Cadillac2003STS - the STS at the Pick/Pull had no exterior lighting/bodypanel, i mean nothing (no right quarter panel either). The STS at the junk yard has it but it might be pricy since i ask for the 3rd brake light and they quoted 250 - I walked away.
BTW, my battery was drained and it is being recharged. They advised the alternator may be the culprit but i will pull the codes to see if it may be a fuse (searched throught the posts). If it is the alternator, iam getting a bit frustrated.
as for the alt its NOT fun nor cheap on that car
for 98-99 GM had the bright idea to make coolant cooled alternators for the Seville N*
of course they also leak and then short very easy as well
I had the battery replaced with a new one and will be putting it in today. I hope it can get me to a auto store so they can check if the alternator is the drainage culprit - i hope not. If it rules outs, i am looking at the ignition switch or a fuse in the relay box that may be causing it to drain
My friend had an audio system that was poorly installed as far as wiring, it was taken off when i bought it. I want to do the amp volt/fuse check to see if anything is constantly draining the battery when the car is off (read through a post)
BIGHOMIE....You would not be the first to discover that a body control module has been bypassed or that the RAP (Retained Accessory Power) module is not dropping out after 10 minutes, key off.
Your comment about the poor audio install is telling: Go down to technical and read through some Audio/Alarm......threads.
Out of curiosity, submariner409, how did the people that posted about RAP not kicking out like it was supposed to solve their problem? Would the accessory fuse put in the 'constant on' mode cause this? I was fiddling around with stuff one day and found that you could have the front accessory jack turn off and have the back one stay on... I thought that was kinda cool, but I could see where it could throw some people through a loop. Also, something else that I learned (the hard way) is that cars with out the ash trays have another 12v socket wire harness in the center by the gear selector that could easily be pinched up against something.. Not that I am trying to say that either of these are the problem, but who knows, maybe I can spark some ideas...
hyperboimmv....The programmed accessories "always on" is a darn good catch. Suppose someone had wired ???something??? into one of the programmed circuits which drew, say, an amp or two: your battery would be dead as a doornail in 36 hours.
The RAP problem was a relay not dropping out, and I can only guess that the circuit before the relay had been somehow compromised with some outside voltage: even an energized ground wire has 12V all the way to the frame bolt.
Ok guys, my car is going to drive me straight to the grave. I had the battery replaced with a new one due to selling me an incorrect one. Put it on, started up fine. Check diagnostic codes - came back clear with no storage codes. Had the alternator check also at the time, came back fine (keep in mind it was a autoparts store and not a real diagnostic mechanic shop or dealer)
Leaving the house 15 min after battery installation, car wouldnt start but managed to turn on. 5 minutes on driving, the car started to overheat and getting closer to the red line - pulled over a let cool off with some smoke coming out of the hood. i couldnt see much but sat it for 30 mins and drove it back home.
I suspect a waterpump failure or a stuck thermostat. I am having a certified cadillac mechanic check my car out tomorrow. He worked for cadillac for 20 plus so hopefully he can check what causing my car to die and overheat .
Overheating could be anything from a broken water pump belt to headgaskets - only proper diagnosis will find the answer. Also, call a dealer with your VIN nd ask the to check and see if the alternator recall was done on your car. All 99 Seville alternators were recalled.
Update - As mentioned before, i had the car checked by a mechanic and he did his routing troubleshooting inspection and he found that the car did not have a thermostat - so he put a new one in and left the car running for 45 min to an hour. The waterpump check out, the electric fans checked out but there was low coolant so he did the proper flush/fill. The car did not overheat and stayed at TDC. I am skeptical and dumbfounded on why there wasnt a thermostat in place but who knows... The car stated everyday so the electrical drain has mysteriously disappeared since i put in the second correct battery in.
I hope everything checks out fine since i have been bitten by the custom bug and want to add some exterior touches to the car to make it look nice ie: rims, smoke tails and window tint etc...i cant leave the car unmolestested - i just cant. Will be posting pics very soon ....
heres the list of what you should do
1 Strut Tower Brace its like 40 bucks shipped and makes the car oh so much fun in the twisties
2 Corsa Stainless Cat Back
3 E&G Classic Billet Grille
4 Factory Navigation Upgrade