Just bought a Seville, troubleshooting advice?

[skibum8199]

Hi guys! Just became the owner of a '94 Seville SLS with the N* last week. I paid $500 for it from a guy who got it from a police impound auction (LOL). All he had to do was replace the starter to get it running.

It runs well, shifts well, and has way more power than I'm used to. The cabriolet top is intact and aside from a few dents and scratches the paint is in decent shape. No radio, but I'm working on that. It needs exhaust work and I'm trying to diagnose some problems.

So now the bad. It leaks oil, and after searching through here quite a bit and learning the awesome news about the oil pan, I went ahead and took out all the bolts (except that 15mm one, no wobble extension), cleaned em, and thread sealed. Unfortunately, I don't think that fixed the problem, though it may just have reduced the leaking. I've only driven it about 30 miles since the oil change and pan work and I'll see how much oil is under it tomorrow morning.

So I pulled the codes yesterday while changing the oil:
P039 (E039) ..... Torque Coverter Clutch/Viscous Converter Clutch Engagement Problem
P052 (E052) .................................................. ..... PCM Memory Reset
P109 (E109) ....... Keep Alive Memory (KAM) Reset/PCM has lost primary battery power
I052 .................................................. ..... Keep Alive Memory Error
A048 .................................................. .... Low Refrigerant Pressure
S036 ...................... Electronic Level Control Compressor Short to Ground/Open
S038 ................... Electronic Level Control Exhaust Valve Short to Ground/Open
S044 .................................................. ... Lift or Dive Signal Fault

All History, not Current.

So! After new hood struts, air filter, low beam bulbs, oil, oil filter, washer fluid, and a semi-thorough cleaning of the oil pan and surrounding area, I reset the codes. Drove some, and it still drives! I got back and pulled the codes again, and here's what I'm getting still:

P039-H, A048-H, and S038-H

I think I just need to top off the refrigerant for the A/C, but what do the other two mean? Faulty wiring in the suspension somewhere? That P039 kinda worries me.

Also, when I filled up with gas, the needle was buries on empty. It very very slowly crept up to near-full after about 5 minutes, but would randomly drop to empty again. Any idea what would cause fuel gauge fluctuations?

Also, the parking brake doesn't disengage when I shift to drive or reverse. Is there any way to manually release the brake? If not, how might I fix this?

Just want to say thanks to all you Caddy freaks! This site has been great help so far.

[chubbyranger]

Fuel level: the sender is likely screwed. R&R the sender or replace the whole unit.
Parking brake:the release diagraphm is likey shot.
too much to be more help but will try to add more tomorrow.

[skibum8199]

Thanks, Chub! I suppose I should be on the prowl for a service manual now as well.

[RDHambrice]

Hello SkiBum
Good luck with your project. This is a good place for reliable help. You should have a manual brake release trigger under left side of dash just above the brake. Hang with it.
RDH

[chubbyranger]

Much better in the morning. Try eBay for a Factory Service Manual - don't bother with Haynes or Chiltons, they're useless for Cadiilacs. The suspension codes may be a compressor malfunction, the level ride should cycle for a few seconds at each start. Try opening the trunk and sitting on the rear trunk lip to see if the system reacts normally. As for the TCC code I'd just watch that for now as replacng the TCC requires R&R of the transmission.

[chubbyranger]

And if your P-brake is not releasing the vacuum diaphragm may be shot which usually causes a vacuum leak and plays hell with the HVAC. If its not working I'd probably pull the hose and plug it for now.

[skibum8199]

Thanks so far, guys! I attached a few pictures of the new toy.

I may just go with the electronic FSM and put my rarely-used printer to good use.

[00 Deville]

Originally Posted by skibum8199

I may just go with the electronic FSM and put my rarely-used printer to good use.

Some prefer a paper manual but, it is quite a bargain at $15.

[Antiqueairways]

The manual brake release info is in the owners manual. Basically, just reach up beside the top of the pedal and you'll feel a plastic handle, just pull down. If the codes are all History, ignor them, they will eventually go away after a certain number of cycles providing the issue does not reoccur. Good luck

[zonie77]

Clear the codes and see which come back. Low battery voltage sets random codes and that may have happened if the car sat long.

[submariner409]

.................if you're a computer-savvy surfer, subscribe your car for a year or more to www.alldatadiy.com . The entire GM Service Manual plus DTC's, TSB's, Recalls, labor times, some parts prices, torque values, specs, diagnostic trees, more info than you'll ever be able to read.

[skibum8199]

Thanks very much, guys! Great suggestions.