Is it time to sell my 1997 STS?
 

Looks like I'm going to need a little work on my vehicle.
Took it in for an inspection surrounding a leak and the Goodyear place was very thorough.

Right tie rod.
Upper motor mount
Rear shocks
leaking boot on from CV
trans gasket leak
oil pan gasket leak
Left front speaker blown (suspect shorted in the pillar)
Leak from some coolant hose/pipe from one side of engine to the other.

Tires are good. I think it have a broken belt in one or two but good tread. They will probably dry out before they wear out as I use a company vehicle daily.
Rotors and brakes need replacement. Rotors are warped (annoying) but there is plenty of pad left on the brakes.
I replaced the radiator, coolent res, hoses & thermostat last fall. (myself)

Otherwise the car is in great shape and runs well. I keep the oil changed and take care of it. I bought it used with 80k, has 130k now.

Just recharged the a/c (seems to need to be recharged ev. 12-24 mo)
Just put stop leak in trans and radiator.

There was just enough trans leakage to see drops on the ground.
There was just enough coolant leakage to smell it and notice coolant loss over the course of a few tanks of gas.

I've overheated it (to the point of dingdingsginstopengingNOW) 3-4 times due to a broken pulley and coolent loss (prior to fixing that).

Smokes quit a bit during WOT (gray). Otherwise not.

Considered the insurance you see advertised on TV.
But think I'll pass on that.

Also considering selling privately and getting perhaps a 2004 or 2005 model.

What do you guys think?

miles???? gee, too bad. course if the car is paid for then maybe you want to think about puttin the $$ in it... better than a car payment!!
really.... what is needed for your inspection?? most of the things mentioned come with age. she's old enough to smoke, lol. esp at WOT. if it didnt, i'd be a lottle concerned. sure, she's goin drip a little. look like ya got a couple grand to spend to make car 80%. remember she's a 13 yr old.... can you replace it for $2000.

rickyd

Any advice is welcome. I appreciate it. Yeah, I hate to have a car payment. Even a small one. I can do it. I'd just rather not. I bought her straight out a few years ago. Got 130k now. I expect it to smoke and drip a little. But I need it to be reliable. If I'm to keep it and put money into it, I'd like it to last another 3-5 years. I'm not driving it much now that I have a company car for work.

I've heard estimates from the dealer going into 1500+ to replace oil pan gaskets because they have to lift the motor.

I can see tie rod and motor mount easy. But I don't want to do brakes and tires unless I'm keeping it. Just wondering what else I might run into.

I don't know what would be involved in replacing the coolant line that runs across the motor. Is is a hose or a hard line? Is it difficult to replace?

I just took her for a spin. I need to warm her up and put some cardboard underneath to check for leaks now that I've put stop leak in everything.

At 130k on this series, I'm wondering what else I might run into. The care seems fine other than what I've mentioned.

i got a caddie with all that and a few more.
for two years, i been planning on parting it as soon as it fails smog or dies,

it refuses to fail or to die. so she makes a great town beater.
i did spend $30 and put in a serpentine belt.

what i'm trying to say, is uneconomical to repair but at 150,000 miles this car is free and clear of costs .. no payments, no fixing, no maintenance .. just fuel and drive. i do change the oil when its smog time, and the tires are good and so are brakes and of course, its body and interior are super and gets me from point a to point b, in style.

something to consider?

Your car sounds fine. Auto repair shops are prone to list repair items that may have a little live left in them so check the list yourself before commiting on the repair. For example I have had the Cadillac dealer tell me to change the radiator fluid that I flushed and changed only a month before. The dealer also told me to change a CV boot that on inspection was not damaged. Oil had dripped on it and was splattered by the spinning boot. The same Cadillac dealer told me to replace a transmission that only needed a $50 TCC solenoid. They also had on there list to replace other parts simply because they were original and could wear out someday.

You can torque the oil pan bolts from below with a pair of ramps and a 10mm 1/4" drive socket with a long extention. Three of the oil pan bolts will need a u-joint socket head to get at them on account of the frame. The torque value is 10 NM on my 2001 northstar. Your's is probably the same. Start torguing from each side of the center and work toward both ends of the pan. Do the same with the transmission oil pan.

Change the transmission oil and filter if you haven't already done so.

If you didn't add the required organic stop leak tabs when you changed the coolant add them now. They are supposed to go in the lower radiator hose.

The tie rod end is easy to change with a puller that many auto part stores loan out for free when you purchase the end from them. Don't forget to accurately mark the distance on the tie rod end before you replace it or you will need an alignment.

The rotors are easy to remove. Bring them to a shop and have them turned. Inspect the boot yourself while you are in there, mechanics are prone to diagnose oil that contacts the outside of the boot as a boot leak because the splatter pattern is the same.

Check the shocks by pushing up and down on the bumper and letting go. The shocks should stop the bouncing immediately. If not replace them.

By the time you perform the above repairs you may be ready to tackle the motor mount as well.

Miller time?

Update:

Thanks for the replies!

I put good stop leak in everything. (don't hate). Leaking to pavement stopped.
I can still smell a little coolant after the engine warms up, in-cab (without AC on) and outside.

So, I unhooked the batt. for a while, reset my idle, cleared all the codes.
The codes I'm still getting are TCS C1243 (BPMV stalled) & MMM B2149 (R mirror vert. short). Had some random stuff that was active & history but they didn't come back.

I've tried to engage the anti-lock and traction to no avail (hard stop/start) to see if the BPMV attempted engagement. Nothing. So I guess I'll have to take it somewhere for a diag. Any suggestions on TCS C1243 (BPMV stalled)? This has been non-frequent and intermittant until recently. Now It won't go away.
- I wonder if it has anything to do with the brake/traction recall.
- Will the dealer fix that for free?

On another note. Rear shocks. I can hear the leveler working. No leveling. Suspect shocks. Replace with OEM or get a less expensive pair of air shocks or something?
Any suggestions on brand?

Mechanic noted some other stuff.
"coolant crossover housing"? Something about side-to-side engine cooling? What/Where is that??

I've got some random electrical gremlins too:

-LF speaker stopped working (previous crackling when opening driver door) (random history codes for "amp communication".

- buzz from rear speakers when car is OFF, and a slight ground loop noise when driving (very slight).

-one direction on each side mirror doesn't work.

- Driver's seat is possessed. Will go out of position, sometimes ALL the way back after stopping and locking. I'll hop back in and be like ..WTF.. :falls backwards:
My only keyfob is #2 and I've set it (and exit to same) per manual several times.

I've read tales of ignition switch issues, relays, and connectors under the front & rear seats that could cause stuff. Unsure...

If this break module thing is stupid expensive, it may tip the scales for an upgrade.
The car runs strong though. 25MPG, 131K. I still love the STS.

Oh yeah, can I turn the rotors without replacing pads? Gotta do both, right? Think shop will give me any crap about being out-of-spec?

Waiting for a warm cloudy day to wash/wax. Going to switch back to non-syn at next change too. Don't see the benefits and I hear syn leaks more.

Gotta use a GM filter on these thing. Non-GM made the motor tick, starved the top end.

Any thoughts are appreciated!

Jason

Would yall happen to know the name of this part? There is a something missing from it and I dont know the name of it to research it and everything I have looked up doesnt look like it.

https://www.cadillacforum.com/forum/...lle-sts-14727/