try cadillac heaven dot com?

 

I wouldn't trust that guy to weld anything....
Did they even bother to weld from other side and there looks to be little penetration also.
Not a good idea to weld something under alot of stress like that.
That would have taken a decent amount of heat and an experienced tig welder to fix, i bet they used a torch and fix it rods.

 

I wouldn't trust that guy to weld anything....
Did they even bother to weld from other side and there looks to be little penetration also.
Not a good idea to weld something under alot of stress like that.
That would have taken a decent amount of heat and an experienced tig welder to fix, i bet they used a torch and fix it rods.

Yeah, either both sides, or "U" groove the weld joint so that it fills through to the inside. Welding aluminum is easy, not. Welding any automotive grade aluminum is anything goes, as they don't often say much about the grade in use. I would have welded it, ground it and welded on an additional plate for reinforcement. The bolt is easily long enough.

 

Yikes!

 

I don't see any penetration at all. In this situation you have to grind into the material so your weld can actually 'penetrate' (thanks to the pre-grind gap) and tie the material together. You have to use plenty of heat, too. It may take more than one pass as well. My company does this stuff everyday.

 

If thats the front, I believe it's still available from dealer.
2008-2014 Cadillac Front Engine Cradle 22783516 | GMPartsDirect.com

 

Wow, that's a great price. Buy it.

 

That is a great price... I figured 800 to 1k easy.

 

That one is for the AWD. My tough luck. P/N 20911365 for the RWD. $2076 after tax and only one available in the US. ($1600+shipping+tax) Shop found a used one for $250. I'm going to inspect it first to check for cracks.

 

Yes, I would check very well looking on internet I seen two other cradles that owners had cracks in same place right where they machined the flat area for bolt. Looks the mill that machined the corner probably needed larger radius on mill sometimes Sharpe corner cause's an area that can crack (stress place in fixture).
Good luck with your search.

 

The control arm mounting tab is not suitable for welding - even by a pro. Too much stress and lack of control of heat treatment won't yield a reliable result for a safety-critical location.

 

Here is dealer in Texas that list one. Be nice if you could get new.
Genuine OEM Front Engine Cradle Part# 20911365 Fits 2008-2014 Cadillac CTS: Up To 35% Off On Every Order And Guaranteed Fit When You Enter Your VIN | GM Parts (chevroletpartsdirect.com)

 

Good find, I wonder it it's real?

 

I called and it's in a national database. It's actually located at a dealership in Tennessee. I put it in my cart but could not complete the sale. My local dealership here in Grapevine, Texas told me it would be $2600 after tax and they would order it from Tennessee. The shop called me today and located a used one for $250. I'm going tomorrow to check it out.

 

Yeah, I didn't think the dealer really had it sitting on the shelf. Shipping a part that large will hurt, even if they would really sell it for the advertised price. This is a part where good used condition is just fine, hope you score one.

 

If it were me i would have the joints/welds magnafluxed? this will be a spendy repair......

 

You can't magnaflux aluminum, dye check or X-ray instead. While it is not impossible to effect a repair, doing so in a metallurgically sound way is not trivial. It isn't practical, especially given the safety-critical aspect. This is a junkyard part, if at all possible.

 

well i learned something tonight -thanks

 

I guess I'll find out today. Fingers crossed.

 

Wonder of there's a way to reinforce with steel to help the stress from that thin area. Bad design IMO.
Sometimes you take a loss just to get away from future problems.

 

Makes me wonder if I should ditch the BC's and go back to stock. I have considered maybe getting some custom springs made for my car and try to keep the height of the car a little higher. BC setup their suspension to be able to lower the car as low to the ground as possible. That gives a harsh ride when you go over bumps. I don't want to ditch the system because I think its better than stock but I do not like the harshness of the springs and since I have no intensions of slamming my car to the ground I can have taller springs that are not so harsh. You could also potentially add some additional support. If the top is smooth, even just JB welding a small steel plate to the top that goes beyond the small mounting tab with the mounting hole would be beneficial. The JB Weld would keep it in place and compression of the suspension is what is causing the issue so if you are able to help brace the top of that cradle it would help prevent against the seperation. Would not help against downward movement of the cradle, but based on the pictures I would be more worried about upward movements being the issue. If you wanted to prevent damage from downward movement of the cradle then you would have to find a better way to bond it to the cradle. Maybe a larger plate that allows you to bolt through the cradle in an area that is not as likely to be in the way or cause other issues.

 

Lived outside Ft. Worth (Azle) for several years. After one storm tried to go to work, made to stop sign and gave up, couldn't get back up driveway so parked on lawn.
Remember a news story about Dallas storing snow remover under a freeway overpass. Rotted the supports and had to close the freeway...

 

Wow! I'm in Haslet, not far from Azle. Have you seen our weather this week? Solid ice driveway and neighborhood. Haven't been back to work since Monday. My poor SRX is frozen, but having spent 3 years in Minnesota followed by 3 more in Ohio, she's used to it.

 

Brrr

 

It's only ice...much less than feet of snow. Go on, give it a go and see if you can get to work. LOL
Seriously, that ice sucks. And it's probably pretty solid since it's formed by many thin layers like a hockey rink.

 

Ha! Some neighborhood kids were out skating on it.

 

Picked up my car today. Rides well but I still have a small knocking sound coming from the driver side front during body roll movement at about 5 mph when I crank the steering wheel side to side quickly. We put it back on the rack and checked every single bolt, nut, end link and all suspension connections(weight on and weight off the car). The only thing we found was a little movement at the driver side sway bar bushing. Ordered a set and changing them soon. Is it an easy job?

 

It may require loosening the subframe.

 

agreed, on my srx you have to loosen the cradle bolts a bit 2''? I ant doing it LOL even though i have access to a 4 post....

 

I just had the subframe replaced as well as the upper and lower control arms and struts. The shop said just pay for parts and they'll install.

 

Nice gesture by the shop after your troubles.

 

I don't put much faith in "visual inspection" of suspension components. It is easy to "see" bad components about 80K miles after they should have been replaced. Sway bar end links are cheap and easy, should probably do tie rods too. Unless you only have 60K mile on the car.

 

90K mles. I was having the entire front end rebuilt. New upper and lower control arms and struts. If I had known the sway bar was above the cradle, I would have had them replace the bushings at that time. This whole ordeal is starting to sour my Cadillac experience...