cvsting
07-30-09, 11:39 PM
MY 2000 Deville unexplainably would not start from time to time, fuel gauge said empty (actually the theft system was kicking in) but why. I took it to the local Cadillac dealer who said they have to replace the theft system module, ignition cylinder, etc to the tune of over $600.00, got the car back and still had the problem, got tired of taking it back to the dealer they called the Cadillac techs in Detroit, so they said, and tried all sorts of things.
I would drive the car without ever knowing if I cut it off, would it start. Sometimes it would and sometimes I was stranded for hours, then it would finally start. Very frustrating.
I kept researching on my own on the web and low and behold I found a post somewhere that matched what my car was doing and the guy fixed it.
One common problem was the motor mounts went bad and were replaced, not sure if that is the root of the problem or a combination of rust or what.
The reason the car was doing what it was doing was because of a bad ground from the engine to the frame. Everytime you turn the key the passkey theft system goes through a bunch of checks to include proper grounding.
I took the ground cable from the engine to the frame loose. THe bolt and nut on the frame was rusted pretty bad. The cadillac dealer had loosened it but failed to remove the bolt all the way out before retightning it. Where it's attached to the motor looks like it's welded or something so you cannot take that loose to check, plus it not much clearance to be able to get to it. Here's were the motor mount comes into play. If the motor mount fluid leaks out and the mount is no longer doing it's job, then the engine is raising and lowering more than it's suppose to and the ground cable from the engine to the frame keeps being put in a bind and could damage the ground cable.
Here is the fix, it cost me about 10.00 to do it. I purchased a ground cable with a female end on each end at a local parts store. I found a place on the top of the engine to attach one end of the ground cable, I took the other end and bolted it to the strut tower to create another ground from the engine to the frame. Guess what - no more starting issues and I have not been stranded since. I did go by the dealer and told the service mgr to call the Cadillac techs and tell them I solved the problem with a 10.00 ground cable. Nope, I did not get my $600.00 back, but got the satisfaction of fixing the problem myself.
Hope this helps others on here. I think this is a common problem with some of the Devilles as I have seen other post with the same issues.
I would drive the car without ever knowing if I cut it off, would it start. Sometimes it would and sometimes I was stranded for hours, then it would finally start. Very frustrating.
I kept researching on my own on the web and low and behold I found a post somewhere that matched what my car was doing and the guy fixed it.
One common problem was the motor mounts went bad and were replaced, not sure if that is the root of the problem or a combination of rust or what.
The reason the car was doing what it was doing was because of a bad ground from the engine to the frame. Everytime you turn the key the passkey theft system goes through a bunch of checks to include proper grounding.
I took the ground cable from the engine to the frame loose. THe bolt and nut on the frame was rusted pretty bad. The cadillac dealer had loosened it but failed to remove the bolt all the way out before retightning it. Where it's attached to the motor looks like it's welded or something so you cannot take that loose to check, plus it not much clearance to be able to get to it. Here's were the motor mount comes into play. If the motor mount fluid leaks out and the mount is no longer doing it's job, then the engine is raising and lowering more than it's suppose to and the ground cable from the engine to the frame keeps being put in a bind and could damage the ground cable.
Here is the fix, it cost me about 10.00 to do it. I purchased a ground cable with a female end on each end at a local parts store. I found a place on the top of the engine to attach one end of the ground cable, I took the other end and bolted it to the strut tower to create another ground from the engine to the frame. Guess what - no more starting issues and I have not been stranded since. I did go by the dealer and told the service mgr to call the Cadillac techs and tell them I solved the problem with a 10.00 ground cable. Nope, I did not get my $600.00 back, but got the satisfaction of fixing the problem myself.
Hope this helps others on here. I think this is a common problem with some of the Devilles as I have seen other post with the same issues.