Jan Olsson Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 I have driven my 2002 STS about 100k miles since I bought it in 2007 and it has +120k on the odometer now. Just recently I replaced the brake pads which I do every 15-20k miles or so. I also decided to replace the rear caliphers since the adjustment mechanism was sticking. The job was easy and straight forward and now the brakes perform better than new ? The servo pump was beginning to fail (hard to steer at idle when hot) so I replaced it too. It took about a gallon of power steering fluid to flush the system. I also changed engine oil and filter and cleaned up the oil pans from some oil seepage. I suspect that the oil pan has developed a slight oil leak but I'm not worried about it since the engine has been oily for quite some time. No oil on the floor except from a dime-sized drop from time to time. All my previous Volvos used to leak considerably more than that. In Sweden it can be hard to find even semi-synthetic oil so I blame the last fill with synthetic oil for the leak. Hopefully the semi-syn will improve things! The summer tires are annoyingly unbalanced. Tried all four combinations of wheel positions with the same rotational directions but they are either out of round or out of balance...or both. The winter tires where perfect this winter though. They are IMO usually more susceptible to those phenomenoms than summer tires are. Well the summer tires are Badyears. I usually stick to Michelin tires but I guess I had a blonde moment last time I bought summer tires. Besides that the car runs strong. I need to check up the blower since it has become noisy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted April 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 It's time for the annual Olsson spring detailing. I always hand wash the car and wax it once in a while but in the spring its time to wash, clean, clay and wax. I always use Meguiars products and I'm always amazed by the final result! Even after all this time and miles (and lead foot) it still looks great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterset Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 You replaced the steering pump or just the fluid? I would be curious if a power steering seal conditioner would have helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted April 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 I replaced the pump and fluid. I figured that a failing pump could put debris in the oil and possibly ruin the new pump. The old fluid had a burned smell and discoloration so it was due to exchange anyway. I suppose that a seal conditioner would have improved things for a while. I prefer a long time solution though especially since I drive it like I've stole it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted April 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Forgot to mention but parts came from Rock-Auto. On average ordering from them costs 1/3-1/2 the cost offered by the swedish parts suppliers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Glad to hear the Cadillac is still serving you well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Nunnally Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 I like rock auto as a source if they carry the item desired. Their search seems to work well for drill down with relevant photos. Lately they have not been as good about having stock of what I was searching, but lately I have been looking for older, more rare stuff for the Duke Roadster so not a surprise. Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted April 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 I also use gmpartseast.com when I want to know for instance if a domestic STS has the same parts as an export model. It is also quite useful as a parts number reference if I want to check if a part is OEM or not. To my car over 90 % of the parts comes from Rock-Auto. The rest comes from various OEM sources. The only parts on my car that aren't OEMs at the moment are the front discs. Can't go wrong with a piece of cast iron I thought. One of the new ones had a LOT of axial runout and was useless (AC-Delco replacement made in China) so I e-mailed Rock-Auto and they sent me a new one right away. I didn't even have to return the old one as a proof. That's service! Next time I'll order OEM though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Jan... A fairly good source of OEM parts can be Amazon... I know you don't need it NOW, but they have your OEM rotor in stock... . http://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-18A813A-Advantage-Front-Brake/dp/B0031I5Z80/ref=au_as_r?ie=UTF8&Make=Cadillac|46&Model=Seville|413&Year=2002|2002&carId=003&n=15684181&newCar=1&s=automotive&vehicleType=automotive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted April 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Well I'll propably need it soon. I'm on my third set of front discs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted April 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Funny how tires and brakes never seem to last. I still manage to get about 18-19 mpg though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterset Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Jan, can it be that your caliper is binding or getting stuck, or slow to release. Of course this will consume the pads and rotors quickly. A good cleaning of the caliper piston should help. I clean my piston with brake clean and a brush, then wipe it down with wd-40 on a rag. The more the piston is extended out the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Funny how tires and brakes never seem to last. I still manage to get about 18-19 mpg though. I very seldom have to replace brakes on my cars. I replaced the pads on my 2006 at 90,000 miles, because I had to replace a hub after hitting a large curb... This is what they looked like... almost as good as the new ones I installed. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted April 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Thanks for the input guys but there is nothing wrong with my brakes. I just have bad driving habits. I remember once when the guy at the local wheel shop suggested that I needed a wheel alignment on my -93 STS because all my tires had uneven thread wear. They were all wearing thin on their right side. I suggested that it had to do with my cornering technique when I was negotiating the roundabouts...bad set of tires though. I have never experienced anything like that since. I always check all the caliphers for binding when replacing pads and have never ever had a problem with a sticking calipher on this Cadillac. The wheels rotate freely and the brake parts lasts as long as I deserve. I did experience sticking rear caliphers on my previous STS (a -93 year model) after it had been garaged for a year. I have never had a problem with the brakes on a Cadillac besides that. When I was young and drove Volvos on the other hand I was used to caliphers litteraly falling apart or binding pistons. Nice set of pads Jim! I hardly ever go faster than 125 mph by the way Just for short stretches on roads with light traffic I might add. Usually followed by hard braking if I catch up with other traffic... I have never ever had an accident in my 20 years of driving even if it sounds like I'm a driver waiting for something bad to happen I always keep the car and tires in good condition and only drive fast when the traffic conditions allows me to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Funny how tires and brakes never seem to last. I still manage to get about 18-19 mpg though. I very seldom have to replace brakes on my cars. I replaced the pads on my 2006 at 90,000 miles, because I had to replace a hub after hitting a large curb... This is what they looked like... almost as good as the new ones I installed. . The long brake pad life is due to all the highway miles you drive. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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