Lov my red caddy...

[jharwell65]

I had noticed my 95 STS Seville Northstar engine with 155,000 has been leaking

a small amount of fluid from underneath when it sits for a while. Now when I

drive it the leak is worse and smoke is coming out the right front grill. (I took it to

garage (typical, it didn't do it when I got there) They weren't able to help me

and I now have to take it out out of town to a Cadillac dealer. He said it could

be a transmission or oil leak. He did rule out brake fluid.

This is what he put on a note when I picked it up....rear main - oil pan gasket

abs codes

I have had my caddy since it was new and don't plan to part with it anytime

soon. My question is am I looking at mega bucks? Is it there danger of a

fire? Now I am scared to drive it .

Thanks for you help.

[Ranger]

smoke is coming out the right front grill.

Are you sure it is smoke and not steam? Might be a crack in the radiator side tank .

[Bruce Nunnally]

When you get the diagnosis from the Dealer ask them to be specific as to which symptoms go with which diagnosis.

Today's question is why is there smoke coming off the grill, and why does it leak fluid, and what type of fluid is it leaking?

The rear main seal may ALSO be leaking, but would not be likely to cause the smoke from the grill area. A rear main seal leak, if it is

only a small leak or seepage, can simply be ignored. A oil or transmission fluid leak around the front grill would likely

be a hole or problem connection for the oil or transmission cooler lines going into the radiator side tanks. As Ranger pointed

out, if it is leaking coolant, on the other hand, then the radiator side tank may be leaking.

What happens sometimes is that the Dealer sees many things that could be fixed on a 12 year old car. Some

of the things, like a rear main seal, cost a lot to fix. If you do have that and don't fix it, sometimes it means

that the car drips oil and you have to put in a quart of oil now and then. For a 12 yo car that is often more

economic than paying to have the engine resealed. But the smoke from the grill suggests something that needs

to be fixed, and is unlikely to be caused by a rear main seal leak.

[BodybyFisher]

I read this last night. Your description is too vague to opine on your problem. You need to determine what and where it is leaking from and be our eyes.

[Poobah]

Your first task is to try to determine what the leaking fluid is. You can get an idea by examining the drips on the garage floor. Back the car up so you can see and touch the drips. Pick up a bit of the dripping on the tip of your finger.

If it is coolant, it will feel watery and a tiny bit sticky. It will have a greenish or orangeish color depending on which coolant your car uses. If it is coolant, the drips on the floor will dry up after a while. Your mechanic should be able to find a coolant leak by pressure testing the cooling system. In this simple test, a pump-like tool is attached to the surge tank in place of the cap. Air is pumped into the cooling system. This forces the coolant to drip (or spray) from the point where it is leaking. It makes a leak very easy to find if the car is up on a hoist. Coolant leaks are cheap to fix if they are caused by leaking hoses, loose hose clamps, and the like. They can be more expensive if they are due to a leaking radiator or surge tank. They can be very expensive if they are due to bad head gaskets (leakage from head gaskets usually does not drip onto the floor). Your mechanic will be able to give you an estimate once he has done the pressure test.

If it is oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, or power steering fluid, the drips will feel oily on the tip of your finger. The drips will not dry up. they just accumulate into a oily spot on the floor. It can be cleaned up by sprinkling saw dust, kitty litter, or similar absorbent material on the drippage to soak it up, then sweeping it up. The most common drips in this category are oil. Almost all older cars drip oil. You can try some of the oil leak remedies sold in auto parts stores. Sometimes they work, usually they do not. They are cheap enough to be worth a try. If that doesn't work, and if the leak isn't horrendous, just live with it - minor oil leaks won't harm your car and they are usually expensive to fix.

If it is gasoline, it will have the distintive smell of gasoline. The drips will dry up very quickly. If it is gasoline, you will probably be able to smell it in the engine compartment by just lifting the hood. Gasoline is the only dripping fluid that poses a fire danger. If it is gasoline, you need to get the leak fixed right away because of the risk of fire. The cost will vary depending on the source of the leak.

Hope this helps.

[jharwell65]

Thank you for your response. I can definitely say it isn't gasoline and I have ruled

out coolant. The spots don't go away, are greasy, I got some on a tissue and

put a piece of white paper underneath and it appears brown maybe with a shiny

reddish tint. You are dealing with a lady so my descriptions might seem weird. I

can definitely tell by smell it isn't gasoline or coolant. Does oil and transmission

fluid smell the same????....it has an obvious smell I would have thought the mechanic

could have picked up on. It is smoke as there is a very hot smell when you

park the car and the smoke comes out. I would think something dripping on

the manifold causing this???

It isn't using any oil. It has been staying right at 75%. Sometimes before oil change

I will have to add a quart but they tell me at the oil change place this is normal for

this engine as it gets more miles.

I had a bad experience 5 years ago when I took this car to a dealer because

it was surging and what started out to be a sensor ended up causing me $3,500

for a blotched transmission job. When I started home I realized I had big time

trouble. They said the parts were bad and they had to order more and go back

into transmission. I was without a car for over 3 weeks. Then tried to charge me

$600 more after the bill said NO CHARGE when I picked up car the 2nd time. ...

fought that and won. Didn't even pay for my rental

car. Haven't use that Caddy dealer repair shop again.

I do read and try to research as much as I can because that wasn't the first time I got a big

bill that probably wasn't necessary.

Thanks for listening.

jangel

[Ranger]

Does oil and transmission fluid smell the same????

No, they have a distinctively different smell. If you are not sure what they smell like, pull the dipstick and smell the oil. Then do the same with the trans dipstick. Engine oil will be a gold color (darker as it gets older). Trans fluid will be a reddish color (unless it is burnt, then it will be a deeper red or brownish).

[adallak]

Pull out your transmission deep stick and compare the fluid with one dripping from th engine. My guess is tranny fluid coming out of loose hose connections to auxiliary transmission cooler or return lines or connections to the cooler iside the radiator. I do not know how it can drip on the manifold since I never owned a Northstar. BTW, see if the ATF is low when engine is hot and running.

[TDK]

Jangel.

You have benefited from sage advice from some of this Forum's best so far, so hang on. For my two cents I certainly agree with all the above. After (3) Margaritas, I am emboldened enought to add...(excuse hte spelling syntax and):

That our '94 Deville has the same sort of oil leak issues that cause a hot smell and fumes out the grill, if run hard and put up wet so to speak. The burnt small is probably from a few drops of crankcase oil on the exhaust pipe underneath. This stinks a bit at times but ignore it, (and think of the money saved from a total rebuild). No, it will not start a fire, (unless fanned furiously, with matches and gasoline added) - but don't try this at home.

I would expect a coolant loss problem (from a leak or the dreaded headgasket issue), to deplete relatively quickly compared either crankcase oil or tranny fluid. The fact that you have "got your hands dirty", (to determine it was oil) is a testement to your common-sense resolve, (and certainly a reason for everlasting support among this forum's members).

Note that the crankcase oil level can be run about a quart low with no issues, (others please chime in here as well). The crankcase leak, (if in fact it is it), might be the mundane "half-case leak", which is really only a drip from a "splash in the pan" and not from a pressurized system - that will blow out quickly or anything severe. Pleae note that oil leaks can easily be from relatively easy sources such as a pressure-sending unit or the filter. Since they tend to fall by gravity and get swept by road-wind to accumulate and drip oddly - they can be a bugger to determine accurately.

This leak is often described quasi-ccurately as a rear main seal, etc. In any case (pun intended), it will stay about the same forever and you can consider it as a reason to add fresh oil as well if you want the brightest side possible.

Again, you have the benefit of a host of experts, (present company excepted).

Good luck,

[med]

I agree with everything mentioned. I have a 1994 STS with 155K also. It started the problem around 150K. I had it to the dealer where AJxtcman diagnosed it as a half case leak. The leak eventually finds its way to the exhaust crossmember and gives the same symptoms (i.e., smoke) as you describe. I know it could be a lot of things and you should get it checked out to be sure. It's best diagnosed up on a lift. I work under the carwith jack stands and noticed oil leaks on floor and oil pan (but could not diagnose beyond an oil leak). It wets the bottom of the oil pan. I replaced an oil filter adapter and sensor leak, but still had a leak (I think BodybyFisher replaced his "leaky" sensor). It could be a lot of things. When you drive forward it tends to spread rearward past the cat, but when you are just sitting there idling or whatever the oil starts to burn on the exhaust crossover pipe. You can smell it inside the cabin sometimes and the leak is slow, less than 1 quart every 2000 miles (using 10W30 Mobil1 synthetic). I'm holding out on this problem as it isn't anything but annoying (I know I could run a thicker dino oil, but I'm addicted to syn). Maybe if the time comes and the motor's dropped, it'll definitely get fixed. I wish there was a way to keep that oil leak off the exhaust crossover <== I know I'm not the only one with this problem. Keep on investigating with the forum here. I'm sure you'll find out the problem. That's my recommendation: look at it running on a lift, etc. At least throw a clean blanket or something under it after you've finished driving and see where the drops land, color, etc. In the end an expert (i.e., knowledgeable Cadillac technician may be your best bet). Good Luck.

[jharwell65]

I think I may have made a better determination of the leak. Tonight I

drove it hard about 10 miles and then checked it out. I got help with

someone holding a flash light and I could see fluid on a hose way down in there.

I had written something wrong earlier the smoke comes out the left side of the front

grill ...I guess I was thinking of looking at it from the front...been a long day.

Wow, that car has a big engine. I crawled under it with the flash light and

I saw how the leak was running back on a piece of metal and at a certain

point leaking on to the garage floor. The small drop I noticed a few months ago

has now become about a 3 inch circle.

I have confirmed it is TRANSMISSION FLUID after comparing the look and smell as

you suggested.

I plan to call the GM dealer here and see if they will take a look. I will

be able to explain what exactly is going one. Maybe they will listen. The

first one I took it to..... I just said "it had a fluid leaking" and they didn't

drive it prior to checking just put it in the shop out of their yard the next day

to check it out and didn't see anything leaking.

A relief to know I can get it fixed soon, hopefully, and maybe not big bucks

right at Christmas.

I have come a long way from a "kept lady" who never even put gas in her

car till about 10 years ago. Hard to find a full service station so I finally

decided I have to do this myself. Got me a tire gauge to keep that pressure

checked, I have read that manual many times to figure out things about my car.

It still rides great and has the same power as when new. If you have to get out

of a spot quick it is like an airplane the way it picks up and goes. I am pampering

it a little more now. I have rented a car for a few longer trips and took the train

once just to keep the miles down.

I will try to post a picture soon. It had all the extra gold trim. I have had it

changed to silver because I found it drew too much attention. People

just curious and wanting to know where I got the extra gold trim done.

It has a sunroof and spoiler. My little granddaughter loves to ride in it with the

sunroof open and she says " these is going to be my car someday." I think her

mother put her up to that .LOL

Love my caddy.....

Thanks again for all your input.

Jangel

[coolnesss]

Transmission fluid and power steering fluid look the same, and, if there's a hose involved, it could easily be a leaky power steering hose. This would be consistent with the mileage on your car.

It's not an expensive repair, and shouldn't require a dealer's attention. Any competent mechanic should be able to fix this.

It also could be one of the transmission fluid lines that run the fluid to the radiator to be cooled. Again, this isn't expensive or complicated, and can be done by a competent mechanic.

But, before you go much further, check the fluid level for both the transmission and power steering. One of them should be low. Fill it up. Keep that information under your hat, and if some mechanic wants to sell you transmission work when the power steering reservoir was low, then look elsewhere.

[jharwell65]

HUMBUG!!!! Looks like I will have to wait till after the first of the year to get

my caddy in the shop with a Cadillac dealer somewhere.

I tried the GM dealer and they don't work on Cadillacs over 10 years

old recommended another place and they wanted a credit card up front and

me leave it ..NO WAY! I've never herd of that usually they call and tell you

what they recommend and the cost.

So I take it back to the Aumotive shop that told me it was a rear main

seal leaking. I wrote out a full description of what I had found and told

them to drive it and then put it up on the rack..(which they didn't) so

again they tell me they can't see what I am talking about so I get

off work and go down there ...let it run, they put it on the rack and

still say the oil is coming from a rear main & oil pan gasket....I had determined

it was transmission fluid compairing the look and smell. The mechanic

said they can look and smell the same..so.??? ...right back where I started out.

I don't have a problem driving it I but after the first stop the smoke is puffing out of the

grill and people look like they think it is catching on fire.

Sorry so long ...just venting ..thanks for listening ....Merry Christmas!

[Ranger]

If the smoke is coming from the grill area, there is no way it is from a rear main seal. It has to be coolant from a radiator side tank. If it where trans fluid from the cooler line, it would leak, but it is not hot enough up there to burn off and create smoke. Maybe you have 2 separate leaks.

they wanted a credit card up front and

me leave it ..NO WAY!

Very wise decision.

[adallak]

One or two of hose connection to a transmission return line and auxiliary cooler started leaking EVERY WINTER. I had to tighten the metal clamps EVERY WINTER until I replaced all the return lines and put new clamps. Cold definitely affects those connections. The loss of the ATF was minor, but I did see drops of the fluid on the ground where the car was usually parked.

The dealer will probably replace some parts instead of replacing say, clamps and will charge some extra bucks.