1999 Deville ready for 100,000 mile service

[Richard S]

I picked up the Deville this evening from the dealer. as long as they had to fix the HG's, I had them do a 100,000 mile service at the same time. The cost was a lot less due to the engine being out and everything was right out in the open. The only part that wasn't in the original list was a new oil pump. They gave me a 12,000 mile or 12 month parts and labor guarentee on it, so I might keep it a bit longer. I'm irked about the cost, and the fact that there were 4 high milage Devilles in the shop for the same problem. The tech told me that their shop has about 20 out of a hundred sold that are coming back at about the 100,000 mile mark, give or take some miles. They haven't seen any 2002 and above come back yet because they don't have the milage on them yet. It felt good to get behind the wheel again, and it really didn't drive or responde any different than before. Maybe I'll get even better mileage on it now that it has new plugs and wires!

On the plus side, the Caddie got us the 350 miles left to drive home even with a blown HG! I'm sure that not many other vehicles could do that.

RichardS in eastern NC

[Richard S]

I'll quote from the work order what they did, and what they charged.
R&R engine/transmission assembly and lower cradle. R&R engine intake valve covers,heads,drill out headbolt holes in block, install tyme serts, replace head gaskets, front cover gasket, valve cover gaskets, spark plug o-ring seals, water pump, water pump housing crossover gaskets, water pump gasket, thermostat, thermostat gasket, reseal lower crankcase, replace oil manifold, oil baffle, oil pan gasket, new oil pump, upper and lower radiator hoses, replace heater hoses and coolant bypass hose, replace spark plugs, and spark plug wires, cleaned out sludge from oil pan, flushed cooling sustem and refill with coolant, inspect front and rear brakes, emissions control check and safety inspection, changed oil filter and oil, bleed air from cooling sustem and roadtest vehicle, did a 4 wheel alignment due to removal of lower engine cradle, and replaced serpentine belt and water pump belt and maintenance on idler.
And for all that in and out the door in three days, $5681.23. I wasn't able to make a personal appearance at the dealers when they called, but they wanted to show me what the oil pan looked like, so they took pictures and I saw them tonight. It had to have taken the guy at least several hours to scrape the sludge out, and he made sure all passages were clean and after they road tested it, they changed the oil and filter once more.
So, my attitude has changed a bit now about the northstar, but as you all have said, it can take a huge amount of punishment and survive. If I can be assured that this repair will hold, I may just hang on to the old girl for a few more years. I put new tires on 5,000 miles ago, and it still looks good, and it's a GREAT car to travel in.
Anyone have an estimate about how many miles it has left in the engine?

RichardS

[submariner409]

With regular oil changes and normal maintenance, maybe 150,000 +. Seriously.

[chubbyranger]

Originally Posted by Richard S

Anyone have an estimate about how many miles it has left in the engine?

When I originally saw this post I contemplated being a smart a$$ and adding that the 100K service for a 99 Cadillac is the headgaskets, having just paid the same bill (HGs, two cams and half case oil leak) at 101,000 on my STS. At this point our engines should be fine for the remaining service life of the car, I expect I will hit suspension/ABS/TC problems long before another engine issue. Once the block has been Timeserted you are unlikely to have major problems again.

[Richard S]

I've been having time Warner problems and my connection has been out since yesterday. So I'll try to remember what I was writing at that time.
About all I have to have done is the transmission oil and filter changed, and the Big White Car will be ready for another hundred thousand miles. Of the three Caddies I've had, The '55 was the most powerful with the 500 CID engine. Also the most thirsty, but fuel was $.45 a gallon then. The '87 was the most luxurious and the least peppy of all. It had a 305 and had trouble getting out of it's own way, or over small bridges. The '99 is the best of both of those, with a nice comfortable ride, but responsive to the road, and an engine that is like having a hot rod, but very stingy on fuel. It was dependable, even with a blown HG, because it did go the long haul home in that condition, and made it to the dealers the next day.
Yes, I will keep it now, and with regular attention (which I don't think the PO did) it will make it until I decide to trade it for a newer Caddie!
Now if I can just find that tailwind and see if it will get that 36 MPG that it did a couple years ago going to PA.
Thanks guys, ya'll have been a great help and inspiration, and I'll now go back to lurking mode.

Richard in Eastern NC.

[hnettles]

Originally Posted by Richard S

I'll quote from the work order what they did, and what they charged.
R&R engine/transmission assembly and lower cradle. R&R engine intake valve covers,heads,drill out headbolt holes in block, install tyme serts, replace head gaskets, front cover gasket, valve cover gaskets, spark plug o-ring seals, water pump, water pump housing crossover gaskets, water pump gasket, thermostat, thermostat gasket, reseal lower crankcase, replace oil manifold, oil baffle, oil pan gasket, new oil pump, upper and lower radiator hoses, replace heater hoses and coolant bypass hose, replace spark plugs, and spark plug wires, cleaned out sludge from oil pan, flushed cooling sustem and refill with coolant, inspect front and rear brakes, emissions control check and safety inspection, changed oil filter and oil, bleed air from cooling sustem and roadtest vehicle, did a 4 wheel alignment due to removal of lower engine cradle, and replaced serpentine belt and water pump belt and maintenance on idler.
And for all that in and out the door in three days, $5681.23. I wasn't able to make a personal appearance at the dealers when they called, but they wanted to show me what the oil pan looked like, so they took pictures and I saw them tonight. It had to have taken the guy at least several hours to scrape the sludge out, and he made sure all passages were clean and after they road tested it, they changed the oil and filter once more.
So, my attitude has changed a bit now about the northstar, but as you all have said, it can take a huge amount of punishment and survive. If I can be assured that this repair will hold, I may just hang on to the old girl for a few more years. I put new tires on 5,000 miles ago, and it still looks good, and it's a GREAT car to travel in.
Anyone have an estimate about how many miles it has left in the engine?

RichardS

I'll just make two observations here. (And yes, I know this thread is several months old.)

1) If you changed your oil and filter every 3,000 miles, using any decent brand of oil and filter, you would not have had that sludge in your oil pan. Is that really necessary? No, probably not, but it makes me feel better about the car, so it's worth it to me.

2) Your car is simply not worth $5,681. I just purchased a 1999 DeVille d'Elegance with 67000 miles for $6500. This was a CarFax certified one-owner, new car trade-in, with dealer service records, not a scratch or blemish on it. And this is not a one-of-a-kind deal. The same dealer had a 1998 DeVille with 55000 miles for $6900 (one year older, but fewer miles).

I do not say this in order to make you feel bad. I simply wanted to offer my advise/opinion for anyone reading in these forums who is in a similar position, and is trying to decide what to do about it. I have great sympathy for your position. A little over 3 years ago, I junked a 1998 DeVille with blown head gaskets. The dealer wanted $4,500, and would only guarantee the work for 90 days. I agonized over my decision for quite a while, before realizing it was just not worth it.

[ryannel2003]

I actually work at this dealer where the car was serviced (Trent Cadillac) and while the car might not be worth the amount that was payed for the new HG's, it was one of, if not the cleanest late model Deville's i've personally seen. I haven't seen the car back since it was fixed, so I'm sure everything is great. Could've gone out and bought another '99 Deville, but there could've been a risk of the HG going on that car. On a weekly basis, I'd say we get 3-4 cars in with oil leaks and HG failures. My '00 came in with a HG failure; they fixed that, new motor mount, and a few more things. It's quite common, and most of it stems from old coolant, people babying the thing, or just not maintaining it correctly.