1993 DeVille Recent Experiences

[thu]

A fellow CaddyInfo Board member mailed me directly about my Vcc going out a couple years ago, that I'm still driving it (277k miles!), and that the tranny hasn't exploded on me.

I'd thought I'd share my response with the rest of you as I'm sure others who also have this vintage of Caddy may be going through the same thing.

He began by asking me how long I've been driving my DeVille without the VCC and then telling me that his Vcc just gave out on him a couple months ago....

Here is my response:

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You'll see your mileage drop significantly.

Also, that pesky error will keep popping up from time to time and it might drive you nuts. I think your car just has a message that pops up on the console by the shifter, so it might not be as annoying as in my car (a DeVille) where a bright light turns on in the speedo and stays on.

You might do some diagnostics to see if it's one or more of the following:

1. The Vcc/Brake switch (down below the dash)

2. The solenoid (inside the tranny)

3. The VCC itself.

If it's #1, you're in luck. It's real easy to replace. It might also be one of the wires. Also easy to fix. If it's #2, you'll have to tear into the tranny to replace it. If it's #3, you're looking at a lot of bucks to replace the VCC.

The diagnostics are easy to perform and with a little detective work, you should be able to figure out where the problem is. You'll need the shop manual for this. Or, one of the guys on the board may be able to spell this out for you. Maybe it's in one of the FAQs.

Basically, the VCC will "lock" at certain speeds and engine loads. This almost acts like a fifth gear, giving you another 3-4 MPG and quieting the engine.

Yes, I have used syn ATF in the tranny. It didn't help. With a bad VCC, the problem doesn't have to do with using synthethic or regular ATF. The problem is that the VCC itself "springs a leak" and ATF contaminates the normally thick silicone fluid inside the VCC. As a result the silicone fluid becomes diluted and thins out. Thus, the VCC won't "lock" anymore. The computer detects that and throws an engine code.

Let's hope your problem is the VCC/Brake switch or some wiring external to the tranny. There is a simple diagnostic tree that will tell you if that's the case. If it is the VCC switch, you're one lucky guy. I guess it will be a $30 to $50 fix and will take you about 10 minutes to repair.

I figured it will cost more than $1200 to replace the solenoid and the VCC. If you calculate that not fixing it will cost you about 15% more in the cost of fuel burn, then saving the $1200 by not fixing the tranny buys a whole bunch of gasoline. At 1.70 a gallon of gas, $1200 will buy you 706 gallons of gas, enough to drive 15,500 miles. I think the average miles driven in the US is about 12,000 miles.

So, if you fix it, you'd have to drive it another year and third or so to break even on the repair. After that, you'd enjoy the gains. This assumes everything else is in top shape.

Questions you need to ask youself are:

-Will something else break in that year and a half?

-Will the repair be only $1200? It may be more like $2400. I think it's likely that Caddy parts are going to be very expensive. If a new VCC is $700 to $1000, then it very well may cost upwards of $2400 or even $3000 to fix. You'd have to drive it for almost three years to break even (unless you drive a lot).

- You already asked yourself this: Will the mechanic find something else

or break something?

- How much longer do you want to keep driving that 13-year old car? If the

repair is $2400, then by the time you hit breakeven (three years) on the

repair cost, it's a 15-year old car. What else is gonna break?

Maybe this can be your 2nd car. If it has 200k+ miles on it or so, then it's probably worth about $1500 (my guess). It might be just an emergency car, one that you drive when your other car breaks down. At $1500, it might very well be worth more for you to keep than to have the money. However, just remember that if you had to, you can rent a Toyota Camry these days for $30/day with unlimited mileage. $1500 will buy 50 days' worth of car rental. If you get rid of it, you'd save tags, taxes, and insurance, and, yes, more repair bills.

On the other hand....if the car still looks sharp inside and out and you still like it, then it may just be a keeper!

My SSS (speed sensitive suspension) went out just last week. I'm glad I

didn't fix the tranny. Cost to fix is $700 per strut. The car ain't worth

$2800. It rides soft, but so what?

I enjoyed sharing my experiences and tips with you.

Cheers,

T