[Piney]

I need to thank everyone in the past as I used a combination of techniques to easily and quickly change the dirty air tube on my 2003 Deville. I of course removed the engine cover, radiator/front end cover, slipped the belt off the power steering pump with the help of a 10" 1/2 ext. on the belt tensioner (leaving it in place), removed the 1 bolt holding the power steering pump and was able to pull the pump towards the fender just enough that I could get a pair of slip joint pliers back to the spring clamp holding on the end of the 90 degree vacuum tube. I had to finesse the tube end a little counter-clockwise, which was easily accomplished because the majority of the dirty air tube was easily removed by gently pulling it and where the deteriorated 90 came apart - which left just a 1 1/2" piece with the clamp in the nipple. I could just get the pliers on the clamp enough to relieve enough pressure to spin the clamp counter-clockwise enough so I could then get a good solid grip on the clamp with the pliers and it came right off. I purchased a OEM Dirty Air tube for 14.60 at the dealer - and reversed the process. The whole process took about 30+- minutes since I had the new tube before I began,

I started the engine (cold) and it ran smooth, much smoother then I remember it for a long time.

I shut the car off for an hour and went to start it for a test drive - and it started dying, The car idles at low rpm now when warm and is hard to keep running with foot off the gas. I am not sure what the problem is now - other than the car was use to the progressively worse vacuum leak and now it has to get use to not having that extra air - and that is the current problem.

Can anyone confirm that the car will adjust to the new dirty air tube not leaking and smooth out soon - or provide a way so it will adjust sooner rather than later?

But again - just slipping off the belt and not moving it, removing the pump just enough to get to the tube - was just what was needed - thanks!!

 

[Submariner409]

There is a good chance that the low speed fuel trims have slightly altered to compensate for a chronically lean mixture. If the engine starts and runs - with some footwork and attention - but is otherwise smooth with no nasty noises, go for a 45 minute suburban drive and see what happens.

When you come back, pull your diagnostic codes from the car's built-in scanner and decipher any found codes for fuel/air/engine problems. The pertinent year/model sections of the sticky thread "How to pull codes" and http://www.cadillacfaq.com/faq/answers/dtccode.html

You might need to perform an idle speed relearn. Turn the key on for 15 seconds, off for 30. Start the engine and let it cycle through the cold start warmup idle speed changes - 1200 rpm, 900 rpm, 650. It should settle to a 650 rpm idle in about 2 minutes or so.

 

[markmnj]

I don't know what you mean by dirty air tube but by the description I am assuming the PCV valve tubing. Did you replace the PCV valve itself? You may have installed the new tubing and connected it to a leaking PCV valve or perhaps the new tubing is not tightly connected. Check for vacuum leaks by spraying the entire area with starting fluid with the engine running and parked OUTSIDE. If the engine speed changes you have found your vacuum leak. Be sure to spray the nipple where the line connects and where the line connects to the PCV valve in the valve cover. Others here use brakeclean for finding vacuum leaks but I've always used starting fluid.

 

[Submariner409]

PCV dirty air tube. Clean air comes to the left (front) cam cover from the atmospheric side of the throttle butterfly. His car probably does not have a PCV "rattle valve" - it has a fixed orifice in the metal nipple in the right (rear) cam cover - #1.

 

[Ranger]

I'm with Sub. Give it some time to "relearn" the idle.

 

[Piney]

Odd how these things work sometimes - as we expected the car seemed to quickly adjust to the new restricted air flow with the new dirty air tube in place - runs smoother than it has for years. There does seem to be a little roughness at about 2 minutes from a cold start but it lasts only briefly - maybe that will adjust as well.

So I was glad to have the rest of the weekend to work at my job and to play - then on on a the last of the test drive - the breaks started really squealing - I could feel the metal in the steering wheel and my foot on the break. So on the way back to the house I picked of a front set of pads - sure enough when I got home and pulled the right front wheel off - I could tell the brake lining not only wore down - but completely fell off.

So as a bonus - I got to put new pads on to keep her going, well err - stop too

Thanks for the help - this forum has help immensely over the years.

(Sub was correct - no PCV rattler like the old days.)