88 Deville not wanting to start/not cranking nothing?

Check for corrosion on battery cables.

The post's look fine on the outside from what I can see, but I will attempt to take them off today and scrape the inside of the battery cables & battery posts to see if that will help. If that is not the problem what else could be happining? Thanks so much RodyA 234 !:bonkers:

Just because the lights/etc work does not mean the battery is good enough to start the engine. It takes a lot of battery power to turn the engine. Get it load-checked. Most auto parts store will do that as a free service. As suggested, check the battery cables, both of them/at both ends. All connections must be clean/shiney/corrosion free/tight. Old cables that 'look good' can cause 'owner-stress'. If the cables are of the 1988 vintage, replace them(cheap insurance).

Do the lights go real dim when you attempt to crank the engine? If so, the battery is shot.

All of the above! If you have a second car, try to jump start the caddy. If it goes, the bat or connectors to the bat are the problem. If not, try to get the DTC codes (info on how is a sticky at the top of the page)

Just found out from someone that looked at it that the engine is locked up, very expensive to fix. Don't know what to do at this point? Any one here would like to to buy a 1988 Deville in perfect running order no oil leaks trans is great etc. except for what I just mentiond? Picture is under DeVille's under 88 Deville mom. She has been without a car of 6 months now, got income tax to purchase DeVille agter looking some 3 weeks. Husband of daughter just left her Tuesday 24th with 4 year old & 1 month old, just purchaced car for her Friday the 21st. dies on Thursday 3/26. Bought from someone not car lot, going to ask what they will do for us. Good luck to me.

Wait a sec! :hmm: The engine wouldn't seize just sitting there and driving it you would've heard all kinds of noise and a big KUHLUNK if it suddenly threw a rod or something. Not to mention if it overheated bad enougn to seize, you'd have to be driving the car. I'd get a second opinion, IIWU, (or not! :duck

Locked up? That does not sound right. If it was running before and nothing major happened to it I can't imagine how it could be "locked up".

BTW, just for future reference the engine is a 4.5.

Not to be to nosy, but if we knew the general area where you live, surely there is someone on this forum who could take a look at it for you or at least know a good mechanic in your area. I am a lady mechanic and my heart is breaking for your sitch. Stay tuned. there are a lot folks here that will surely post some helpful advice and come to your rescue. I will be praying for you as well since that is what I do best, mom.

What is your location?

I live in the Monroe, West Monroe Louisiana area. On Wednesday I did notice a noise comming out of the left side of the engine like a what a bad water punp sounds like days before it goes out. Didn't know where the pump is on this car but the area where the alt & air compressor is where the slight noise was. The belts and the parts that they go around them will not move a fraction of an inch when you try turning them with your hand. When I try the key the small paddle wheel on the ALT moves trying to engaged a bit bit. The fan infront of the radiator spins then stops. Any help out there would be a god send at this point and time. Going to check on my daughter will come back later on tonight.

Mom, you are not likely to move that belt by hand. Does it make any noise at all when you turn the key?

The fan "spins then stops". :hmm: I think those fans where still attached to the water pump as opposed to todays electric fans. It was clutched so it would spin easily. This makes me think the engine is turning over, even if only 1/4 revolution, but just enough to move the fan (which would rule out being locked up). I'm still thinking battery maybe.

Thinking if you haven't disconnected the battery yet, DON'T ! REASON: if you are getting dash lights you can access the DTC codes, using your on board Diagnostic system first. (Yes, Cads actually tell YOU what is wrong!) but if you disconnect the battery, it erases all the codes. SO... it's pretty easy to use this feature on your Instrument panel display. if you could do this, it would help everybody a lot to figure out what is wrong. Since the engine seems to budge slightly when you try the key, it is NOT seized. the solution could be simple. don't give up yet.

Also, did you try to jump start it at all?

Ranger said:

Mom, you are not likely to move that belt by hand. Does it make any noise at all when you turn the key?

The fan "spins then stops". :hmm: I think those fans where still attached to the water pump as opposed to todays electric fans. It was clutched so it would spin easily. This makes me think the engine is turning over, even if only 1/4 revolution, but just enough to move the fan (which would rule out being locked up). I'm still thinking battery maybe.

Click to expand...

Hi Ranger, do you think this could be that Hydro-lock thing by any chance? I mean, water or fuel perhaps? This is almost like my car's original problem when the engine absolutely would not budge until ... that liquid in the cylinder was drained.

I don't think so. She has not mentioned anything that leads to a logical way for it to be hydrolocked. As best as I can tell it started one day and not the next.

Thank you Permalink for all your advise, I am going to have the car towed to my house today so that I can get other people to look at it and give me their thoughts/ opinion on this matter. I will also check the instrument panel for any info like you suggested. The very first thing I did was to try and jump it off, nothing, I checked to see before if her battery had any juice by taking the other end that was not connected to her battery and touch them together sparked good enough to let me know the battery wasn't dead.

Let us know what happens when you turn the key. Single click, rapid clicking, dead silence? Headlights go real dim?

Just got that 88 DeVille towed to my house, I'm hoping that I will be able to get a second opinion soon. I did pull up the codes everyone has been talking about. This is what I am getting:
E52 E67 F10 FF .70 850 P17
Does anyone know what they mean?:banghead::banghead:

I get a single click then nothing, unless I do that process again, the lights inside the car & head lights are not dim, but normal. The two truck driver looked at it and he thought he caught a glimps of that very bottom pully move ever so slightly when I kept on trying to turn the key. That would be welcome news.