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Sedans Cadillac DeVille Cadillac DeVille
2506 messages, Last post on Sep 27, 2009 at 12:50 AM
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Replying to: ladymylady (Aug 21, 2007 7:18 am) My 98 Oldsmobile Aurora (with a small northstar engine) had a trip computer/information display that could display the oil pressure. Unfortunately Cadillac's information display does not.
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At what temperature should my car start yelling at me? I've been told that the Northstars are all over the map on coolant temps and I'm just not used to a guage jumping all over like this does. Still, people keep saying "oh, it's normal, they're just like that" But when should I start to freak and pull over? Will the car warn me before I ruin the head gasket or warp anything?
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Replying to: xeperx (Aug 23, 2007 3:03 pm) The car has a 197deg thermostat. In cooler weather, with the temp control set to Normal, it should maintain about 197 to 205 or so. The hotter the outside weather gets, the more it will struggle to maintain this level. Stop and go 100deg weather, I could see it hitting 230deg. Now here is the funny thing about Caddies. If you put the temp control to Econ (or you have AC problems and the computer will not let the AC run and will default to Econ, the computer will let the motor temp go up all the way to about 220deg before it turns the electric cooling fans on! How about that??? Otherwise, with AC on, the fans will run constantly at low speed and at about 205 it will kick them up to full speed. A Caddy will actually run cooler with the AC on rather than off! Ok, the other thing. If you load the engine, and this can be done with high speed driving or driving up a steep hill, and the temp in Caddy start to climb fast and overheats, you probably have the dreaded Northstar blown headgasket problem! You might have other problem - bad thermostat, the belt that drive water pump is slipping, radiator stopped up, etc, etc, but a Caddy that can be driven around at low speeds with no problem, but will overheat at speed or on hills - headgasket becomes a very possible reason.
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Replying to: bolivar (Aug 23, 2007 6:38 pm) What exactly, if anything, would need replacing along side the repair?
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Replying to: xeperx (Aug 24, 2007 6:06 am) My experience with my Seville was that the coolant temperature always ran at the center point (200 F), but in very hot (100 F) weather climbing a grade the temperature indicator might warm to 210F. My Aurora was different, with no radiator grill, it would run 220F on warm days in stop and go traffic. If the A/C compressor is running, then the cooling fans are on to cool the refrigerent, which will keep the engine coolant temperature down too. My SRX, not in the mountains, stayed right at the center mark even in 105F weather this summer. The interior stayed cool too, with the rear A/C fan running on a medium (2) speed. My SRX does have heavy duty cooling (perhaps extra fans?).
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Replying to: sls002 (Aug 24, 2007 7:19 am) Is this a heap of BS or is the guy telling the truth?
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Replying to: xeperx (Aug 24, 2007 11:15 am) What he probably said was due to expansion and contraction of the alumium motor and head of a Northstar under running and stopped conditions, the head bolts have become stressed, loosening these bolts. These are the bolts that hold the head to the motor, with the head gasket as the sealing between the two. When the bolts loosen, or thru other problems with the gasket seal, the exhaust pressure when a cylinder fires is blown into the water cooling passages between the head and motor (the gasket fails). This will cause massive overheating. (If you do not have overheating, water/steam coming out of fill tank, you may not have a gasket problem. Or, you might be in the early stages of gasket failure. A mechanic can test the coolant for combustion byproducts - if found this is gasket failure.) Most of the cost of repairing a Northstar head gasket is labor. The motor must be pulled to access the rear head. There is a 'kit' sold for the repair, a 'Timezert' kit. The head is removed, a jig bolted down on it for drilling alignment purposes, all the head bolts are drilled out oversized, they are rethreaded, a special Timesert insert is screwed in, then the head is reassembled to the motor with a new gasket and headbolts. Both heads should be done when the motor is out of the car. From what I've heard, cost is $2,000 - $3,000. The kit is not very expensive, less than $400, a few new gaskets, new headbolts. Most of the cost is labor, and finding a shop that is even experienced in doing this may be tough. The heads almost always are not harmed, and the motor does not have to be 'decked'. And yes, this happens to Northstars. And is the main reason I do not own a Cadillac. My wife loves them, but I do not want to own an older, out of warranty Cadillac where a head gasket repair would cost 20% or more of the value of the car.
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Replying to: bolivar (Aug 24, 2007 12:43 pm)
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Replying to: xeperx (Aug 24, 2007 2:26 pm) Now, as to how well a mechanic can do this job and re-assemble properly????????? |
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Replying to: sls002 (Aug 23, 2007 5:37 am) but the information center does not give me a reason that I would need service...damn, my old car I knew waht to do - thisd modern marvel, I have no idea. 
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