather has been in the 100s so the AC is definitely on; a definite issue with overheating would have occurred I think. The other half is pretty open, and I tend to have a heavy foot, going about 75-80 mph, and still no problem with overheating.
I don't know what "sticky rings" are? Would you explain more? Is there anything other than the drive that I can do which would help this problem? Again, thanks, as you can tell, I don't know all about car problems.

deltacadillac

thank you very much for your help Unfortunately im still in need of assistance lol. i'm wondering what the cylinders are numbered as to coraspond with the plugs i. e left faceing side of engine should be numbers 1-3-5-7? sorry i know this is something very simple but i have only had one cadillac up untill now and never had to do any work on it so thanks to any who respond. oh a link to a site with pictures of firing order cylinder locations etc would be very cool thanks

bolivar

Yes, Cadillac has an elaborate procedure to help sticking or carboned rings. Involves removing all spark plugs, when motor rotation is at a specific point then pouring a solvent/cleaning material into the pistons and letting it soak for two hours. The vacumn it out with a special tool. Then change the oil. Then take the car out and run it. Then change the oil again. Something along these lines.

And I've read this is not always successful.

Stuck/carbon rings usually result from 'careful' or constant speed driving.

Several 'red-line' runs through the gears, up to about 100mph, can many times greatly reduce oil usage.

But I think I would first try to find the missing coolant. It could be leaking onto the hot motor and boiling off. Or a leaking heater core might spill fluid inside the car on the carpet. It these, and most other cases, you should use your nose to smell for leaking antifreeze. It has a destinctive sweet smell. If no leak, the it may be burning it past leaking head gasket.

bernadette55

Yes I have a 91 deville at 169299 and it was going strong until it came time for emission this time so now I am trying to find out exactly what the problem is I do think they are worth what ever it takes.

giusto

I recently was doing body work on my Caddy and let the battery drain on accident. I was jumping it when it sounded as like it was going to turn over when it made a crunch/grind noise. I bought a new battery and now it just makes a metal to metal grinding noise when I try to start.... Starter fried? PLEASE HELP!

Mr_Shiftright

e-mail me and remind me to look this up for you!

Shifty the Host

txcaddi2000

thanks so much for the insight. I am taking Caddi to the neighborhood garage tomorrow to have the coolant issue checked and get her oil changed. My godson called me last weekend and we discussed this (he's in the Army overseas) and he agrees with you about the coolant, and told me the last oil change was probably the wrong thing to do (I let them talk me into synthetic oil). So I am going back to regular oil. Hopefully we can find the problems. I love the car, it is almost 7 years old and still looks new, rides like a dream, and gets great mileage for how I drive her. I greatly look forward to a good reason to red-line her, when my godson gets here, I will race his supped up 70s dodge, he'll beat me I am sure, but it will be fun. I'll let you all know how this issue works out just in case someone else questions. Ya'll been great - Thanks!

rbair

HELP!!!!! I have a 91 Deville, with 67K miles on it. I can't get any heat. The a/c works fine, Blower works fine, I've checked/changed the Coolant thermostat. Obviously theres another stat or something that modulates the heat on this vehicle within the climate control system.

Thanks,
Randy

bolivar

Caddies of this age are known to clog the heater core. Only solution to this is a new heater core. (Ok, you might get part of a clog flushed out if you can get to the hoses.) It's a mess to change, per what I've heard. Tough to get the hoses off and back on.

imidazol97

Can he tell if the heater core is clogged with the heater hose temp check? After car's warmed up with blower on high heat feel the temp of the inlet hose and outlet hose and see if the outlet is almost as warm as the inlet. That indicates rapid enough flow that the water isn't being completely cooled off with air blowing over the heater core...

Mr_Shiftright

Okay, #1 cylinder on a '64 engine is up front, on the DRIVER's side.

mauricej

My door locks don't work with the switch - (they work manually and are fairly stiff to push) I can push the lock button and it does have that click sound but the lock slide does not move enough to unlock/lock the doors - I thought that the doors should lock when you drive off like my 95 Buick

also my security light comes on when I turn off the car but if I reach inside the window and unlock/open the door nothing goes off (horn etc)

any help would be appreciated

waverunner

We have 2 04 Devilles used for a livery service. One runs perfect but the other has a major oil consumption problem. Cadillac is telling us that this is "Normal" The car uses over 3qt of oil in less than 3k miles. This is all highway travel. The Deville only has 50k miles on it and is under warranty. Has anyone else had problems with Cadillac taking care of this under warranty.

bolivar

The rings are carboned up.

Take the car out and run it floored. Let it hit all the max rpm 's in each gear. You will probably see lots of black smoke coming out the tail pipes. Do this several times. Let it coast down after each run-up, this also helps break the rings loose.

I'm not responsible for possible speeding tickets, since this process should take you up to 90mph or so each time, which is probably only the shift point from 3rd to 4th gear. 3rd might even take you past 90mph.

Anyway, the only other procedure (and your dealer should know about this) is to use a 'kit' (cleaner, adapters for removing cleaner, etc) and process documented by CAdillac. It pours a cleaner into the cylinders thru plug holes, let it set, vacumn it out, run the car, change the oil, run cleaner thru it again, run it, change oil again.

flykodafresh

I have a 1975 Cadillac Coupe deville and I can't get the locks to work. Neither the electric switch or the button locks work. The wires running to the switches seem to have a current running through them. Can anyone give me some advice on how to fix it?

bolivar

Do you mean the manual stalks on the rear, top of the doors?

If these won't move, it sure sounds like a manual linkage problem to me. There are lots of little metal rods, clips, levers, etc in there. In 32 years stuff wears out, breaks, or comes unclipped.

You are going to have to pull door panels and visualy inspect this sucker. A power actuator (just a big reostat) might be dead or jammed, but I would think the manual button would still work....

phil14904

Strange problem...i have heat blowing out on the passenger side but cold air blowing out on driver's side. Mechanic checked blend doors (as he called them) and they were opening and closing properly, he said. He also said that maybe there is another door way up inside that he can't get at. At 80 bucks an hour for labor, am reluctant to just drop off and let them run up a bill playin with it. Any advice?

rugby3

bought a 97 deville with northstar last week, next day told dealer ck coolent was on, he said just add coolent so I put about a gallon in. ok for 2 days same thing happened. dealer said too bad you didn't buy extended warranty. ind mech says most likley a head gasket. will try those tablets and pray. question is do you ever talk about good bad dealers by name? on my bense site they can,in absence of reccomendation for honest repair site by name any way to see what it should cost for repair? hate to get screwed twice

Karen_S

As we are moving towards more focused topics, this discussion will now close. New discussions have been created at the Cadillac DeVille top board level and posts from here have been moved there. Please post in the current topics or create a new discussion.