Hi, I just joined up. I've been reading this forum since I started considering buying my old Cadillac. (I just bought an '86 Fleetwood, 72K miles on the clock, all records, blah blah blah.) Now that it's mine and I've had a week to get used to it, maybe if y'all have some time you can help me puzzle out some problems. I'll start with the "easy" stuff.
1. The headlight sentinel is dead dead dead. This seems like it's a pretty easy system, but I don't even know where to begin.
2. Opera lights don't function. Since these aren't technically "bulbs" how to replace them or fix them or whatever?
3. HOW THE HECK DO YOU REPLACE THE BULB IN THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT? I thought, oh hey, it's not working--should be easy? But I'm not seeing any screws to take the damn thing apart?
4. After the car gets good and warmed up, there is a LOT of unburned gas-smell permeating the cabin. A LOT. And by A LOT, I mean A LOT. I drove the car 20 miles today, and I've been smelling gasoline ever since.
5. The car is completely gutless. (I kinda figured it would be; I'm just glad they put a semi-real V8 instead of the 4100 in it.) But this seems to be beyond the scope of that. It hesitates and sputters (like it's going to stall) and shudders under heavy acceleration. I have to floor it just to climb overpasses and then--you know it--the gas smell gets worse. Do y'all think this is just related to the carburetor? Or...?
It's really a beautiful car. It's amazing how similar it is to my old old '62 Sedan DeVille. (Same mirror controls--although the new one is electric, same power seat controls, same guidematic "eye", although the new one has it in the grill and not sitting like some ray gun on the dash, etc.)
I'll post some pics if anyone's interested in a completely stock (and almost show-perfect) old Caddy.
1. The headlight sentinel is dead dead dead. This seems like it's a pretty easy system, but I don't even know where to begin.
2. Opera lights don't function. Since these aren't technically "bulbs" how to replace them or fix them or whatever?
3. HOW THE HECK DO YOU REPLACE THE BULB IN THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT? I thought, oh hey, it's not working--should be easy? But I'm not seeing any screws to take the damn thing apart?
4. After the car gets good and warmed up, there is a LOT of unburned gas-smell permeating the cabin. A LOT. And by A LOT, I mean A LOT. I drove the car 20 miles today, and I've been smelling gasoline ever since.
5. The car is completely gutless. (I kinda figured it would be; I'm just glad they put a semi-real V8 instead of the 4100 in it.) But this seems to be beyond the scope of that. It hesitates and sputters (like it's going to stall) and shudders under heavy acceleration. I have to floor it just to climb overpasses and then--you know it--the gas smell gets worse. Do y'all think this is just related to the carburetor? Or...?
It's really a beautiful car. It's amazing how similar it is to my old old '62 Sedan DeVille. (Same mirror controls--although the new one is electric, same power seat controls, same guidematic "eye", although the new one has it in the grill and not sitting like some ray gun on the dash, etc.)
I'll post some pics if anyone's interested in a completely stock (and almost show-perfect) old Caddy.