Cadillac Owners Forum banner

Need advice on what I should do..

3K views 18 replies 7 participants last post by  PEETYZ 
#1 ·
I posted earlier about my heated seat messing up but now I have a much bigger problem. The car has had an oil leak for a while but it's gradually got worse so I took it to a local auto repair shop to have them look at it. He said that the leak really is serious because it could leak on one of the belt (I think he said the timing belt) and could cause serious problems if I don't get it fixed. He said he didn't want to touch it because of it being a cadillac and all. The leak was coming from the front of the engine, and I've suspected it's the oil pump gasket but I'm not sure.

So, I have an appointment to have it looked at by someone that is willing to repair it, if it's what I think it is, it will cost around $600 to fix it. This is a 97 Catera that's only worth about $3,000. With as many problems as the 97 Catera's have should I take this chance to trade it in for something else or go ahead and have the repair done? It's hard to part with the Caddy, but it may be my best option.
 
#2 ·
its probably leaking on your serpentine belt. if you trade it in at a dealer, your not going to get much more than $2000 oil leak or not. depending on the condition and wht your trading for. if your ready to part with it, high pressure wash the engine before you trade it in. and take your lumps now, rather than the continued drain of owning the cat. this car is definitely not for the weak of heart or slight of wallet i'm sorry to say.:suspense:
good luck!!
 
#8 ·
I'd say take it to something like a local small shop like the ones you find at gas stations... My dad works at one of those and he laways tells me how pople come to him telling him that dealer wants 2-3K for repairs and then they end up walking away from there and fixing the stuff at his place for like 500$... so I would stay away from the dealer.

those little shops have the tools to work on just about any car so I dont believe the whole thing wtih dealers knowing their cars best... they are supposed to but they not always do.... I had more trouble with dealers then I ever did with my dads shop...

So if its just little leaks... those gaskets are easy to fix.. and in fact you may have a faulty oil cooler which can be leaking oil out of the connections and then you may see oil drip out of random spots...

Just an example my water pump went and so I called the dealer they said 800$ then I called around to some other major repair places and the lowest I got was 425 and that was if I found the pump...
So long story short I go to the dealer, and the pump was 60$... then I went to the local shop near my house and the old man there was very kind and he got the job done for 150$ i think... and to this day I still go there because he is reasonable and knows how to treat his customers well and work on their cars likewise..

You should look at ebay they have a lot of parts and also cars you can pick up for pretty reasonable amounts of money...

Good luck and let us know how it goes...
 
#9 ·
1,200! you can get an engine for that ill bet i agree with catera mv6 visit a small shop maybe one just out of the city lol and stay away from dealer and see what they say at small shops here is a testimony from me i threw a rod years back and the dealer didnt even want to touch it said it wouldent be worth the fix so what did i do? went to a trusted small auto garage (owner is family friend) and we ended up getting a lower mileage engine and swaping them for about 2,000 which is great deal for labor and low mileage engine. Dealer wanted like 5,000 or so with used engine and said a new engine was 9,000 I swaped engine because labor to fix the current engine was more than a used lower mileage one. and get this the guy really likes the car he works on all our cars and always asks how the Catera is running and agrees GM should have droped the ls1 in the car but other than that it's a great car. Bottom Line check with all the local small shops look in phonebook at auto repair in yellow pages Best of luck
 
#10 ·
The price that I gave you guys was from one of the local small shops. They are great to work with, and know just about everyone around. I took it to a couple other places too. One guy didn't want to touch it, and the other I didn't really trust. They wanted me to replace the spark plug wires because they were nibbled on a little by something. They wanted $270 just for the parts and I found them for no more than $170, usually cheaper than that. Plus they weren't that bad at all so I think they were just trying to gip me.

Anyways, the only time I ever contact a dealer about the car is to get an estimated repair, then go from there. Or just to double check with someone elses quote and make sure it's cheaper than the dealers quote.

It just worries me like if they repair what they think is wrong, for example the valve cover gaskets, it may actually be the covers are warped, not the gaskets leaking. When I called the dealer about it they asked me if I was sure it wasn't warped covers because they were very well known to have that problem. So I could end up paying double if they replace the gaskets and that wasn't the problem.

I'll keep thinking about it though, thanks guys.
 
#11 · (Edited)
It just worries me like if they repair what they think is wrong, for example the valve cover gaskets, it may actually be the covers are warped, not the gaskets leaking. When I called the dealer about it they asked me if I was sure it wasn't warped covers because they were very well known to have that problem. So I could end up paying double if they replace the gaskets and that wasn't the problem.
If you're afraid the covers are warped there is a solution. Check the OmegaOwners.com site for Vectra V6 cam covers. For whatever reason, the Omega V6 uses plastic covers but the Vectra V6 (same L81 3.0 L as the Catera) uses cast aluminum covers. The won't warp or flex. They sometimes appear for sale there and on eBay/UK. There is one drawback. Since the car is FWD, the oil filler on the Vectra is in a different location. On the Catera the filler ends up in the rear left corner (facing the engine). Awkward to add oil. You'll need a long funnel. But they stop the leaking and, when painted, add a nice custom look.

Now be warned, the breathers still need to be cleaned. The stiffer aluminum covers may prevent the gaskets from leaking but that pressure has to vent somewhere. It could blow the crankshaft seals or some other expensive spot. There's no substitute for proper maintenance.

Elvin

PS: See my reply to a related oil leak thread:
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forum...22241-cadillac-forum-weird-burning-smell.html


 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top