caring1958 Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Hi I am picking up my grandmother's 1984 eldorado biarritz on the weekend it has 84000 km it is in unbleavialbe condition 4.1 motor. Spent most of it life in the garage. Here is my question should I keep the car or is it a problem car with lots of things to repair. I can not overstate the condition A+++++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caring1958 Posted April 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Thanks for your help. I am really having to make up my mind to keep or sell like I said very scared that it will end up costing us a small fortune to maintain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByStorm Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 I had 2 '84 Eldos and they didn't cost a fortune to maintain. Did your grandmother spend alot in maintenance? My guess... no. If you abuse the car well maybe. If I were you I would purchase a car to drive daily and use that Eldo to drive in the summer to show off and look cool . Thats just me. I have an '88 Sedan Deville that needs very minor cosmetic work and that is what I'm going to do. (Drive around in the summer to look cool in) Peace ByStorm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschunke Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 Do you like the car? If not then dump it cause mid 80's GMs are far from being collectibles. On the other hand, if you do enjoy driving it, (maybe it has sentimental value), and you plan to use it as a Sunday driver, have garage space, then it shouldn't cost that much to maintain. Just follow BBs suggestions. That 4.1L motor is no gem, but if it craps out what have you lost? The car, I assume, was free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Rose Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 These cars (HT 4100) where notorious for engine problems. Get them hot one time and they're junk. I could have gotten a beautiful 85 Coupe for next to nothing, and the mechanic at the Caddy dealer told me I was buying a large expensive lawn ornament. The 4100 was the first attempt at an all alluminum block, the digital fuel injection sucked, and the tranny's where questionable. Put it on Ebay and use the money toward something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg P. Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 I would say if you really like the car, keep it. Otherwise, I'd probably try to sell it. Keep in mind, you aren't going to get a huge pile of cash for it, even in immaculate condition. They are pretty nice cars if you like that sort of thing and many have found them to be fairly reliable. But it is a 20 year-old Cadillac and as a fairly complex automobile for its day, it is reasonable to expect some problems will eventually occur if you keep it long enough. If you do decide to keep it we will help you where we can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy_W Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 A friend of mine has an '87 Seville, he installed a 4.9 in it! He knew someone who put a 4.5 in a mid '80's Eldo. I will ask him what programming was involved or if he changed the pcm and harness or just used his old intake and distributor with the original pcm. I don't even know what is interchangeable with these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 These cars (HT 4100) where notorious for engine problems. Get them hot one time and they're junk. I could have gotten a beautiful 85 Coupe for next to nothing, and the mechanic at the Caddy dealer told me I was buying a large expensive lawn ornament. The 4100 was the first attempt at an all alluminum block, the digital fuel injection sucked, and the tranny's where questionable. Put it on Ebay and use the money toward something else. That is one nice Eldorado! The key to long life on the HT-4100 was regular coolant changes and the use of the cooling system sealing pellets. The 4.1, 4.5, and 4.9 are basically the same engine. I would NOT write the car off....If you do, let me know - we may be able to deal... My Dad had a 1985 Fleetwood Brougham d'Elegance (RWD) with the HT-4100 that he sold to a coworker with 191,000 miles. The last time he saw the car, it had 250,000 miles on it. A buddy had an '84 Coupe deVille (RWD) that he sold with 172,000 miles on it. Both of those cars never needed any engine work other than plugs and a water pump. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STYES Posted April 30, 2004 Report Share Posted April 30, 2004 I am not the trans guy, but I know that it is a cheap and easy rebuild on these cars. Do not overlook the oil pump, or the intake/head gaskets! Those are as important, as the coolant supplements. The 4100 was plagued with many problems. But keep it in shape, and it will run well, but it is still a dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted May 1, 2004 Report Share Posted May 1, 2004 I am not the trans guy, but I know that it is a cheap and easy rebuild on these cars. Do not overlook the oil pump, or the intake/head gaskets! Those are as important, as the coolant supplements. The 4100 was plagued with many problems. But keep it in shape, and it will run well, but it is still a dog! Yeah - the HT-4100 won't win the Indy 500 but one needs to remember that those engines were designed in the late '70s when gas prices were skyrocketing and maximum fuel economy was preferred over performance. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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