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My STS


chazglenn3

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Well Ladies and Gentlemen;

I rented an auto transport from U-Haul today, and towed my Caddy to my favorite dealer. You should have seen the look on the service advisors face when I started it up to drive off the trailer. The noise is very disturbing. It sounds like a rod banging, but actually sounds like it is in the top of the motor. It is a bright sunny day here in the Pacific NW and when he pulled the dipstick to check the oil, you could see the sparkle of metal in the sunlight. They are going to start working on it Monday. I'll let you know what they find, but at this point I really think I am going for a remanufactured engine. It is probably more cost effective than repairing the old one.

Charles

Charles

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Bad news...the dealer said the cause of the engine failure was that the previous owner tried to repair the case half leak with silicone, and the silicone was drawn into the engine and clogged the oil passages leading to the failure. This was seen as a pre existing condition by the warranty company, so they will not cover it. So, I am stuck with footing the bill to get another motor put in the car. The dealer has his parts guy looking for the best deal on a longblock he can find locally. Oh well, the car is still nice enough to fix, and I bought it cheap enough to make the repair feasible.

Charles

Charles

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That is such bs, no way it gets drawn in, in a quantity to do damage. Plus its DRY after that procedure, I find this hard to believe

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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Oh, sorry to hear that.

In this post http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?act...ost&p=78538 you mention using seafoam in the oil. Supposedly this solvent (not recommended by the way) would clear out any blockage as of June? Did you change the oil afterwards to get the seafoam product out of the oil?

You noted someone else was driving the Cadillac when the problem first happened. Could it have been a low oil problem based on the heavy leakage you were having? I remember someone who is not a car person asking me what the phrase "Engine overheating - stop the car now" meant.

Bruce

2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing

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Yes, the oil had been changed since the Seafoam was added. The oil level was correct when I left on Friday and the motor was knocking when I got home Sunday, so I doubt the level had gotten that low in that time frame. I just got off the phone with the service advisor again, he said the tech that pulled the motor has 30 yrs of experience and that you can see where the silicone was sucked in just looking at the motor. They didn't bother to continue tearing the motor down at that point because they know what happened and had seen it before, and wanted to save me the wasted money. My son said he added oil after the noise started, but it was over filled when I checked, so it probably wasn't low.

Charles

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he said the tech that pulled the motor has 30 yrs of experience and that you can see where the silicone was sucked in just looking at the motor.

I know that there is no possible way that enough silicone can get into the motor from a block porosity problem. Now, if the block had a hole in it as big as a walnut, that might be a different story. Maybe he can show you the "evidence" and you can post photos here. I'm betting that the next story will be "Oh, we cleaned that part up and lost it somewhere in the shop, we'll get back to you".

Well, thinking about this just a little more, the previous owner might have sealed the valve covers with silicone to stop a leaking gasket. Then started the motor before it was allowed to cure. It's just BARELY possible that some silicone could have reached a rocker or cam in sufficient quantities to cause your top end noise.

Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed.

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Supposedly this solvent (not recommended by the way) would clear out any blockage as of June? Did you change the oil afterwards to get the seafoam product out of the oil?

Just before an oil change I have used seafoam. Drive it for 10-20 miles and changed oil and filter. I have 125,000 mi and all seems to be good. Please let me know if it advised to stop this process and what ramifications does the seafoam have on the engine. I used this process on my prevoius SSEI and sold it with 230,000 miles, still running good. I do realize the Northstar is not a 3800.

Appricate any expert advise

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I know that there is no possible way that enough silicone can get into the motor from a block porosity problem. Now, if the block had a hole in it as big as a walnut, that might be a different story. Maybe he can show you the "evidence" and you can post photos here. I'm betting that the next story will be "Oh, we cleaned that part up and lost it somewhere in the shop, we'll get back to you".

Well, thinking about this just a little more, the previous owner might have sealed the valve covers with silicone to stop a leaking gasket. Then started the motor before it was allowed to cure. It's just BARELY possible that some silicone could have reached a rocker or cam in sufficient quantities to cause your top end noise.

Well, like most everyone else, JohnnyG types faster than I do.

Gotta agree with everything he said.

Regards,

Warren

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There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises

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I'm going to go look at it after work tomorrow...I'll try to get some pictures of it. The service advisor sounds like he has already spoken to the warranty company and told him what he believes to be the problem, thus they jumped on the chance to get out of paying for it. I post the pics tomorrow afternoon.

Charles

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Did you buy the warranty after you bought the Cadillac then?

I understand they are claiming the problem existed before you got the car.

Bruce

2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing

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I bought the car then bought the warranty online. Since the dealer told the warranty company that the failure was caused by the previous attempt at repairing the oil leak, the warranty company deemed this a pre existing condition, which they don't cover. If the reason they say the motor failed is indeed bs, then they have screwed me out of my chance to get the car repaired under the warranty. This is a different dealer than the one the car was purchased from.

Charles

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Well, just got home from the dealership. Wow! The real problem appears to be that the silicone was also used to attempt to seal the oil pan. When the oil pan was removed, the oil pickup screen was FULL of pieces of silicone. The bottom of the pan was coated with fine bits of metal, and had chunks of silicone laying around. I forgot to take the camera with me. So, I have to say that the reason for the failure appears to be valid.

Charles

Charles

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amazing

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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So, I have been thinking this situation over. The local used car market here in the Seattle area gets around $10-15K for a used STS (98-99 models). I bought the car for $6K. If I buy a reman motor the dealer will give me the internal shop rate of $85 per hour on the labor. Looks like I could be out the door for a little over $5K. So, considering the pristine black leather interior, and the body being a high 8 to 9 out of 10, this seems to be the way to go over buying another car. Thoughts?

Charles

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Well, if the car is otherwise what you want, putting an engine in can work out. A total of 5K for an engine and installation seems reasonable, although are we sure of that engine?

Dallas example pricing from the local news ads:

'00 Seville STS Northstar 4 dr pwr carraige top fine lthr chrome rims 50k maintained $10,950 972-398-8292

'01 Seville STS, black/gray, 49K, heated seats, sunroof, chrome wheels, HID, CD, loaded $12,500. 469-585-5703

Maybe there is a market in buying cars here and selling them in Washington lol.

Bruce

2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing

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I actually flew to Dallas when I was shopping and had practically closed a deal on a 2001 SLS with Bose and an aftermarket roof for $8700...but NOOOOO I just had to have a STS. The prices are so much better down there. The engine comes from a reman outfit in the Midwest. He has been in the business for a while, and has yet to have an engine come back for a warranty claim...or so he says. Comes with a 3 year unlimited mile warranty. He says he has built Northstars as high as 700HP for special installations.

Charles

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