water pump leak?

[steveo412]

its a new coolant tank and cap also,i replaced all hoses!,i did notice that the pipe that goes to the coolant crossover right under the egr valve is spiting out alittle water maybe moisture?cause after 10 secs its dry,,there not a tight seal there,i will fix that,i made sure the car was filled up and took a ride to the wendys 5 miles away,and it was missing about a half cup of coolant,im changing the oil today,im sure i will notice coolant in the oil,,i checked many times theres none,,no water out the pipes,dunno this car is killing me,,thanks guys steve

[BodybyFisher]

You can have a bad head gasket without coolant being in the oil, keep that in mind, it doesnt always happen

Dont jump to conclusions, you dont have a miss, no steam at the exhaust, when you smell your coolant tank do you smell exhaust fumes? Coolant smell at the exhausts? Does it miss on cold start up and stop after a few minutes?

Like I said, you need to pressurize your cooling system and at this point test your coolant for combustion by products

[steveo412]

no misses at all,,the engine runs real nice at all times,,no smells anywhere,i see alittle smoke coming out the exhaust,but with the cold weather i cant tell if thats bad,ok mike i will have it pressurize and we can go from there

[steveo412]

not good,coolant missing after 10 miles,and im smelling gases in the coolant res and the white smoke is constant,,i cant belive this,all that work and this!but why does she run so strong? i mean no misses,,i cant give up tho,i guess my next step is the headsgaskets and bolts

[BodybyFisher]

If crossover is a 5 out of 10, head gaskets is a 10 out of 10 in terms of difficulty, you must drop the powertrain carriage.

It requires quite a bit of tools and skill, my head gaskets went bad and I junked the car rather than do it

[steveo412]

yes mike i dont have a choice,we dont have much money for a new car,im still on unemployment,i would rather try to fix it,i know its a ton of work,oh well its not the end of the world,i heard u can do the front headgasket while the engine is in the car but how would i find which side is bad?or can i,,,or is it wise to do both,there is alot of info on the net and forms i gotta do it,i dont have a choice

[Ranger]

Ranger, Steve just replaced the radiator, heater core and crossover seals.... this is a mystery at this point,

What is left? Coolant tank, cap, heater pipes? (the dreaded head gasket)

I guess I lost track after 175 posts, but I guess it's irrelevant now.

Steve, you can probably tell which bank failed by looking at the plugs, but replacing only one HG is like much playing Russian Roulette. Long term success is not in your favor.

[BodybyFisher]

We have had a lot of members do this job, George and KHE come to mind, but there are many other members.

You need to do both banks as Ranger noted.

Steve, I don't envy you, this is not an easy job nor is it an inexpensive one.

Do you have a torque wrench and torque angle gage?

You will need an engine hoist

A flywheel holder

A factory service manual

Timeserts or studs (I have a timesert kit but no inserts that I can lend you)

1/2" drill

Crank and CAM pulley pullers

This can be a very expensive job to do Steve

Go to www.timesert.com they have videos that you can watch

[steveo412]

yes i understand,the timesert kit would be nice,i could send u the money for the shipping and im very trustworthy,i could just buy the inserts,i will be doing this while the engine is in the car,it can be done,,here is a video i found on youtube

,,i do have alot of tools and a torque wrench but no angle gage,,,,i think i can get gaskets and bolts for 50$ a side,the pulles i will get from my buddy,the manual i will have to buy,,if i start a new thread on this,can u guys help me?

[BodybyFisher]

I would not recommend doing it while the engine is in the car, that is a major mistake, I am going to direct KHE (Kevin) here to let you know what you are in for. I know, from seeing this over and over but he has done it, and he ALWAYS says, doing the job while the engine is in the car is not the way to do it, no room, the drilling for the timeserts must be accurate, the heads are huge. Ill let him take over.

At least I can save you about $500 as you can borrow my timesert kit.

[steveo412]

your a good man mike,u can email me at scmetz@netzero.net and let me know where to send the money,i need to start this asap,i just have a couple questions,once i get the heads off and find out it was just the gasket not the bolts,can i just put the gaskets on?i would inspect all the bolts for aluminum right?if theres none,just a gasket?or is it allways good to do the inserts,,i know none wants to hear it but i have to leave the engine in,or junk the car and have no car no job,no way for us to get around,,im hurtin right now,,i dont have the garage or transportaion,,i only have the front of my house!and i did all that work and replaced all them parts,i have to take a chance with the room and insert drilling

[BodybyFisher]

Once the bolts are removed the block holes MUST be timeserted no if's ands or but's or you will have a failure within 12 months

I see Kevin is here, Ill let him chime in. Steve, I think this may be too much for you.

[KHE]

What diagnosis has been done that led you to the conclusion that the headgaskets are shot?

Headgasket R&R is a HUGE job. If it were my car, I would want to be absolutely sure the headgaskets were bad before I went through all the work to replace them. Although there are a few members on this board that have replaced the headgaskets with the engine in the car but I would not recommend it. For one thing, there are several fasteners that are difficult to access with the engine in the car. The rear transmission to rear head brace that goes through the rear exhaust manifold is a SOB to install. Another difficult task is setting the timing of the timing chains, etc.

I would use a engine hoist and lift the body off the powertrain, then most of the bolts that are a PITA to install with the engine in the car are not an issue.

[BodybyFisher]

Thanks Kevin, in post #177, I said this to Steve, "you need to pressurize your cooling system and at this point test your coolant for combustion by products"

yes, he DEFINATELY needs to determine that he has a blown head gasket, via testing.

He has not pressure tested the cooling system, tested the cap, has not done a compression test, nor has he tested the coolant for combustion by products

Thanks Kevin

[BodybyFisher]

yes i understand,the timesert kit would be nice,i could send u the money for the shipping and im very trustworthy,i could just buy the inserts,i will be doing this while the engine is in the car,it can be done,,here is a video i found on youtube

,,i do have alot of tools and a torque wrench but no angle gage,,,,i think i can get gaskets and bolts for 50$ a side,the pulles i will get from my buddy,the manual i will have to buy,,if i start a new thread on this,can u guys help me?

Pay no attention to that video on YouTube, that is simply a re-drill/re-thread of the existing holes

You are going to pick up bad habits, browsing the internet, like "if there is no material on the head bolts when I remove them, I can just tighten them down again". There are mechanics that believe that and they are DEAD WRONG. I met a mechanic at the health club that did that and swore that it was ok to do so, and if the job comes back he blames the engine.

You want to watch this video

[steveo412]

yes its a bad headgasket,i did a combustion test,im geting gases in my coolant,i still cant get past me throwing a 1000$ in parts away,i refuse to junk this car,i have a 1000$ to fix the headgasket,is that enough?,,should i just get the northstarperformance kit?,,it has to be done in the car!if all these other people can do i can!my buddy said he would help and thats all i needed to hear,kevin and mike i know the proper thing is to remove the engine,but i have no room,no drive way,or no local garage that i can use,some people just have no choice,i do understand that this is a tuff job,welding 60 hours a week for aliving is tuff but i still do it for me and my kids,i cant turn my head on this car

[steveo412]

mike i have 20 timesert inserts on the way,can u lend me your timesert kit.i will be taking the engine out,i will borrow my buddys truck to get back and forth to his garage,,i will start taking it apart tomorrow,theres alot of info on here i think i will be ok,is this the manual i need,, 1994 Cadillac Deville Eldorado Seville Service Manual part 1 powertrain,,,

[BodybyFisher]

mike i have 20 timesert inserts on the way,can u lend me your timesert kit.i will be taking the engine out,i will borrow my buddys truck to get back and forth to his garage,,i will start taking it apart tomorrow,theres alot of info on here i think i will be ok,is this the manual i need,, 1994 Cadillac Deville Eldorado Seville Service Manual part 1 powertrain,,,

PM me your address, and Ill send it.

[steveo412]

i tryed to pm u mike,,it said u cant get no more messages,just let me know what to do,,,steve

[BodybyFisher]

i tryed to pm u mike,,it said u cant get no more messages,just let me know what to do,,,steve

Try it now, I erased a bunch

[steveo412]

i will post a new thread on headgasket repair,,thanks caddyinfo

[CarlaValentine]

I wish you all the luck in the world on this job. My father is a retired mechanic. He has done roughly 10 Northstar head gasket repairs in the past. He did the first one with the engine in the car, and while it was possible, he said it was the toughest head gasket job he EVER did, and he was a mechanic for over 40 years. The rest he did by pulling the engine and he said it was MUCH easier that way. I'm glad you found a way to pull your engine...I'm sure it will save you a LOT of time, work and aggravation by doing so.

[steveo412]

i trust mike and kevin and thay put it into my head thats the right way to go,im sure im in for a tuff job!i cant see my caddy goin to the crusher,,thanks carla for your post! steve

[BodybyFisher]

Ill watch for your head gasket thread, I have always wanted to do this job, I'm envious.

Some things to think about:

Not sure if you have a 1/2 high torque drill, but if you don't, try to borrow one like a Milwaukee.

If you have never used a high torque drill be careful with it, it will twist your arm off if you are not careful

When you are drilling use a lot of oil, same goes for tapping, you save the tool and don't overheat the material

You will find a sweet spot when you drill, high RPMs tend to cause the bit to skip over the material, so try to stay in the 500 to 600 rpm range, you will feel the bit grab and begin to cut and see filings.

There is a drilling guide on the holding fixture but visualize being level or 90 degrees with the with the block deck in the North/South, East/West directions when you drill.

Make sure you understand the timesert process before you start, watch the videos a few times, read the directions.

When you drill, watch for aluminum that is dusty or gritty verses filings. If you see dusty / gritty material, take a photo of it and post it.

I know you are down the road to timeserting, but you could consider studding the block, see

www.northstarperformance.com I don't know if it is still valid, but Caddyinfo gets a discount from them. You gotta admit this looks cool.

http://www.northstar...com/sgstuds.php

I would have given studding consideration, if only because, dragsters use them and due to their length and diameter

If you detach the engine from the tranny. Replace the torque converter seal. If you are getting any torque converter codes now might be a good time to change your torque converter, I was going to change mine. I believe they are a wearing part and at 125,000 miles it owed me nothing

Hit any bolts or nuts with a good penetrating solvent like PB Blaster, etc, so that you have an easy time of removing them, it helps with their removal.

Be careful you don't damage the HVAC cover, they get brittle with age, bumping it will crack it so be careful. If it is cracked now would be a good time to replace it.

What codes do you have right now?, maybe it will be something you can solve while the powertrain is out

Review how to Disconnect the electrical connectors. You will find that in the manual. But they never just pull apart, there are latches that you must disengage. If you can not disengage them by hand, small screw drivers or a pick works fine. Never force them. I just worked on an Infiniti and disconnecting the 4 O2 sensors was tricky and I could not figure out how to remove the connector, finally got it. There is a proper method.

Mark everything. For instance, when you remove bolts, pay attention to their length, if one is longer than the others, mark its location with a white paint marker. If there is a Stud stand off, mark its location with an S, usually electrical conduits or braces connect at those locations.

Get large baggies, when you remove something, keep all associated bolts, nuts, brackets and electrical components in the same bag. Each time you remove a major component keep all associated components together and mark the bag. For instanced, put the coil module, ignition wires, and all bolts/nuts in a bag. If the ignition wires are not marked with the cylinders mark them. It just saves time later.

Tie wraps lables, identify odd parts that come off like braces and odd ball parts that later you will say, where TF does this go?

Visit office max for marking and identifying 'stuff', don't know where you would go for a white marker, but you need to be able to indentify "special" anomolies on reinstallation. Maybe a black or color Sharpie.

While the engine carriage is out you will be able to replace the axle seals.

Check your engine and tranny mounts for damage, check your power steering hoses closely when the engine is out.

Inspect the 2 heater pipes that wrap around the rear of the engine for rust, replace if necessary, they are easy to get at when the powertrain is out, but difficult to get at when the powertrain is installed.

Not sure if you should re-use your new crossover seals!

Taking the engine carriage out will permit you to inspect everything very closely

One of the reasons, I did not do this job because it would have driven me to the poor house as I would have replaced everything I could,

I worked at Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock when I was in College and when they repaired something, their attitude was, it is so demanding time, cost and effort wise to get to this point in a project, WHY NOT replace everything for good measure. I have always be the rebuild vs repair type.

The AC system does not need to be depressurized, the radiator is removed and the AC compressor is placed in the space left by the radiator. BUT protect the AC condenser with a sheet of 1/4 plywood so it does not get damaged by the compressor.

Read over the timing chain CAM timing section VERY carefully, and understand it fully. Marking and photos at TDC before removal to me is important. Understand that the engine can be 180 degrees OUT and never start and potentially bend every valve. Static timing has to be understood fully, TDC with #1 on its compression stroke (all 4 valves closed).... yada yada yada, The manual gives good detail complete with CAM index marks and locations, etc... Understand how to release the tension and retain the timing chain tensioners.

Take digital photos of every step and to show orientations of brackets, electronics, sensors, conduit connections, grounds and ground locations, etc.

I use the manual to find the proper torque and I torque every bolt I can to spec. That is something that is not 100% critical and not something that you would get out of typical garage mechanic but its something that I do for proper sealing, tightness, etc. Why not

I would probably start by reading the manual,

Others who have actually done this job can provide their tips and cautions.

Its great that you have a heated garage also. Good Luck

[BodybyFisher]

And then, there is the bottom end,

To me, while I was there, I would have to do the case half seal, pan gasket and oil manifold seals if they exist.

See what I mean? I would probably retire on this job

And then, if you do that, you of course need to check the main bearings condition and check for proper clearances....

Then the crank seal....

I can't stop..