[Pete03Z06]

Hey guys, this is my first post over here and it looks like a great forum! I am usually over on Corvetteforum.com, but have since been looking for a nice daily driver so as to save on the wear and tear on my Z06. My search ended up finding me a nice 94 STS. I was on a pretty serious budget, but I enjoy Cadillacs and found this one for about 3 thousand from an auto auction. It's got 151,000 miles, but it drives well. No leaks or smoke, and despite looking like it had never been cleaned when I bought it, was in surprisingly good condition. All the accessories worked (for the most part.) Now, here are my questions...I am fairly mechanically inclined, so I want to perform most fixes myself, so any help with these little problems is appreciated!

-The air conditioner doesn't blow cold air. The DIC states an error code when it is turned on that the compressor is turned off, and refrigerant is very low. Does this simply need more refrigerant, or could it be a more serious and costly problem? Luckily, it is exiting A/C conditions around here.
-The CD player has taken in and will not spit out a CD. It also will not play it, with an ERR message showing up. Should I shop around for a used one, or ship it out to get repaired...or is there something I can do?
-The interior is very rattly/noisy over bumps. I expect this from GM, especially with so many miles...but are there problematic areas or should I invest in some dynamat/brown bread to quiet it down a bit?
-The above problem may have something to do with worn out suspension parts. The bumps seem unusually hard, and while not nearly as firm as the Z06, it does not recover from bumps as the Z does. The car kind of flops around for a bit after a bump, while the interior rattles quiet themselves and the suspension can find the road again. Would new, passive struts fix this? The "service ride control" message is also on at times.
-The left rear window will not roll down. The rest are fine, could this be stuck? If it needs a new motor I may just leave it for a while.

Anyway, after cleaning up the interior (looked like it had never been cleaned), the dash and door panels look literally like new. There were coffee stains everywhere, which I removed. The car is in the hands of a careful owner, and will be much happier! I also cleaned off the filthy engine bay with some simple green. When the weather gets nicer, I'm going to hit the exterior with my porter cable buffer and some 3M...and then finish off with some Zaino. I'll get pictures up here with the Caddy next to the Z, they should be nice partners Thanks for any help you guys can give, you seem like real experts...I am learning fast just from reading but hope to learn more. Later,

-Pete

 

[xxxaxel]

You did like me

Cool I just bought 1994 STS too with 110,000 miles on it pearl white mint condition My ac doesn't work either needs new compressor and evaporator so pretty much everything got estimate from dealer 2100 F-that. Every other Jo mechanic says they can get it blowing cold for 1200 a more reasonable price sort of. The only reason I could afford the car in the first place was cause it had no ac. Mechanics fixed my front end joints to stop the banging when going over bumps (struts)maybe I have the recite somewhere. I haven't had to play with much else on it. So far so good. Wish you the best it’s an awesome car 150 miles an hour. Good luck to you.

Alex Gomez

 

[Loud 93 STS]

94 fixes

Hey, welcome to the Caddy side. On the a/c, I wish you lived in my area because i just had a new compressor and condensor put on and the system converted to r-134a for a total of $460 parts and labor. So if you can find a privateer on the a/c thats a good price. On the window, I guess you have tried at both places to roll it down. You might try taking the door pannel off and checking connections on motor and switch. Ifg you find it to be the motor try the junk yard for economy. Finally on the cd player. I had the same problem. Those model of cd players are notorious for going out. Mine had the bose system and it's cd player didn't work, the speakers were shot, and I had a bad mini amp, so instead of repairing, I rewired the whole car and put a new system in. On your case, if the cd player is the only thing wrong, I would go the repair route. You might check junkyards and also there are many places online that specialize in the cd player repair. Good luck in whatever you do!

 

[JJhomer83]

Re: 94 fixes

Pete03Z06 the only thing that i can help you with is the head unit. You have a couple of options. It all depends on money.
1. Get yours fixed - go to "small" electronic repair shop they will be the cheapest and the best to work with. It sounds like it might cost around 50 bucks to me

2. Time to hit the junk yard, ebay, friends, family, co-workers. Anyone who has a car with that OEM headunit that they aren't using. This is your cheapest option it should cost you no more than 20 bucks

3. Buy a new head unit. Go to best buy, circuit city, tweeter, etc and spend no more than 150 bucks on a head unit with a cd. Sounds like you don't really need a "high end" head unit. I know pioneer makes a nice unit if you can get it a year old still new in box for around 110 bucks

Sorry i can't give you any advice on your other problems but i hope that this will help you.

good luck
Josh :burn:

 

[vanaisa]

Hi,

Your compressor works, if it sets code and then shuts off. In Cadillacs ECU shuts A/C off and dont let the compressor broke
Seems, that it just needs new refrigerant.

 

[Pete03Z06]

Thanks for the help everyone! I am just going around fixing little things on the car and cleaning it up. It needs a bunch of TLC. It's run well so far, however.

Here seems a problem that would encompass the former ones I've mentioned. I read up on a ton of oil issues on this engine. The oil was just changed prior to me picking up the car, and after I drive it for a bit, there is some oil on the floor leaking. I jacked it up to check out where it might be coming from, and the bottom of the engine looked covered in pretty fresh oil. Near the oil filter was probably the most leakage. I cleaned the crankcase up with some paper towels and after sitting, the engine did not leak much more. I checked the dipstick after about 20 minutes of letting the oil seep back into the pan, and the oil level was well above the "full" marker. It was nearly an inch above, encroaching onto the actual dipstick itself. I'm hoping this is not the infamous Northstar crank half case leak, could it simply be well overfilled with oil and is expelling the extra? I've read of this possibility too, but always expect the worst. I can also occasionally smell the oil burning off of the headers or exhaust it seems, but this is not always so bad. I'm going to continue monitoring the dipstick and DIC to see if anything shows up. If you have any advice on this one, let me know too! Thanks again, I'm hoping i won't have to drop the entire front end of the car to replace a seal!

-Pete

 

[jonrodman]

Hey guys, this is my first post over here and it looks like a great forum! I am usually over on Corvetteforum.com, but have since been looking for a nice daily driver so as to save on the wear and tear on my Z06. My search ended up finding me a nice 94 STS. I was on a pretty serious budget, but I enjoy Cadillacs and found this one for about 3 thousand from an auto auction. It's got 151,000 miles, but it drives well. No leaks or smoke, and despite looking like it had never been cleaned when I bought it, was in surprisingly good condition. All the accessories worked (for the most part.) Now, here are my questions...I am fairly mechanically inclined, so I want to perform most fixes myself, so any help with these little problems is appreciated!

-The air conditioner doesn't blow cold air. The DIC states an error code when it is turned on that the compressor is turned off, and refrigerant is very low. Does this simply need more refrigerant, or could it be a more serious and costly problem? Luckily, it is exiting A/C conditions around here.
-The CD player has taken in and will not spit out a CD. It also will not play it, with an ERR message showing up. Should I shop around for a used one, or ship it out to get repaired...or is there something I can do?
-The interior is very rattly/noisy over bumps. I expect this from GM, especially with so many miles...but are there problematic areas or should I invest in some dynamat/brown bread to quiet it down a bit?
-The above problem may have something to do with worn out suspension parts. The bumps seem unusually hard, and while not nearly as firm as the Z06, it does not recover from bumps as the Z does. The car kind of flops around for a bit after a bump, while the interior rattles quiet themselves and the suspension can find the road again. Would new, passive struts fix this? The "service ride control" message is also on at times.
-The left rear window will not roll down. The rest are fine, could this be stuck? If it needs a new motor I may just leave it for a while.

Anyway, after cleaning up the interior (looked like it had never been cleaned), the dash and door panels look literally like new. There were coffee stains everywhere, which I removed. The car is in the hands of a careful owner, and will be much happier! I also cleaned off the filthy engine bay with some simple green. When the weather gets nicer, I'm going to hit the exterior with my porter cable buffer and some 3M...and then finish off with some Zaino. I'll get pictures up here with the Caddy next to the Z, they should be nice partners Thanks for any help you guys can give, you seem like real experts...I am learning fast just from reading but hope to learn more. Later,

-Pete

Hi Pete,
We are doing similar projects. I also purchased a 96 STS from an auction two weeks ago. My interior cleaned up really nicely and the foul odor is also gone. Mine has 133000 miles and does not have any squeaks or rattles. I expected some, but there are not any. Also, the suspension and handling is excellent if you replace the worn parts. Mine handles fantastically even over 100 mph. It is the best handling car I have ever owned. Of course I don't have a Corvette yet, but it handles better than my 82 Trans-Am and the 84 Mustang GT 350H I used to own. The suspension has a soft, yet simultaneously firm ride. If you get the suspension in order you will be very impressed. It is really easy to drive these cars fast.

As for the A/C, just recharge it with a can of oil and two cans of the 134A and see what happens. If it loses pressure, then put a can of stop leak in and recharge again. If it still leaks, then you know you have a serious leak.

Jon

 

[jonrodman]

Thanks for the help everyone! I am just going around fixing little things on the car and cleaning it up. It needs a bunch of TLC. It's run well so far, however.

Here seems a problem that would encompass the former ones I've mentioned. I read up on a ton of oil issues on this engine. The oil was just changed prior to me picking up the car, and after I drive it for a bit, there is some oil on the floor leaking. I jacked it up to check out where it might be coming from, and the bottom of the engine looked covered in pretty fresh oil. Near the oil filter was probably the most leakage. I cleaned the crankcase up with some paper towels and after sitting, the engine did not leak much more. I checked the dipstick after about 20 minutes of letting the oil seep back into the pan, and the oil level was well above the "full" marker. It was nearly an inch above, encroaching onto the actual dipstick itself. I'm hoping this is not the infamous Northstar crank half case leak, could it simply be well overfilled with oil and is expelling the extra? I've read of this possibility too, but always expect the worst. I can also occasionally smell the oil burning off of the headers or exhaust it seems, but this is not always so bad. I'm going to continue monitoring the dipstick and DIC to see if anything shows up. If you have any advice on this one, let me know too! Thanks again, I'm hoping i won't have to drop the entire front end of the car to replace a seal!

-Pete

I have an oil leak in a similar location. It appears to be the flexible transmission cooler line. There are two transmission cooler lines which go from the transmission to the radiator. I have one with a slow drip. The fluid blows back onto the engine. The good news is that a new line only cost $24 from the dealer and looks like an easy repair. Maybe you have the same problem.
Jon

 

[jbj99]

power windows

Hi Pete,

I just picked up a 94 STS and have similar problems with the car as you noted. Specifically, the right front passenger window will go down but will not go up unless the I use the driver side switch. Also the left rear passenger window will not go down. Did you find out what the problem was? Does anyone have any suggestions?

jbj99