1992 Cadillac Sedan Deville issues

[mmoshlak]

Hey Noah, thank you for your advice. I'm going to contact the prefered installer of the Jasper Engines on Monday and see what he has to say. The engine is almost at 147K. I don't think the head gasket is a problem at this point either. I think it's that stripped bolt Rolz talked about. The problem is it's still leaking coolant and I wish I knew how to stop it from leaking. The engine's still in great condition, other than that issue. I'd really like to put off 5K of repairs. Then again, the seals on it are leaking as well. The oil pan seal is leaking which in turn caused the front engine mount to wear out faster. If I can repair the seals and the coolant leak issue for around 1.5K, I'd gladly do it since the engine's got at least anther 50K in it right now. When it hits 200K, I'll go for a Jasper since at that time it'll be ready for a tune up. No sense in paying 700+ for a tune up when I'll put in a new engine.

If anyone knows of the stripped bolt issue and has any ideas, I'd appreciate it. I need to stop the coolant leak and fast. Noah, do you have any advice for that?

[noahsdad]

Quite honestly, I've not heard of the 4.9 head bolt being an issue before this. The block threads are extremely sensitive to over-torquing of the head bolts, but that's only after service has been performed. I'm wondering if the P.E. guy is confusing your 4.9 with the 4.6 Northstar, which did have serious head bolt / thread pull issues in the early models.

If you have intake gaskets leaking, you should be able to get that repaired for less than a grand. The oil seal leak may be a different story, depending on where it is exactly.

If the coolant loss is indeed HG related, there isn't much you can do mechanically. At the rate you're losing coolant, the GM sealant tabs probably won't make a difference. Subaru sells a bottle of snake oil medicine that I'm trying in my '87 DeVille right now (which is getting a bit of coolant in the oil). It was recommended by my favorite gray-haired Caddy tech. Subaru puts it into every new car, and every old car that's under warranty recall for head gaskets. Their data shows it seals external leaks 90% of the time, and internal leaks roughly 80%. SOA warranties head gaskets for 100k when this stuff is used. Comes in a little blue bottle, only from Subaru dealers.

Understand, that's a long-shot suggestion - not an endorsement. Miracles in a bottle seldom are miracles, and can cause more problems than they cure. But it may give you another year or two with your engine.