ATTENTION: Mechanics/Caddilac Owners of NSG

doitbig

doitbig

Active member
Hey Guys:

I'm having a nasty issue with an oil leak/cooling system on my 2003 3.2L CTS.

I purchased the car from my grandfather in early 2011 with 32,000 miles as a fun/summer car. He was a lifelong GM electrictian and this was his 14th caddy. Even though he is no longer able to drive (90 years old!!!!), I wanted to keep this car around for his (and my own!) enjoyment. The first couple months were issue free. In comes the leak...

I first notice a tiny leak coming from an area around my coolant resoviour. It was like no fluid I had ever seen before, so I popped the hood and noticed a chocolate milk like substance in the overflow tank. I soon realized the car was a bit low on motor oil when I checked the dipstick and the realization set in that I had oil in my coolant! The dipstick was clean of any coolant, as were the coolant hoses running to the engine. I imediately parked the car in my garage until I had a chance to get it looked at.

I call the dealership, they tell me it's a head gasket and is covered under warrenty (Oh wait, the car is 10 years old? sorry you're SOL). I found this hard to believe with 32k miles.

The engine ran fine with no issues other then this leak. It was never overheated and I stopped driving it as soon as I saw the milkly coolant. My mechanic replaced my radiator b/c he thought that was the problem and it was the cheapest solution to try first. No luck with that. I'm thinking it's an engine oil cooler with is a small part on the top of the engine that bypasses both coolant and oil.

What do you guys think it could be? Is oil cooler change a possible DIY for someone with a mechanic friend availible for help? Will the whole cooling system need replacement (ie water pump, radiator, lines/hoses)? Any links to a how-to or manual would be greatly aprecaited.

I really want to get this car running so I can continue to enjoy it with my grandfather for a bit longer before he passes. And before I get flammed, I've posted this all over the net. It's only fitting I give NS a shot at it, since some of you guys have suprised me with your knowledge in the past.

Thanks!

 
he only has knowledge of the electrical systems and more so can't help because he's 90. my goal is to get this thing running ASAP so we can enjoy the car this summer. honestly without the sentimental aspect of the car, i would've sold it already.
 
well a few things, first im guessing your not a mechanic and neither am I but, I can tell I know a little more than you so on that note, the radiator was a good start (i guess). Try flushing your coolant and oil. Remember, dont use regular water when you flush the coolant, used distilled water that way the minerals dont get inside ur motor. Next, it's not your head gasket other wise when you drive there would be a fuck load of white smoke coming out of your exhaust. trust me my brother blew his and replaced it and I had a buddy in my garage a few days ago doing his headgasket before he blows it, his car has 215 k on it. If your leaking a little oil check your valve cover gasket. Or take it to someone who knows what there doing because it doesn't seem you do.

Spark Notes:

Try Valve Cover Gasket

Flush your coolant using distilled water

Change your Oil

Headgasket is not blown unless white smoke comes out exhaust

If that doesnt work take it to someone who knows what there doing.
 
high pressure flushed the cooling system 3X times and obvious oil change after the radiator replacement. headgaskets can have a slight leak before fulling blowing and pouring white smoke out of the tailpipe. A more obvious symptom would be coolant in the oil (the cause of the white smoke = coolant burning off in the engine i think), which i do not have. this "oil cooler" i'm referring to is under the valve covers. i assume it's submerged in coolant and has oil running through it to cool it and recirulate back to the engine. why this engine was designed to cool hot oil with hot coolant is foriegn to me.

also worth noting: the engine is common on old caddy cateras and 98-03 l series saturns.
 
head gasket.

and the cheapest method would have been to do a coolant flush. thank your mechanic for the new 'cheapest solution' radiator though??
 
he installed the new radiator for free, and didn't charge me for the parts when he realized it wasn't the right fix. he also flushed the cooling system free of charge. he won't touch the car again for fear that he'd have to charge me for something that won't fix the porblem. the dealer cost of replacing headgasket = $5k and not worth it since the car is only worth about 10k.

how likely is a head gasket issue on such a low mileage/lightly driven car? before i purchased it from my gramps, i'd be suprised if it ever saw speeds in excess of 50mph lol.

+k for the responses!!
 
well first off you have a cts from 2003 which was the first build year and a new motor for cadillac. you are wondering if head gaskets are possible with low miles and the answer is yes. anytime you have a vehicle with low miles, the likelyhood that things like gaskets, hoses, rubber seals, tires will crack or break will increase. also your car does not need to produce white smoke to indicate head gasket failure. while it is a symtom it only shows that their is coolant where it shouldnt be. much the same when your oil is milky or you have oil in your coolant. it shows that the two fluids are mixing when the otherwise wouldnt be. i wouldnt say that going to the dealer is your best option when pricing the repair but keep in mind anytime you have a "luxury car" the build isnt always straight forward so the repair is often labor intensive. I would call around to other shops and try to find someone who could fix it for less. make sure you google the shop and make sure there arent a host of horror stories as often times shops that do work for cheap are shady. that being said i know a lot of mechanics that are resonable, fair, and much cheaper than the dealer. word of advice, dont buy luxury cars if you cant pay to fix them and dont buy cars from the first model year because the manufacturers arent able to correct problems with it as they arise. if you bought a 2005 CTS they may have switched the type of gasket they used. i googled cts head gasket and it immediately returned a bunch of results for 2003 head gasket cts.

sparks notes

call around get quotes

see what you can get for the car broken vs fixed

fix car sell car/ dont fix car sell car based on number 2

never buy first model year again

never buy luxury unless you can afford to fix
 
of course I can pay to fix the car, that is not the issue. the issue is getting a fair price for the work done, something the cadillac dealership cannot offer. they quoted me at around a grand just to look at it (only applied if I get the work done there). could i fork up 5k just because i have it to blow? of course. is it worth it to drop 5k on a car valued around 10k? i doubt it.

in regards to first model year, i know all this. i purchased the car from my grandfather so he would be able to enjoy it for longer (goverment would have taken it because of medicare and his inability to drive). this is not my daily driver. it is used for little more then picking up gramps from the hospital and taking to around for the day. he LOVES this car.

is everyone missing that fact that my oil is CLEAN and the car was running perfectly fine? there is no coolant in the engine.

on a positive note, i noticed you live in MI. I'm in the burbs of detroit. any of those fair, reasonable mechcanics around here?!?
 
^also worth noting you can google "03 cts oil cooler" and see a whole host of stuff too. just b/c there's people with head gasket issues doesn't mean that's my issue. what i need is an explanation as to how oil can contaminate the cooling system, but no coolant can enter the engine.
 
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