Cadillac Owners Forum banner

98 ETC head gasket project started today...

46K views 266 replies 26 participants last post by  CadillacLuke24 
#1 ·
Well I decided to get into it today... But I am taking a very casual approach to begin. One of the main things is making sure the job is as easy as it can be and that I'm not frustrated by not having the right equipment or tools... That being said, I already faced one frustration by trying to de-couple the fuel lines with plastic disconnect tools...:thumbdown: My advice... Get the metal ones!

Anyway, I am going to drop the cradle I have an engine hoist, a pallet jack and plenty of jack stands, including 2 extra tall ones, so that should help. I have been plugging along and am at step 36 in the FSM (p. 6-85) which says to separate the drive axles from the steering knuckle... My question is if I am dropping everything all together, can't I leave the axles alone?
 
#2 ·
I'll be watching faded. Good luck.

----------

Faded Crest said:
I already faced one frustration by trying to de-couple the fuel lines with plastic disconnect tools...:thumbdown: My advice... Get the metal ones!
Oddly enough, I've had an aluminum disconnect tool in my pocket for the last two days. Lol. I was going to take a picture of how to properly use it for a thread in the FWD forums, but I got side tracked.
 
#8 ·
I would say yes. It was like night and day using the cheap flimsy plastic ones vs. the aluminum ones I bought today. 2 hours vs. 5 seconds. LOL.

----------

If you'd like, I can take pictures tomorrow and post then here.
Yeah, post pics if you don't mind. The paint on these is horrible. Probably the worst looking covers I've seen. And the beauty cover is cracked and crappy anyway, so hopefully I can score a better one at pull-a-part. You think media blasting would work on the covers?
 
#5 · (Edited)
Thanks MC! BTW, you got me thinking about what I'm going to for the cam covers and beauty cover... :hmm: Probably just silver... (you know me) Or if I get crazy, maybe black... :sneaky:

The more I sit here and recall in my mind the other threads I have read about HG jobs and dropping the cradle, I seem to remember someone saying to just hang the calipers, disconnect the stuts and bring it all down... Argh! So many different threads I have read and I can't remember what I read where! :annyoed:
 
#7 ·
Faded Crest said:
Thanks MC! BTW, you got me thinking about what I'm going to for the cam covers and beauty cover... :hmm: Probably just silver... (you know me) Or if I get crazy, maybe black... :sneaky:
Some words of warning:

-The original powder coat on the cam covers/cassettes was a royal PITA to remove. Took a long while with chemical stripping. I'm not sure if the fact that they were cleaned in a hot tank by Coburn (after which they were bubbling and peeling) before going to the body shop had anything to do with this, but I doubt it (if anything it probably made it easier)

-The surface finish quality on the cam covers is pretty bad. Most of the pits/defects were in the cassette "valleys" but there were plenty of nasty blemishes on the rest of the surfaces as well (I'm assuming this is why they didn't use a gloss paint in the first place). Luckily for me, almost all of the flaws are hidden by the plastic radiator/headlight cover, and the rear cover benefits from being more hidden. If you'd like, I can take pictures tomorrow and post then here.
 
#9 ·
Neither i or my paint/body guy didn't felt comfortable media blasting the cassettes (it creates A LOT of static). I don't see why you couldn't media blast the covers themselves though, they're just magnesium.

I assume he just did those chemical because he thought it'd be faster and easier....But no.

I had to replace my cover as well. I was storing parts in my living room (don't use it) and my mastiff chased a ball into the room and stepped on it. SNAP!
 
#13 ·
You don't have to disconnect the steering knuckle. All you need to remove from the steering components is the pinch bolt that connects the intermediate shaft. You can either keep the brake system intact or remove the lines. I just removed the brake lines from the master cylinder and the coupling near the rear of the cradle for rear brakes (that way the brake lines and the EBTCM comes out with the cradle). It seemed to be easier and I didn't want components hanging from the body. Also a brake fluid replacement as a bonus at the end of the job.
 
#14 ·
Thanks Maeng9981, I thought that was the case. I stopped dead in my tracks last night as soon as I popped the first axle through the knuckle because I was sure people were doing it different from the manual. I guess it might be different at a dealership since they have the means to lower the cradle on to a table, then raise the car up far enough to completely clear the knuckles.

On the brakes, you think it's easier to disconnect the lines at the master cylinder rather than keeping it the system closed? What would be the difference? Just disconnecting the EBTCM from the cradle and tying it off?
 
#17 ·
Steering components and the strut towers come out with the cradle. They will try to fall to the ground though (they won't but they will try).

Brakes are your choice. If you decide to keep the brake lines all connected, then you would have to disconnect EBTCM from the cradle and hang it on the body. Also you would need to remove all the clamps that hold the brake lines to the cradle.

I thought removing it from the master cylinder and the rear-cradle connection would be easier, since I don't have to watch if the lines are getting caught (and getting kinked) in the middle of lifting/lowering the body.


--------------------


I guess I replied too late :D Anyway, preparing for the worst is not a bad thing. You don't know what MIGHT happen.
 
#20 ·
Alright... It's out! :thumbsup: Whew, Long day! The only casualty was the negative battery cable. Somehow I forgot to disconnect it. I noticed it when the body was coming off but it was too late.





 
#22 ·
Well if that's true it wasn't so bad. You can almost disassemble the whole car with a ratchet with an 8 and 10mm socket. LoL. Actually I figured the real challenge was still to come since I plan to put new seals in as well since it leaked oil.

I did wind up getting my brake lines tangled up a bit so I disconnected the etcbm after all.

Now that its out I can say that the most aggravating part was still trying to disconnect the fuel lines with those crappy plastic top hats.

I did come up with a good tip for easily removing the steering column pinch bolt without lowering the cradle.. I will post that with a picture when I get it uploaded.
 
#25 ·
As promised, here is the picture of me removing the steering column pinch bolt... 3/8" ratchet, 6" wobble extension and 11 mm. standard socket... No problem. (Through the left wheel well of course.)

 
#28 ·
Well I was wondering why so many people made such a fuss over it. LOL Guess I'll count my blessings then!

The picture is very deceiving though. It was much tighter than it looks. My first instinct was to use a flex socket but I couldn't get any leverage on it. Then I tried 3 long extensions but I couldn't get a good angle. Finally the single wobble extension was the answer.
 
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