Hi, all,
I have a '97 DeVille that I just had the radiator, water pump, and thermostat changed. Here's what happened:
Over a period of many months, I occasionally would get a "check coolant level" message. I would add coolant to the engine coolant side-tank when it was cold in the a.m. This would last about 2 months. I could not find a leak anywhere except maybe around the water pump. It always looked dry but there was build-up of crud that could have been evaporated coolant residue.
Finally, one night, the radiator cracked, coolant was everywhere. I had it towed to a local shop who said they would not touch it because it looked like it had a head gasket leak due to the "gunk" in the cooling system.
[I'm thinking now that the "gunk" is that pellet stuff which I had never heard of being added to a system unless there was problem. I read on other posts about these pellet things. The gunk I have is like a black, smooth pasty stuff, sort of like a rotten black rubber hose.]
Anyway, I resigned myself to the head gasket problem and called a private mechanic friend of mine who gets me new GM parts at very low prices. He came over, replaced the water pump, thermostat, radiator, and hoses, for about $500 including labor. Not bad. His analysis was that the gunk was crap in the radiator and did not look to him like a head gasket problem. It did not much matter either way as I had to have this stuff fixed, even if I kept the car or sold it. So far, it has been two weeks. I have topped off the coolant as I figured there would be air in the system and it would take a bit to stabilize.
Today, I went out and the coolant tank seems to be about half-full. I added some more -- actually, too much as when I arrived at the office, some of it was coming out the overflow tube. Probably not good.
Which finally brings me to my questions:
1. What is the proper level of coolant in the black side-tank (with the "radiator" cap) supposed to be? I can't find this info anywhere. I would think half-tank would allow for expansion, etc.
2. What is a normal operating temperature range? According to the dash, the temperature runs around 197 to 205, sometimes going to 215 -- once up to 226, but then dropped back to 208 when the electric fan(s) kicked in.
3. My mechanic did not have the facilities (in my driveway) to flush/drain the cooling system. Should I flush or drain? Leave "as is"? Should I add these pellets? Will Jiffy-Lube do a good flush, or is this a Caddy-dealer issue? On a previous flush years ago, a place put in green stuff. My mechanic switched it back to a Prestone(?) 50/50 pre-mix Dex-Cool compatible stuff. He did not add the pellets/powder.
4. Any ideas what caused both the radiator and water pump to go "paws up" at the same time? I think the water pump was probably on the way out as it was leaking according to my mechanic.
5. On a completely unrelated problem (?) -- the car runs roughly in the a.m. during cold weather -- like it needs a choke adjustment (if the car has choke?!?!) Once it is warmed up, it idles nicely. I had the expensive Caddy dealer tune-up and throttle-body service -- no difference. Any ideas?
I apologize for the long post. Thanks in advance for any help. It's a great car except it should come with a pad of speeding tickets that you just mail-in every month. It is so fast, smooth, and quiet, I don't even realize I'm doing 70 in a 55! (which they will nail you for in Maryland).
Thanks,
Chuck
I have a '97 DeVille that I just had the radiator, water pump, and thermostat changed. Here's what happened:
Over a period of many months, I occasionally would get a "check coolant level" message. I would add coolant to the engine coolant side-tank when it was cold in the a.m. This would last about 2 months. I could not find a leak anywhere except maybe around the water pump. It always looked dry but there was build-up of crud that could have been evaporated coolant residue.
Finally, one night, the radiator cracked, coolant was everywhere. I had it towed to a local shop who said they would not touch it because it looked like it had a head gasket leak due to the "gunk" in the cooling system.
[I'm thinking now that the "gunk" is that pellet stuff which I had never heard of being added to a system unless there was problem. I read on other posts about these pellet things. The gunk I have is like a black, smooth pasty stuff, sort of like a rotten black rubber hose.]
Anyway, I resigned myself to the head gasket problem and called a private mechanic friend of mine who gets me new GM parts at very low prices. He came over, replaced the water pump, thermostat, radiator, and hoses, for about $500 including labor. Not bad. His analysis was that the gunk was crap in the radiator and did not look to him like a head gasket problem. It did not much matter either way as I had to have this stuff fixed, even if I kept the car or sold it. So far, it has been two weeks. I have topped off the coolant as I figured there would be air in the system and it would take a bit to stabilize.
Today, I went out and the coolant tank seems to be about half-full. I added some more -- actually, too much as when I arrived at the office, some of it was coming out the overflow tube. Probably not good.
Which finally brings me to my questions:
1. What is the proper level of coolant in the black side-tank (with the "radiator" cap) supposed to be? I can't find this info anywhere. I would think half-tank would allow for expansion, etc.
2. What is a normal operating temperature range? According to the dash, the temperature runs around 197 to 205, sometimes going to 215 -- once up to 226, but then dropped back to 208 when the electric fan(s) kicked in.
3. My mechanic did not have the facilities (in my driveway) to flush/drain the cooling system. Should I flush or drain? Leave "as is"? Should I add these pellets? Will Jiffy-Lube do a good flush, or is this a Caddy-dealer issue? On a previous flush years ago, a place put in green stuff. My mechanic switched it back to a Prestone(?) 50/50 pre-mix Dex-Cool compatible stuff. He did not add the pellets/powder.
4. Any ideas what caused both the radiator and water pump to go "paws up" at the same time? I think the water pump was probably on the way out as it was leaking according to my mechanic.
5. On a completely unrelated problem (?) -- the car runs roughly in the a.m. during cold weather -- like it needs a choke adjustment (if the car has choke?!?!) Once it is warmed up, it idles nicely. I had the expensive Caddy dealer tune-up and throttle-body service -- no difference. Any ideas?
I apologize for the long post. Thanks in advance for any help. It's a great car except it should come with a pad of speeding tickets that you just mail-in every month. It is so fast, smooth, and quiet, I don't even realize I'm doing 70 in a 55! (which they will nail you for in Maryland).
Thanks,
Chuck
