chrisb Posted August 13, 2010 Report Share Posted August 13, 2010 I have an 03 DTS which I have not been driving. When it went down to 12 deg F over the winter, it developed a really bad coolant leak. I drove it to a place about 3/4 mile from here to avoid overhaeting. They said that it was a heater hose or coupling at the firewall. I will have to get it towed to a shop, and I do not like the local dealer. I called them and they said it might be a crossover gasket. Any knowledge would be appreciated- Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted August 14, 2010 Report Share Posted August 14, 2010 Crossover gaskets on the 2000+ engines is rather common for some reason. Mine was done under warranty. It is a rather expensive job and that's because it is a royal PITA job. Book time is quit high (10-15 hrs I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisb Posted August 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2010 Crossover gaskets on the 2000+ engines is rather common for some reason. Mine was done under warranty. It is a rather expensive job and that's because it is a royal PITA job. Book time is quit high (10-15 hrs I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisb Posted August 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2010 Thank You Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted August 14, 2010 Report Share Posted August 14, 2010 Your description of the sequence of events is confusing. The local shop didnt fix it? They said it was a heater hose or a coupling at the firewall and you didnt get it fixed or you DID get it fixed? You stopped driving it at that point, since the winter? I am not sure how the local shop could misdiagnose a heater hose or coupling at the firewall on the passenger side with a crossover gasket on the driverside of the car... this is confusing 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...
chrisb Posted August 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2010 Your description of the sequence of events is confusing. The local shop didnt fix it? They said it was a heater hose or a coupling at the firewall and you didnt get it fixed or you DID get it fixed? You stopped driving it at that point, since the winter? I am not sure how the local shop could misdiagnose a heater hose or coupling at the firewall on the passenger side with a crossover gasket on the driverside of the car... this is confusing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisb Posted August 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2010 I did not drive it for a year, except about every couple of weeks to keep the battery charged. I was out of town during the cold snap and I noticed a big leak in the carport. The coolant bottle was almost empty, when it had been full. The local Sears automotive looked at it. Before I drove it I filled with coolant and it had leaked out by the time I picked it up. They are mostly into tires and oil changes and suggested I take it to the dealer. THEY said it looked like a hose or coupling at the firewall. I cant see anything from above. My local dealer is ultra expensive, so I thought I would fix it myself rather than take it to them. I am trying to determine what is involved. Sorry for the confusion.- Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted August 15, 2010 Report Share Posted August 15, 2010 Pull out your local Yellowpages and find a good radiator shop. Have them pressurize your cooling system and located the leak. That will save you a lot of cash. If it is the crossover seals (there are 4), its not a cheap or easy job to do, I did mine, and its not easy but it is doable. You may find a good mechanic to take the job on, the parts are only about $25 or less but the dealer will get about $750 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...
chrisb Posted August 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2010 Pull out your local Yellowpages and find a good radiator shop. Have them pressurize your cooling system and located the leak. That will save you a lot of cash. If it is the crossover seals (there are 4), its not a cheap or easy job to do, I did mine, and its not easy but it is doable. You may find a good mechanic to take the job on, the parts are only about $25 or less but the dealer will get about $750 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisb Posted August 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2010 Thank you. I will try just that. If I attempt it myself, is the problem what you have to do to get to the crossover? About how many things do you have to remove? I don't have a lift so the most height I would have would be from jackstands. My mechanic skills are above average. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted August 17, 2010 Report Share Posted August 17, 2010 Thank you. I will try just that. If I attempt it myself, is the problem what you have to do to get to the crossover? About how many things do you have to remove? I don't have a lift so the most height I would have would be from jackstands. My mechanic skills are above average. The hard part is getting to the lower bolts (there are 8 bolts) on the rear head, but you can probably get them from below. There is an electrical conduit that gets into the way also, that I removed 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...
chrisb Posted August 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2010 Thank you. I will try just that. If I attempt it myself, is the problem what you have to do to get to the crossover? About how many things do you have to remove? I don't have a lift so the most height I would have would be from jackstands. My mechanic skills are above average. The hard part is getting to the lower bolts (there are 8 bolts) on the rear head, but you can probably get them from below. There is an electrical conduit that gets into the way also, that I removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisb Posted August 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2010 Thank you, you have been a huge help, and I appreciate it very much!- Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted August 17, 2010 Report Share Posted August 17, 2010 Thank you, you have been a huge help, and I appreciate it very much!- Chris Do me a favor, pay more attention to how you are replying you are creating two posts for ever reply. Just click reply, and type your response after the last As I noted the dealer gets about $750, its mostly labor. I thought this job was hard but at the time, I was in the process of dropping my carriage to replace a sensor in the transmission, so I dont have a true picture of the difficulty. There is a conduit that gets into the way of the crossover's removal. Since I was dropping/tilting the carriage, I removed it and set it aside, but I am not sure if you can work around that conduit. While removing the conduit was not hard, it was time consuming and intimidating as I had to disconnect it from the relay center. The relay center gets disturbed quite a bit in the process, but then I got a chance to pull every relay and inspect and clean their contacts (a side benefit to me). When my nosey neighbor saw the car he blabbed to my neighbors that "Mikes car will NEVER run again". Wasnt he surprised when I left tire tracks coming out of the driveway, ... There may well be an easier way to do the job, but I tend to go whole hog when I do a job replacing everything I can along the journey. I see jobs like this as learning experiences so I dive in and become methodical. So I may not be the best person to direct you on how to do this job. I can post the procedure for you out of the service manual however, if there is one. KHE has done this job if I recall when he pulled his engine, lets see what he and others say about this job. First determine where the leak is coming from, there are hoses in the area, before making any assumptions Here is a photo of the area when I had the crossover out.... dont get scared by it Here is a shot to show how buried the crossover is Here is the job done Another The question is whether or not the conduit must come out Another angle Bad Seal 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...
chrisb Posted August 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 Thanks, I appreciate the pix. I had to go to Florida, as my Dad is gravely ill, but will get started when I return to Nashville. Thank you so much for posting the photos.- Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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