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JasonA

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  • Car Model and Year
    2001 STS
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    Northstar 4.6L V8 (LD8/L37)

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    http://www.jnjhome.net/cadillac/default.htm
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    North Carolina

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  1. Stefan, thanks for that bit of info. It appears to be about 2,000 pounds for a trailer with brakes, and about 1,600 pounds for a trailer without brakes. My 2001 STS's owner's manual lists the GCVW (Gross Combined Vehicle Weight) as 7,100 pounds for an SLS and 8,100 pounds for an STS. That means that ALL TOGETHER, TOTAL, your vehicle, occupants, fuel, cargo, trailer, etc, cannot weigh more than that amount. That tells you exactly how much your trailer can "legally" weigh. My STS probably weighs close to 4,100 pounds empty. With two occupants, some stuff, fuel, etc, and it's probably above 4,500 pounds. So the trailer could then weigh up to about 3,600 pounds. But that's not all. The GVWR on the tire inflation decal lists the total weight your vehicle is intended to carry, and while this doesn't include the trailer weight, you DO have to add the tongue weight, since that is carried by the suspension. My 2001's GVWR is 4,995 pounds. That means that if my car weighs over 4,500 pounds with occupants and fuel, the trailer's tongue weight cannot be more than about 500 pounds. Incidentally, it's not THAT hard to overload a car, even without a trailer. My 2001's GVWR only gives me about 900 pounds to load, and that includes people. Put four big guys in the car with golf clubs, and you're right there. Examine your owner's manual and the GVWR listed on your tire inflation decal for more information, and to find out your particular car's EXACT tow limits. I agree that your total trailer weight is going to approach 5,000 pounds with a vehicle and the trailer and anything inside it. That's just too much for one of these cars. Towing snowmobiles or jet skis -- that's a totally different story. But towing other vehicles -- I'd leave that to a more capable vehicle. It's just not worth the risk.
  2. Up to 3000 pounds "I would say". That's not exactly a statement based in fact. Of course we haven't tried it. There's a reason that Cadillac specifies the maximum towing capacity at 1,000 pounds. If you tow above that, especially FOUR TIMES that much, there are two key words: "liability" and "negligence". If you tow at 4x your vehicle's rating, and you get into an accident, guess what the first thing is the other person's attorney is going to do -- that's right...have your car and your trailer weighed. He will find that you're way over the specified weight limit, and it's a slam dunk case for him. Your insurance company may have a hard time covering you, after you knowingly towed a trailer way outside what Cadillac tells you in the owner's manual. There are reasons why Escalades are rated to tow close to 10,000 pounds -- and there are reasons why FWD Cadillacs are rated to tow in the neighborhood of 1,000 pounds. I personally feel that's a very unfortunate statement to make. To me, that's the same as saying "an experienced driver could mount slicks and drive in the rain, and do it much better than someone who hasn't had much experience." While it may be true, there's not a good reason on earth to attempt to do so. The first time a kid rides out into the middle of the street on a bike and you can't stop because you're towing more than your vehicle's rating...you'll know why. Rick, PLEASE don't tow a car with your Eldorado. There's a very good reason why you've not seen your car buddies do the same.
  3. No, no, no. The car is only rated to tow 1,000 pounds. Check your owner's manual. The engine and transmission may physically be up for it, but the chassis/frame and suspension and brakes were not designed for it. Old Cadillacs were huge body-on-frame cars (like trucks, just lower). If you need to tow, do it with the proper vehicle. Back then, Cadillacs were close enough to trucks to get the job done. Today, they're highly-refined sport sedans and coupes that are not designed with that tow weight in mind.
  4. The explanation is above. I used to wonder why, but now I know. We have trusted in this source before, no reason to change now.
  5. Actually, yes. I received this answer from a "reputable source": The spark plug manufacturer and supplier has changed several times. The gap changed a little with the specifics of the spark plug supplier and their production process as I recall. Either .050 or .060 is really OK....not that big of a deal with that type of plug. .060 is the better gap as (generally speaking) the larger the gap the greater the arc and the greater the chance of contacting something combustable and starting ignition. If there is any doubt about the longevity of the platinum pads (as you noted) then the desire might be to run .050 so as to not have too great of a gap at .070 (which is starting to push the capability of the ignition system). As the platinum pad retention improved and the plug quality and process control improved over the years the gap could be allowed to creep up. Based on this answer, I'll definitely keep my new plugs at .060". Thanks everyone for their contribution to this thread.
  6. Northstar owners: what does the underhood sticker indicate for a spark plug gap on your Northstar car, be it a Seville, Eldorado, or DeVille. I ask this only of 93-99 owners, because the ignition system changed drastically in 2000. I ask because my car seems to be the only one that calls for a gap of .060" for some reason, as confirmed on my underhood sticker. Most others indicate .050". Even if you were part of the discussion in the other "New Spark Plugs" thread, please reply here. I want to gather a comprehensive survey to try to understand what the real deal is.
  7. Similar to what Pat said in another thread, so many engines have been replaced that don't need to be. A head gasket repair is a SIMPLE SIMPLE repair. True, it's labor-intensive. The dealer wants to sell you up on whatever they can. If they can make a good profit on an $8000 engine, they'll try. If you insist that they perform the proper head gasket repair (with Timeserts), the engine will be better than new. I'm surprised to hear your $4000 quote. I've always heard a number in the $2000 range, for dealer labor. You can do it yourself for about 15% of your quoted price, for the parts and tools.
  8. Nice car! Love those late model wheels!
  9. I "get" mine flushed in my garage. A driveway or parking lot also works fine. I changed the water pump at the apartment I used to live in when I lived in Virginia. Don't even need jack stands or ramps. Tools needed: 10mm wrench, drain pan. Procedure: 1) Unbolt the lower radiator hose neck from the water pump housing. 2) Let coolant drain. 3) Add three cooling system tabs or a tube or two of Bars Leaks to lower hose. 4) Bolt the lower hose neck back up to the water pump housing. 5) Fill with a 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water. Use green coolant for '95 and older models. Use Dexcool for '96 and newer. The procedure should take you about 10 minutes, including letting the coolant drain out. You can do "extras". For example, the ABS controller is just below the water pump area (at least on my '97), so I take the time to "wrap" that electrical box as best as I can with plastic cling wrap to keep the gross of the water off it. That takes an extra 2 minutes. Note: if you can get to your radiator petcock, that would be the easiest, cleanest, and most thorough. I don't know why they made them practically inaccessible on these cars, but they did. I can't get to my radiator drain, no how, no way. Unbolting the lower hose will release about a gallon of fluid, give or take, in my experience. That's obviously not the WHOLE system, but if you start changing the coolant at least every 2 years, you'll get lots of new fresh coolant cycling through there.
  10. Cool -- as Scotty stated, it's real easy (and cheap) to just drain and refill every spring or something like that. Dump a tube or two of Bars Leaks Golden Seal into the lower hose when you take it off to drain and you'll be good to go. It'll take you all of about 10 minutes to drain the coolant and clean off the undercarriage afterwards, and you're way overprotected by doing it every season. If the car's earlier history was unknown (when did it come into your family), a coolant change every season would probably be prudent.
  11. Yenko, to add to what Scotty said, your car will need Timeserting only if you don't perform regular maintenance on the cooling system. Certainly, there are cars that have needed head gasket replacements earlier than "normal", but for the most part, if you take part in regular maintenance, you shouldn't lose a head gasket. And again, for the most part, the head bolts aren't the cause of head gasket problems...they're a problem when you REMOVE them to change the gasket...at which time you need to use the Timeserts for a proper repair. So, you probably won't ever need a Timesert repair just because the head bolt threads pulled. You'll need one if you lose a head gasket and remove the head to replace it (how else would you do it). Changing the coolant every 2 years or 24,000 miles is very important. If you don't have records of when it was last changed, do it tomorrow.
  12. New Northstars are still not Timeserted at the factory, but they don't need to be. If there's a problem with the head gasket, I think it's typically not because the threads have been damaged, at least in the newer engines. It's almost always a corrosion problem, especially with engines using the green coolant. The "problem" starts when a mechanic doesn't follow the correct repair procedure. Timeserts are a required part of a headgasket repair...just like windshield sealer is required when you replace a windshield. However, many places don't Timesert, and you keep getting problems. Pulled threads are usually the SYMPTOM of an incorrect repair, not the CAUSE of the repair to begin with...usually.
  13. It sure does! Jim, my wires fell just short of yours. About 140,000 miles. Stinkin' cheap OE parts!
  14. Adallak, notice I said MOST people who never have problems won't come to a site like this. Certainly, there are people like you and me who still show up here, even though our cars are 100%. I stand by my assessment (and posts in the archives agree) that a good percentage of folks who come here have at one point done so because of a problem, major or minor. Few come to actually brag about their car. If a third of all Northstars blow head gaskets, I guarantee Cadillac wouldn't have the sales it has today. Indeed, if my chances of getting a bad Northstar were 1 and 3, I wouldn't buy another one! But I know the real percentage is more like 1 in 100, or 1 in 1000. Without reliable data, it's impossible to make that assessment. Reliable data might include "how many times have dealerships across the country performed a Timesert repair?" 10,000x a year? I don't know. I know Cadillac builds Northstars by the hundreds of thousands each year, so that's in the 1-10% range. Many members have said before that we can't base our perception of good or bad reliability from posts on an Internet forum, and I think that's absolutely true.
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