My 2000 Deville has a somewhat major oil leak. its forming droplets under the engine. im also leaking coolant. I was wondering if anybody could point me in the right direction in diagnosing this problem. Anything that is a normal component that fails? Ive heard of faulty head gaskets being my coolant problem? Any tip would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

 

Start by simply getting front of car off the ground on jack stands or ramps. DO NOT CLIMB UNDER CAR WITH IT JUST BEING ON A JACK!!! Then post what you see. If you have access to cooling system pressure tester; pressurize cooling system and post where the coolant leaks out.

 

Well, on most modern vehicles it's not normal. According to several mechanics I've spoken with, if the engine oil isn't kept full, changed often, and/or the engine has been run even slightly hot, the gaskets tend to fail quickly and catastrophically. Since the Northstar engine and cooling system are especially prone to various leaks, most Northstar's burn a lot of oil, and the coolant level in coolant recovery tank isn't easy to determine, this situation can happen quickly and in between your normal weekly checks. Based on your description, I think you're in for an expensive repair. It may not be worth the expense given the cost may well exceed the economic value of the car. Check the water pump, radiator for leaks, and the hoses. It may be one of these.

 

The Northstar isa good engine, talk to more people.

There's almost ALWAYS something we don't know.

Just an example, and not a reflection in this case...


Somebody gets said car, which is not his...say he borrows it or someone let's them take it to the store etc. and they drive the complete snot out of it. Look on youtube there are alot of examples. All of that hard abuse can only go on for so long if the engine isn't in tip-top form beforehand. I am just saying this because if anyone thinks the Northstar is a sourpuss you're misinformed. I owned a 97 and when i traded it in it has 265,000 kms on it and the engine didn't leak oil, and the headgaskets were fine. Half of the mechanics you've talked to have probably never worked on a Northstar V8. Talk to mechanics at a Cadillac dealership and ask THEM how many cases they've seen of a Northstar blowing the headgasket...I doubt they'll lie about it.

 

folks ...

facts are that a Northstars on avg outlive all of the pre-N* engines,
fact is that to accomplish that feat, they need regular maintenance & need to not be abused,
fact is when something goes wrong, they are expensive to fix.

in this site we see a large number of headgasket failures .. but compare that to the number of engines on the road, the percentage of minuscule - something that is of no comfort to the owner that has a failure.

BTW, almost no engine that we know of, has failed jsut because .. there is always something that was done that should not be done .. like leaving the coolant in for 10 years. read oour FAQ on coolants and headgaskets and learn why that happens.

lastly, allow me to point out that WE WERE THE VERY 1st Cadillac website that brought this coolant issue out into the light.






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your car being 8 to 9 years old (mileage dont matter), may I ask, when was the coolant last replaced?

 

coolant leak is an easy fix compared to oil leaks. If the seals are bad on the engine, there's not much you can do, once the damage is done.

 

I bought it used from a cadillac dealership about 2 years ago. they did their 150 point safety on it and didn't say the coolant needed to be changed. I guess they could have changed it or it had been changed recently.

 

dealerships mainly focus on the vehicle safety side when it comes to a used vehicle, not mechanical. I would wager they probably changed the oil, and checked fluid levels, that's it.

 

the car is 8 years old .. it has the ORIGINAL COOLANT .. I guarantee it ...
you be highly advice to chagne it out yesterday.

read our FAQ on coolant!


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