rockfangd Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 Hello all I have some great news for all Cadillac loving people, I am buying a 1997 Cadillac STS. Color is Cherry red, Tan and black interior. Loaded with every feature available including Complete spoiler, Heated windshield, Rainsense wipers, and BOSE with changer. I looked at this car a year ago and fell in love at first sight. The car isabsolutely mint with all brochures and records. Always been garage parked and yet to see a winter. 91000 miles. So anyway There is a catch. The owner stated they stopped driving the car because The antifreeze light came on so they replaced the water pump, radiator, and rear heater hoses. and they were afraid to drive it so they parked it about 2.5 years ago. So when I went to look at it over a year ago I pulled the oil dipstick and found elevated levvel and milky oil. I was very upset but determined to buy this car. So now I am going to pick it up this weekend. Can I get some opinions on this, The engine starts and has no hesitation. No ticking or noticeable smoke. I will post pics this weekend. Thanks to all and I cant wait to get this stunning Cadillac to add to my collection GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 It sounds like the head gasket(s) have been shot for a long time, hence the coolant in the oil. That is the way my '97 STS was when I bought it 4-1/2 years ago. Drain all the coolant out, then use the exhaust from a shop vac to further purge as much coolant out as you can. When the cooling system is empty, change the engine oil oil and filter. After the oil change, start the engine and let it idle for a few minutes. Check the oil for coolant/water. If there is still water in the oil, change the oil again and repeat the process. After you Timesert the head bolt holes and replace the headgaskets, before starting the engine, drain the oil, add 7 quarts of new oil (Rotella 10W-30 or any of the diesel oils that have extra ZDP) and 1 pint of GM Engine Oil Supplement (EOS). The EOS has a very high concentration of ZDP and will heal any scuffing that may have occurred on the cams, etc. Run the car for 200 miles and then change the oil and filter again. Hopefully, you got the car at a bargain price. Once you fix the headgaskets, it should be a very nice car. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 a shop in my town does northstar refurbishments. timeserts blocks, reseals block, new gaskets, headbolts for $700. he will exchange your motor or fix yours. nice price. i did timeserts but would like to try studs. not too crazy about the $500 for studs though. but than you have to source a timesert kit which is not cheap if you go that route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 Has the car been in a garage for the last three years? Is the garage warm enough to prevent freezing? If not, check the coolant concentration 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...
rockfangd Posted October 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 a shop in my town does northstar refurbishments. timeserts blocks, reseals block, new gaskets, headbolts for $700. he will exchange your motor or fix yours. nice price. i did timeserts but would like to try studs. not too crazy about the $500 for studs though. but than you have to source a timesert kit which is not cheap if you go that route. What area is this shop located? I would prefer to look into engine replacement. Has the car been in a garage for the last three years? Is the garage warm enough to prevent freezing? If not, check the coolant concentration Yes heated garage. Attached GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 its in MN. long way from NY. you have to remove motor on your own, than ship it. when you say replace motor, do you mean remaned? thats 3500 approx. plus install. or have a shop fix your headgaskets for 3k. but who knows if there are any other issues with your motor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlaValentine Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 a shop in my town does northstar refurbishments. timeserts blocks, reseals block, new gaskets, headbolts for $700. he will exchange your motor or fix yours. nice price. i did timeserts but would like to try studs. not too crazy about the $500 for studs though. but than you have to source a timesert kit which is not cheap if you go that route. What area is this shop located? I would prefer to look into engine replacement. Has the car been in a garage for the last three years? Is the garage warm enough to prevent freezing? If not, check the coolant concentration Yes heated garage. Attached Northstar Performance in Canada has a really good reputation and good pricing on engine rebuilds. They will even pick up the car if it's within a certain distance. http://www.northstarperformance.com/ You are in Utica, NY I see...you are only a few miles away from me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 F.Y.I. Northstar performance is in the process of moving from Ontario to Manitoba. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlaValentine Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 F.Y.I. Northstar performance is in the process of moving from Ontario to Manitoba. That I wasn't aware of. Are they still taking customers or are they kind of "on hold" until they are done with the move? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted October 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 well I do appreciate all of your responses. I would say it is difficult to findd anyone around here that would even touch this engine. But the car is absolutely worth it t me to fix it. and I will not take not worth it for a reasonable answer. To be sure Once I pick the car up I am going to do some extensive tests to confirm the diagnosis and will then go from there. GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 I would say it is difficult to find anyone around here that would even touch this engine. That's because a lot of shops are ignorant when it comes to the proper repair procedures for the Northstar engines. The shops in question have probably used improper service technoques that resulted in the engine failing again such as not inserting all 20 head bolt holes, not using the drill fixture, drilling the holes too deep in the block, etc. It is always the fault of the Northstar engine, never the mechanic..LOL. If a DIY can successfully repair the Northstar engine, one would think properly trained technicians would also be able to..... Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 F.Y.I. Northstar performance is in the process of moving from Ontario to Manitoba. That I wasn't aware of. Are they still taking customers or are they kind of "on hold" until they are done with the move? I think everything is on hold at the moment. Last I recall is that Jake was trying to clear up the cars he had and get them out. Haven't heard from him lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted October 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 UPDATE. SO I picked the car up this morning and in order to get the car onthe trailer I had to drive it on, so I dropped the oil plug and a watery substance started pouring out, then milky oil, then caramel like oil. It took about 30 minutes to drain all the oil. Then I filled it up with oil and shockingly the car started right up and ran great, not even a tick. Drove it up onto the trailer and brought it home. The car is absolutely stunning all the way around. No rust. There is only 3 very minor things, A tiny scratch on the left rear door, about 1 inch long. The latch was broken on the glove compartment door and was being held shut with a papertowel. I replaced it already. And of course the top of the shifter is dark from whatever, sun or hands, very common. I also found that it is a SLS not STS, and it got the 275HP engine VIN Y, and it doesnt have rainsense wipers or wood grain trim around the shifter bezel. The thing that blows me away is just how sleek this car really is for a sedan, Especially the 3 piece spoiler. There is no haze on the taillights . I am going tto completely detail it ASAP and cover it and park it till I can figure out what to do with the engine. I am going to try hard to find someone reasonably priced and professional to do the job. Overall I waited over a year for this and could not be happier.. Pictures below GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted October 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 I might add there is a layer of dust on the car so it kind of looks hazy in the pictures GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted October 23, 2010 Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 It looks great, good luck with it, what did you pay for it, did you state that? One more thing, could you possibly make the photo in your signiture display a bit smaller?, it creates long threads for you and for us to read. Only if its easy to do, Thanks The photos of the car are TINY and the photo in your sig it huge, and I understand that the photos of the car are probably cell phone pics 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...
scott y Posted October 23, 2010 Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 Good for you, it looks like a fine example. I don't see many of the SLS models in my neck of the woods for some reason...theinboard taillamps look huge compared to mine. Maybe Cadillac never intended the SLS as an international type car, as far as license plate accomodations go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted October 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 they are not cell pics but it was getting dark. The pictures are clickable links. I paid 1500 for the car. I really want to redue the size of my sig, Unfortunately I am not very good with changing settings, Lol it took me 8 months to get the time to post a sig lol. So I have a few quwstions, Are foglights plug and play on the sls. On the deville if it didnt get them it wasnt prewired either. The STS came with them but not the SLS. Also has anyone ever added rainsense wipers before. I absolutely loved them on my ETC but unfortunately my SLS did not have the feature. My SLS has the cellular phone with the hands free ETC... in the center console. The car did not come with the manual for the phone or on star feature. I wonder what it takes to make it work because I have always been interested in this feature, Sorry for so many questions but I am a feature nut and have issues lol. thanks all GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolnesss Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 Costartech.com has a bluetooth unit that plugs into the existing Onstar wiring and uses the microphone and car speakers to make a real bluetooth unit rather than the Onstar. It works great! they are not cell pics but it was getting dark. The pictures are clickable links. I paid 1500 for the car. I really want to redue the size of my sig, Unfortunately I am not very good with changing settings, Lol it took me 8 months to get the time to post a sig lol. So I have a few quwstions, Are foglights plug and play on the sls. On the deville if it didnt get them it wasnt prewired either. The STS came with them but not the SLS. Also has anyone ever added rainsense wipers before. I absolutely loved them on my ETC but unfortunately my SLS did not have the feature. My SLS has the cellular phone with the hands free ETC... in the center console. The car did not come with the manual for the phone or on star feature. I wonder what it takes to make it work because I have always been interested in this feature, Sorry for so many questions but I am a feature nut and have issues lol. thanks all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted October 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 UPDATE. Day pics after washing GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted November 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2010 I have 2 questions tonight. 1. I am slightly worried because of the contamination of coolant in my oil, the dealer that is going to do the work says not to worry as long as I have changged the oil and not driven it with the faulty headgasket. I have changed the oil twice since I picked the car up and have startd the car twice but have not rin it long or driven it. Right now when I pull the dipstick it shows clean. The coolant was less than 1/2 gallon low on antifreeze. The engine doesnt tick or knock at all, whether cold or warm. Any ideas on this? 2. Another thing is when the car is running I hear a high pitched whistle noise coming from aound the serpentine belt area, It is quite piercing, I was told it was related to the headgasket problem, or possibly a bad intake. Anyone heard this noise and anyone have any ideas on this. Thanks all I did not see the point in starting a new thread on a preexisting GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted November 12, 2010 Report Share Posted November 12, 2010 The high pitched whistling you hear is most likely related to the compression leaking from the bad headgasket. If it changes with engine RPM, that is almost certainly it. When I bought my STS, with bad headgaskets, the oil looked like coffee with cream and made a whistling noise also. After repairing the headgasket, it is fine 51,000 miles later. After the headgasket repair is complete, have the dealer change the oil and add 1 pt. of GM EOS along with 7 quarts of fresh oil. The EOS has a high amount of ZDP antiwear additive that will help "heal" any areas in the bearings that may have scuffed due to the coolant contamination. Drive the car for 200-300 miles and then change the oil and filter again. Then follow the oil life monitor. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted November 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2010 The high pitched whistling you hear is most likely related to the compression leaking from the bad headgasket. If it changes with engine RPM, that is almost certainly it. When I bought my STS, with bad headgaskets, the oil looked like coffee with cream and made a whistling noise also. After repairing the headgasket, it is fine 51,000 miles later. After the headgasket repair is complete, have the dealer change the oil and add 1 pt. of GM EOS along with 7 quarts of fresh oil. The EOS has a high amount of ZDP antiwear additive that will help "heal" any areas in the bearings that may have scuffed due to the coolant contamination. Drive the car for 200-300 miles and then change the oil and filter again. Then follow the oil life monitor. Absolutely, I now feel a bit reassured, And I figured on the whistling noise as my eldorado had the same symptoms minus the contaminated oil GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted February 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Update. good news the car is going in 2 days 2/4/11. To the dealer. 3,317. I was told to expect it to be done by next wednsday. I cant believe despite the frigid weather the battery did not go dead GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Just make sure that they are timeserting EVERY head bolt hole and not just the ones that show aluminum from pulled threads, be careful because that is what the so called 'official' repair is, ONLY the holes that show material on the bolts when they are 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...
93SixtySpecial Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Nice car! I had a 97 STS a couple of years ago. White diamond with a tan soft top. Had every option from the factory, bose, cd changer, sunroof, onstar, rainsense, stabilitrak, and on and on. I loved the car, but my wife didn't like the soft top, so it went bye bye. I still miss that thing. The sunroofs on the 90s caddys are so HUGE. I absolutely love it. -Dusty- 2006 Cadillac DTS Glacier Gold Tri-Coat with 175,000 miles 1993 Cadillac Sixty Special Gold Mist with 185,000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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