1993 Cadillac Deville (Sedan Deville)

[Kanwak]

Okay, my fiancee's grandmother got me a 1993 Cadillac Sedan DeVille (Seville, right? The dashboard says Deville). This car rocks! Only 117,000 miles on it, the interior looks brand new, and all the slips from oil changes/repairs for the last 60,000 miles or so are with it.

Okay, the cons:

1. Left front directional doesn't blink. Back one does.
2. Right directional doesn't stay on. You have to hold the control up to keep the right directional on. Both front and rear directionals on the right don't work.
3. The paint on the hood, roof, and rear is cracking and flaking off. Sides are beautiful. My guess is the car was parked under a pine tree. Any websites to fix this myself?
4. The engine really slows down after starting. On one occasion, it stalled.
5. Starting off is horrible! It takes my foot to floor for it to really move into the flow of traffic. Once out of first, it runs pretty good.
6. R.I.P. radio - Need a CD player anyway, so i'm not too worried about this.

Any suggestions? No, I'm not turning it into a hod rod. I'm 29 years old... too odl for that (though at the end of the summer, a nice shiny motorcycle would be a tasty treat )

SD

[gdwriter]

Originally Posted by Kanwak

1. Left front directional doesn't blink. Back one does.
2. Right directional doesn't stay on. You have to hold the control up to keep the right directional on. Both front and rear directionals on the right don't work.
4. The engine really slows down after starting. On one occasion, it stalled.
5. Starting off is horrible! It takes my foot to floor for it to really move into the flow of traffic. Once out of first, it runs pretty good.

Any suggestions?

I'll address the questions where I might be able to answer.

IIRC, if you have a blinker bulb out, it won't flash; you'll just get a steady light on the dash. I've only had one burned out bulb on my car, and that's what happened (I've had the same experience with previous GM cars). You should probably replace the light bulbs all the way around. They're cheap, and it should fix your problem. You might also want to replace your flasher. I think it's a separate unit around the fuse box, but not certain. Check your fuses as well.

Regarding the idle, your Idle Speed Control (ISC) motor may be failing. I think it's about a $100 part and even with limited mechanical ability, you should be able to replace it yourself. A couple of bolts are hard to get to, but if you remove the throttle body, you can get to them easily.

Regarding the slow response (and this may also relate to your idle), the intake tubes on the throttle body may be clogged with carbon build up. Remove the air cleaner assembly and pull back the throttle cable (with the engine off) to open up the throttle body. Then you can see down into those tubes. Spray those with carb or throttle body cleaner then use a small, stiff wire brush to get down into the tubes and clear them out.

You might also want to run some fuel system cleaner through the car, especially if Grams didn't drive it much recently. On the recommendation of my mechanic and the local auto parts store, I use Lucas Fuel Treatment.

Ranger is the DeVille guru around here, he can likely give you better advice than mine.

Enjoy your new car. You'll find from other owners that these early 90s DeVilles are very durable. I bought my '91 with nearly 200,000 miles on it almost three years ago. Now with 247,000, it still runs strong. I've had to do some repairs over that time (rebuilt transmission at 214,000, new radiator, heater core, starter, ISC motor, ignition control modules, fuel injectors) , but it's still turned out to be a reliable car, and I love it.

[EMB1230]

I can add some more info as well. A Sedan Deville is a 4 door, a Seville was smaller than a Deville and only came in 4 door. As for your sluggish acceleration, I'd definetly check your spark plugs. You would be amazed at what a new set can do for a car, Especially, if they have not been changed in a while.

[gdwriter]

Originally Posted by EMB1230

As for your sluggish acceleration, I'd definetly check your spark plugs. You would be amazed at what a new set can do for a car, Especially, if they have not been changed in a while.

Since you have the receipts, you might see when the car last had a tune-up. If it's been a while (or you don't have a record of one), I'd recommend it.

[Kanwak]

Thank you everyone for the kind comments. I love the car... quiet, and it's really fun to drive. I saw someone on here with a 300,000 mile Deville... wow... I guess these things are really reliable... Some repairs are to be expected.

1. I'll change all the bulbs... better safe than sorry.
2. I'll give the sparkers a whirl...
3. I'll throw in some fuel injector cleaner... I usually use Techron... but I'll give your Lucas a try... I think that's the stuff you use in the crankcase, as well. If that's it, I've used it before with impressive results.
4. An oil change and cleaning the throttle body will be a good idea.
5. I'll change the air filter with a K&N. I notice there aren't any real kits for a fuel injector power kit...
6. if all else fails, I'll give the Idle Body motor thingy a change...

How are these things as far as head gaskets and overheating concerned? I had a 99 Mercury Sable that realllly gave me a hard time. I put thousands into it and then the head gasket went...

SD

[Kanwak]

One more thing... I'm hoping Ranger will jump in and give me some advice

I'm wishing I could remove that air box assembly and put in the ram air intake that I saw somewhere on here... Any suggestions on what i need to do?

SD

[gdwriter]

The Lucas Fuel Treatment goes in the gas tank. Do not put it in your crankcase.

Night Wolf drilled a bunch of holes into his air cleaner box; not sure how much difference it made. There's a thread about it here (mmmm Swisschesse.......ed the airbox :).).

Regarding head gaskets, the 4.9 has less of a problem than the Northstar. However, you need to use the GM sealant pellets (or Bars Leak) and you should change out the coolant every two years. While you're doing the oil change and other preventive maintenance, you might as well change that, too. The tabs can help seal any small leaks between the gasket and the block.

[Ranger]

I cannot add much to what has already been said except that I am not a fan of fuel additives and really doubt it is necessary or would help any.

Starting off is horrible! It takes my foot to floor for it to really move into the flow of traffic. Once out of first, it runs pretty good.

This worries me a little. Have a look at your trans fluid. Make sure that the brakes are not dragging.