AliRaza Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 First of all, thaks to all of you for your inputs and also questions about how did the job go of fixing the headgasket problem. Here is the status. I got it fixed two months. It was a four months project. Becuase of inexperience, I had some minor glitches but finally it paid off very well. SPECIAL THANKS TO GEORGE ROWE FOR HELPING ME OUT AT EVERY STAGE. I think this forum and people on this forum are wonderful. I havent seen any other forum like this before who go out of their way to help the members. I did take some pictures during teh course and thinking about preparing a site and will post all of those there. Some details about the work I did. Took the engine out from the top... Gave up the idea of doing the headgasket repair work with engine inside the car.. Used the timesert kit and it worked like a charm. Becuase of my negligence, I broke one of the M6 bolt and had to redo one of the heads again. So extra set of bolts. Thaks to George again who sent me an extra set of bolts that he had. Before the fix, cleaned up teh engine very well and it was shining like a brand new engine. Looks wonderful in the pictures. Replaced the engine back and got it on teh road two months back. So far, I have already driven it for more than 2000 miles. And it is wonderful. No coolant lead. No vibration, no unnecessary noise. I the city it is giving me somewhere around 19 to 20 miles. One the long rides (Hwy) it is close to 27 to 28 miles in a gallon. Thinking about changing the tires next month. Again thanks to evveryone and thanks to this forum and the organizers of this forum..... Ali it within the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 Thanks for reporting your results, I have been thinking about you. Recently ojaieldo has been considering removing his engine out from the bottom, and I recalled that you pulled yours from the top. He would benefit from your experience. Great job, 4 months wow! I am impressed. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliRaza Posted October 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 Thanks Mike, It took so long because of not working on it every weekend. Some of teh weekends were just too busy and then kids wanted some time and other stuff. So it was on and off but the car was in the garage for about four months. If anyone needs any help while doing a simllar job, I will be glad to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 I hear you, dedicating full time to a job like that is tough. I watched you during the job overcoming the hurdles. I had to laugh when you got to the end and asked, Where does this part go!.. posting a picture of it! Considering the scope of the job and what you had been through you didn't seem to concerned about it... I can see myself wanting to tackle that job one day (not that I am trying to jinx myself) and I am sure it would take equally as long.... You should be proud of the job I can't wait to see the pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growe3 Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 First of all, thaks to all of you for your inputs and also questions about how did the job go of fixing the headgasket problem. Here is the status. I got it fixed two months. It was a four months project. Becuase of inexperience, I had some minor glitches but finally it paid off very well. SPECIAL THANKS TO GEORGE ROWE FOR HELPING ME OUT AT EVERY STAGE. I think this forum and people on this forum are wonderful. I havent seen any other forum like this before who go out of their way to help the members. I did take some pictures during teh course and thinking about preparing a site and will post all of those there. Some details about the work I did. Took the engine out from the top... Gave up the idea of doing the headgasket repair work with engine inside the car.. Used the timesert kit and it worked like a charm. Becuase of my negligence, I broke one of the M6 bolt and had to redo one of the heads again. So extra set of bolts. Thaks to George again who sent me an extra set of bolts that he had. Before the fix, cleaned up teh engine very well and it was shining like a brand new engine. Looks wonderful in the pictures. Replaced the engine back and got it on teh road two months back. So far, I have already driven it for more than 2000 miles. And it is wonderful. No coolant lead. No vibration, no unnecessary noise. I the city it is giving me somewhere around 19 to 20 miles. One the long rides (Hwy) it is close to 27 to 28 miles in a gallon. Thinking about changing the tires next month. Again thanks to evveryone and thanks to this forum and the organizers of this forum..... Ali it within the car Hi Ali, Glad to hear that all is well and you are on the road again. What was the final out come on the electrical problem (starter clicking) you had? Was it just a bad connection? -George Drive'em like you own 'em. - ....................04 DTS............................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliRaza Posted October 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 Yes When I got teh new battery in teh car, the guys at SAMs club didnt tight the terminals very well. So that was it. Since then no problems at all.. Thanks again George. Regards Ali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry94 Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 Good to hear that you're back on the road again. Removing the engine from the top is a lot of work. Obviously persistence pays off. You now have a revitalized/reliable Cadillac due to your own hard work. Great job!! Barry 2008 STS V82016 Colorado Z711970 Corvette LT-1 Coupe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 Good job! Fixing a car on your own has two advantages: you learn and you earn the money you would otherwise pay to some one else! The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 And with the money you save, you can buy more tools! LOL Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 Ahh, tools... sort of like women and their shoes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldgamer Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 That's so pleasure to hear something like this. I'm always amased with people whith such qualities. I remember my fear to do some really simple things (I changed the PCM recently) and a joy after job is done right. This is a trully award. May be you remember the comercial where dude was talking to everybody that he lowered a cholesterol? I was that dude, just talking about how I resolved the problem with my car. But now, a headgasket... I just can't imagine myself to start doing this. And it requeres to have all these special tools and equipment... Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBuckley Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 Way to go, and keep up the good work. Yes sometimes I know it can seem like a mountain in front of you and patience and fustration go hand in hand, but when you finish and get it going the benefits of what you have learned and what you have saved really make you feel good. I just finished with the wifes Buick Lesabre, developed a rough idle all of a sudden one minute ok, the next rough as could be, to add to the mess the next morning i went out and it purred like a kitten till it got warm. Ended up being the Ignition control module and coil pack in combination. Felt good to get that one out the way and running good. Now I have to tackle replacing the ignitiion switch in my STS, not looking forwad to messing with the airbag, but hey, it is an opportunity to learn, right? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poobah Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 Congratulations! Few things in life give more pleasure than driving a sweet running car with an engine you built yourself. Enjoy! Happiness is owning a Cadillac with no codes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliRaza Posted October 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 I read through all the posts and really want to share the joy. You guys are absolutely right. The joy of driving this car during first few weeks and while driving, you continuously listen to every noise and every small click for first few weeks was like being in a troubleshooting lab. And then you find no it is not the noise coming from your car but from someone else on the road. After I passed through the first few weeks, the joy was just to hold the steering wheel and enjoy the lovely drive of this Caddy. What a wonderful piece of engineering. And the joy is when you meet with your friends and they look at your car and then you make a point during your conversations to tell them that you fixed it. And the joy is when you pull that car out of the garage and your neighbors know that this is the one you were lying under and ripped it off in pieces few months back. Regarding the frustration and hope going hand in hand, I think I learned a great deal from this project and especially the patience and persistance. There were times when you feel like throwing away everything. This is like golf game. They have th flag to give the golfer a HOPE. I think just the thought of gettig it done and help from your folks made it happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliRaza Posted October 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 One quick question. Do I need to WOT since I have completed about 3000 miles on this engine now?? And while doing the WOT, how long should I be driving it in the red-band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted October 5, 2004 Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 One quick question. Do I need to WOT since I have completed about 3000 miles on this engine now?? And while doing the WOT, how long should I be driving it in the red-band. Yes, do the WOT. Gear selector in 2, force a downshift to 1 and let the computer handle the 1 - 2 upshift. Then let the car compression brake down for 5 or 6 seconds. Repeat until you do not see a cloud in the mirror. I doubt you will be able to hit the redline in 2nd anywhere around Houston. You have mentioned posting pictures of your project. How is that coming along? Well done, Ali !! Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Raven Posted October 5, 2004 Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 Howyadoin, Congratulations, it's great to see that your efforts were rewarded! I've been following your saga with great interest, and it's wonderful to see the expertise of the members bring brought to bear on the problem. Not to mention a lot of hard work, dogged persistence and great communication on your part! Enjoy the ride, -Rav -Mark P. Salem, MA "Refined Sugar" - '96 SLS, 175K "...the Caddy is dedicated to relentlessly -- and comfortably -- converting time into distance." -J.J. Gertler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted October 5, 2004 Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 That's great! Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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