Hard ride on "new" 1993 Seville

[MuleWrangler]

I am the new owner of a pretty 1993 Seville I got at a sheriff's auction. It has 146,100 miles on it. Apart from being heavily smoked in (and the carpet burns that go along with that, sigh), and the driver's seat being absolutely, totally worn to the metal by what must have been a very large previous owner, the car is pretty decent.

One thing I had a question about is that the ride seems hard to me for a Cadillac. It does not sway and damps out decently on the corner-bounce test, but it almost feels like riding in a truck compared to the "goosh" I would expect from a Cadillac suspension (road translation is harsh).

As part of the seizure procedure (I'm a poet and don't know it, lol!), assets have to sit in storage for two years. A fellow on another forum said that it is possible the valves in the struts have frozen in that time frame and should be replaced.

What do you folks think? I would appreciate any information you can give.

[Ranger]

Start by pulling the codes.

The STS rides a little firmer than the SLS.

[MuleWrangler]

Sorry to be such a n00b, but how do I pull the codes, and do I need a special reader? Will a OBDII work?

Thanks!

Edit: Is there a base model Seville for that year along with the STS and SLS? Mine does not have either STS or SLS designation that I can find.

[Ranger]

Not sure when the SLS vs STS came out. Might have been after your year. Someone else may know.

You car is OBDI. No code reader necessary. Simultaneously press and hold the OFF & PASSENGER WARMER buttons. After all dash segment light up as a test the DTC's will be displayed. After that use the HIGH FAN button to answer YES to the prompts and the LOW FAN to answer NO.

[MuleWrangler]

Thanks for the info, Ranger!

I pulled my codes, I guess, and the first thing it said was Monitored Systems OK, then Code P052 History and Code I052 History. I assume these are the codes? It then said No ACP Codes, No SIR Codes.

P052 is PCM Memory Reset and I052 is Keep Alive Memory, neither of which seem to deal with suspension. Any thoughts on these codes?

I got into the PCM data and some of the other data, and it's amazing at the wealth of information in this car!

Edit: The car had been stored for two years, so the battery may have been disconnected or dead. Would this be a reason for the memory reset code perhaps?

[Ranger]

Edit: The car had been stored for two years, so the battery may have been disconnected or dead. Would this be a reason for the memory reset code perhaps?

Yes.

[NickySantoro]

Originally Posted by MuleWrangler

Sorry to be such a n00b, but how do I pull the codes, and do I need a special reader? Will a OBDII work?

Thanks!

Edit: Is there a base model Seville for that year along with the STS and SLS? Mine does not have either STS or SLS designation that I can find.

Do you have the Northstar or 4.9 engine? AFAIK, if you have the NS you have an STS. If it's 4.9 it's the SLS. If you have the 4.9 with the SSS suspension it's possible that a relay has been installed to suppress the "Service Ride Control" message if the electronics in the strut(s) failed. This failure would cause the ride control to default to firm at all speeds, accounting for the lack of the so-called "Cadillac ride".

[MuleWrangler]

Thanks, Nicky!

I have the 4.9. How do I tell if I have the SSS? I think I hear a compressor running from time to time behind the driver's door (I had the key on for a while last night checking codes and heard it go on and off a few times)--is that part of the SSS or is it standard on all Sevilles?

[dkozloski]

Set tire pressures to what ever is on the tag on the drivers door.

[MuleWrangler]

I did check the pressures, thanks! It surprised me that they were so low! I would have thought 32 or 35, but no. One front tire was low, one was a little high and about the same with the rears. I was hoping it would have been tire pressures but no dice (too easy, I guess!).

[NickySantoro]

Originally Posted by MuleWrangler

Thanks, Nicky!

I have the 4.9. How do I tell if I have the SSS? I think I hear a compressor running from time to time behind the driver's door (I had the key on for a while last night checking codes and heard it go on and off a few times)--is that part of the SSS or is it standard on all Sevilles?

If you have the 4.9 in the '93 Seville, you have an SLS model and you have SSS (Speed Sensitive Suspension). The compressor you hear is for the auto-levelling control. AFAIK, all Caddies have it. It is unrelated to the SSS.

[MuleWrangler]

Ah, okay, thanks Nicky! There is a lot to learn here!

Thanks everyone for your help & support!