[Raze]

So several years ago I lost the plastic air straightener piece that attaches from the front bumper to the radiator. I need a new one and the Dealers have discontinued it. I've contacted some JYs in the area but finding a 95+ MY Eldorado is difficult. If anyone knows a source or has one, or is parting out a 95+ Eldo let me know...

I've noticed at highway in the summer in atlanta (90+ F) that I'm getting eleveated temps ~ 230. I never bothered replacing it because I stopped driving the car regularly 2 years ago and only take it to work once a week or so. I'd like to find a new piece and see if that helps stabilize the temps.

Before everyone jumps on the HG issue, I had mine Timeserted several years ago / 30k miles and not had one problem since. It's in the back of my mind but when it's cooler out < 80F I have no problem with the temp going north of 210F so I'm fairly certain I'm not getting adquate airflow through the rad, and the rest of the coolant system is new or newer, and I've bled the system, and on and on. Another symptom of this, I believe is ok A/C performance due to the excess heat soak the radiator is placing on the evaporator, but since all the A/C parts are new or newer as well and I've got a full charge and no leaks, I would tend toward my origional hypothesis of inadequate airflow at elevated environmental temps.

This was also a similar problem found over on a long Caddyinfo thread several years ago I believe Ranger posted to regarding someone who got an STS w/o the connector piece for $500 and believed it was overheating, had issues with the cooling fan relays and the T-stat and replaced them all and did a test on the coolant and it returned negative HG issue but still had this issue and he mentioned several times he was missing the air straightener and many posted he should replace that first, but never did...

 

[Talamant3z]

so i guess my 230 is normal too? i hit 230 city driving 95 here kinda rare but it does get there sometimes. damn n* temps scare me haha. but what what is the air straightener?

where is it

 

[Submariner409]

Roll over on your back and stick your head under the radiator. The entire front lower area is sealed by a plastic molded "splash shield" which runs from the front bumper fascia shelf to nearly the front of the engine. This arrangement routes all the grille air through the condenser/radiator and back over the front exhaust manifold, up and over the engine and down the firewall. The sidewinder engine needs the airflow for partial cooling, thence the air dam.

Look at the flaps at the front sides of the radiator - part of the same arrangement.

www.car-part.com

 

[Talamant3z]

Roll over on your back and stick your head under the radiator. The entire front lower area is sealed by a plastic molded "splash shield" which runs from the front bumper fascia shelf to nearly the front of the engine. This arrangement routes all the grille air through the condenser/radiator and back over the front exhaust manifold, up and over the engine and down the firewall. The sidewinder engine needs the airflow for partial cooling, thence the air dam.

Look at the flaps at the front sides of the radiator - part of the same arrangement.

www.car-part.com

oh its what blocks you from the radiator drain plug right?

 

[Ranger]

Yes.

 

[Mark C]

Roll over on your back and stick your head under the radiator. The entire front lower area is sealed by a plastic molded "splash shield" which runs from the front bumper fascia shelf to nearly the front of the engine. This arrangement routes all the grille air through the condenser/radiator and back over the front exhaust manifold, up and over the engine and down the firewall. The sidewinder engine needs the airflow for partial cooling, thence the air dam.

www.car-part.com

That may describe the 98 and later Seville, and 2000 and later Deville configuration but the 97 and earlier Sevilles are a little different, and I'm assuming the earlier Eldorados are the same. My 97s both have a narrow rigid plastic air dam located below the radiator between the radiator support and the front of the engine cradle. Between the lower edge of the front bumper and the front of the core support is a heavy flexible air dam made out of the same stuff that is on either side of the radiator (sort of a rubberized canvans sheet about an 1/8" thick). It is held onto the bottom of the lower edge of the bumper, and the radiator support by plastic push pins with large heads (about an 1 1/2" in diameter). I can snap a couple of pictures of the one in my white Seville, as its hanging by one of these push pins, until I put the engine back in this weekend.

 

[Submariner409]

Ah, so..........Once again the pre-2000 differences crop up. That's good to know...........Thanks.

 

[Raze]

That may describe the 98 and later Seville, and 2000 and later Deville configuration but the 97 and earlier Sevilles are a little different, and I'm assuming the earlier Eldorados are the same. My 97s both have a narrow rigid plastic air dam located below the radiator between the radiator support and the front of the engine cradle. Between the lower edge of the front bumper and the front of the core support is a heavy flexible air dam made out of the same stuff that is on either side of the radiator (sort of a rubberized canvans sheet about an 1/8" thick). It is held onto the bottom of the lower edge of the bumper, and the radiator support by plastic push pins with large heads (about an 1 1/2" in diameter). I can snap a couple of pictures of the one in my white Seville, as its hanging by one of these push pins, until I put the engine back in this weekend.

That's exactly what i'm looking for, there are actually 3 pieces I believe, as the side parts protect the condensor/alternator on the pass side and the PCM/trans cooler lines on the driver's side. I found one on a 96 in the junkyard but it was missing its front wheels and was resting on it, hence I couldn't get the push pins out for removal. Car-part doesn't have a listing and I've asked caddy specific parts dealers and they don't know what i'm looking for, but I located a 95 MY in a pull-a-part that's good about putting cars up on stacks of rims so you can get to all the underside bits, hopefully it'll still be there and in-tact. If anyone has a part number on this I would be forever grateful, to date I've heard it called air-dam (which it's not), air straightener (which it kinda is but not), underbody shield (kinda is closer to the mark) or underbody splash guard. Since splash guard actually brings up real parts associated with the inner wheel well, that's close too. Thanks for all the discussion fellas, appreciate it...

 

[Mark C]

Yeah, there are two smaller ones about a foot square each outboard of the big one that cover the area forward of the wheelwells to the lower edge of the front bumper. Theres no numbers printed on any of them.

 

[Raze]

That's what I thought, but thanks Mark, appreciate it!