lothos Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 I have a rough idle in drive and reverse. The steering wheel shakes and I can feel i in the seat. It seems to go away when you put the car in Neutral. There is a lack of power under light acceleration, but I can still chirp the tires when I do a WOT. It's been acting like this for two days now. Not getting any codes. Does this mean I need to clean the EGR? What could be causing this, and what should I start looking at? Thanks guys! WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted October 17, 2008 Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 Broken engine mount? Bad dog bones? OBD 1 does not set a code for a miss, you might be getting a miss, lift he hood while the car is in drive and look at the engine is it moving? How stable is your RPM in drive at idle? What is your idle rpm? Didnt you recently do a tune up? Did you use AC Delco wires? What plugs Did you use dieletric grease? 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 17, 2008 Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 Tune up would be my guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted October 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 I did a tune up on 4/19/2008 at 158,400 miles. There's almost 165,000 on it now. I used ACDelco wires and ACDelco double platinum plugs. Yes I used the dielectric grease, the wires came with it and I followed the directions with the wires and didn't know better at the time. That's 7,000 miles... I've read on here the dielectric grease can mess with the wires around 10k miles or so. Am I looking at replacing the plugs and wires again? My idle RPM in Drive is usually 625/650 but it will surge up to 725/750/775 and drop back down. It does the surge in Neutral even when the engine is idling smoother. Ranger suggested that I might have a small vacuum leak and to use Throttle Body cleaner to find it but I'm concerned about spraying TB Cleaner on the wrong parts. I did the ISC at 163,448 miles and the FPR at 162,643 miles. The dogbones look like they could stand to be replaced. I have no clue about the engine mounts, never seen them before. I'm planning on buying a multimeter in the 20-40 dollar range this weekend from Sears. I'll be able to measure my wires and ignition coils after I figure out how to use it Still trying to figure out which model to get, I'm not sure what features I'm going to need. WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted October 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 Will a coil pack from a 1996 obdII STS work on a 1995 obdI STS? If I spray TB Cleaner inside the engine compartment, is it possible to ruin anything by spraying it on electrical connectors/anything else? Where is the vacuum for the emergency brake? So it sounds like my issue might be plugs/wires/coils etc. If the dielectric grease is causing this, is it possible to clean the plugs and wires or would I have to order a new set? I'll be getting a multimeter this weekend so I can figure out what the issue is. WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted October 17, 2008 Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 What did the grease come with the plugs or the ignition wires? Original AC Delco wires have that grease inpregnated into them, using MORE grease can cause a condition like a carbon track and cause a miss. Was the grease with the wires?, I would be surprised because it conflicts with what is in the manual. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted October 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 What did the grease come with the plugs or the ignition wires? Original AC Delco wires have that grease inpregnated into them, using MORE grease can cause a condition like a carbon track and cause a miss. Was the grease with the wires?, I would be surprised because it conflicts with what is in the manual. The grease came with the wires. Can the plugs and wires be cleaned off or would they have to be replaced? WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 17, 2008 Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 I would just clean them off, unless they are carbon tracking, then it's too late. I put it on the wires I put on my '97 before I read that it should not be used. I wiped it off and had no problem. The vacuum for the paring brake release is on the paring brake assembly. Just look under the dash and you should see the vacuum line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted October 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2008 I would just clean them off, unless they are carbon tracking, then it's too late. I put it on the wires I put on my '97 before I read that it should not be used. I wiped it off and had no problem. The vacuum for the paring brake release is on the paring brake assembly. Just look under the dash and you should see the vacuum line. How do you tell if they have carbon tracking? Will there be black marks? Thanks for the location of the vacuum line. I'm going to try to hunt down that possible vacuum leak soon. Will TB Cleaner harm anything such as electrical connectors or anything else? Thanks for the help guys! WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted October 19, 2008 Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 I am not sure why the grease came with AC DELCO wires, they would not make a mistake like that. I would imagine that yours are not impregnated with the grease. I would pull the wires off the plugs and have a look however for excess grease, BUT, DO NOT pull the plugs at this point unless you suspect them. The threads are treated with an anti-cease, once you remove them you have now disturbed the compound and they could cease. GM cautions against pulling plugs to clean and regap them just for that reason. Inspect your ignition system carefully. With OBD1, I believe you can shut off each injector to determine which cylinder is giving you trouble, maybe someone can confirm that and give your the procedure. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 19, 2008 Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 I would just clean them off, unless they are carbon tracking, then it's too late. I put it on the wires I put on my '97 before I read that it should not be used. I wiped it off and had no problem. The vacuum for the paring brake release is on the paring brake assembly. Just look under the dash and you should see the vacuum line. How do you tell if they have carbon tracking? Will there be black marks? Thanks for the location of the vacuum line. I'm going to try to hunt down that possible vacuum leak soon. Will TB Cleaner harm anything such as electrical connectors or anything else? Thanks for the help guys! Carbon Tracking looks exactly like, and is frequently mistaken for a hairline crack in the porcelain. TB cleaner should not harm anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted October 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Thanks for the advice and help guys. BBF: You can turn off each injector one by one through the dash computer. I forget which option it is, I'll have to look it up again. WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgaouette Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Thanks for the advice and help guys. BBF: You can turn off each injector one by one through the dash computer. I forget which option it is, I'll have to look it up again. Is there an actual look up table or instructions for the internal OBDII controls? I always end up fumbling around for ten minutes to figure out what does what. I've searched for this info before but never found it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted October 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Is there an actual look up table or instructions for the internal OBDII controls? I always end up fumbling around for ten minutes to figure out what does what. I've searched for this info before but never found it! I'm not sure, I have an OBDI car. I saw instructions for doing it on here once, and it's in the factory service manual. Can anyone describe for me the process of testing an ignition coil with a multimeter? What setting to have the multimeter on, where to put the test leads, what reading I'm looking for? I'll be picking up a multimeter after work. WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 The car is running smooth again today after a couple days of running rough. I picked up a multimeter last night at Sears, and I was able to figure out how to measure the resistance on the top posts of the ignition coil. I have a spare coil pack that I got from a junked 1996 STS, and rock auto's catalog tells me that it should work in my car (they list 1988 - 1999 as using the same ignition coils) I can't figure out how to measure the bottom connectors though, does the light gray part come off? It looks like you might be able to pry it up with a screwdriver, but it was getting late and I had to get some sleep. I've been searching the forum and came across a thread describing a coil problem and the person mentioned a slight burning plastic smell, and I remembered that I had a slight plastic smell too around the time this started. WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 See this thread on testing coils by Jim D, post your findings for additional support http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=16967 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 See this thread on testing coils by Jim D, post your findings for additional support http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=16967 Thanks BBF, I'l do that. WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Burning smell sounds like a bad coil. How do the contacts look? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted October 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Haven't done anything to the car yet, but it's been running and idling really smooth the last couple days. No rough idle and RPMs are stable. Does that help narrow it down at all? WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.