Black People : 2003 Cadilac CTS coolant leak

Enki

The Evolved Amphibian
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Aug 27, 2010
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Hello people.

I have a friend that has a coolant leak somewhere, and I don't think it's the thermostat.(there are no signs of brown foam, but it could be internal and getting evaporated ) It basically will cost her a $1000 if it is the stat,over $900 of that is in labor. Now I can do it but the whole top of the eng. has to be removed to get at it. I don't want to do that if I don't have to, so does anybody any suggestions, or have any knowledge of this problem with this model?

Peace!
 
Go to your nearest Harbor Freight or to harborfreight.com http://www.harborfreight.com/radiator-pressure-tester-kit-65053.html and buy a radiator pressure tester Kit. (Or if you don't think you will ever need it again, rent one from Autozone or Oreilly Auto Parts...they charge anywhere from $80 to $150 to rent it, but give you the full refund when you return it. (essentially it's free to rent unless when/if you return it)

Use this kit and I assure you, you will know if the coolant system has a leak anywhere. It the head gasket is blown, you will know it. If you use the kit and no leak is found, it is almost a definate that the thermostat is the problem.

If you decide to take on the job, let me know. I can get you diagrams and step by step procedures to change the thermostat. According to the labor guide, that job should take 3.8 hours and the OEM part should cost $22.60. If the shop you select bills at $100 per hour, that job should cost $380 plus $22.60 plus maybe a gallon of anti-freeze.
 
Go to your nearest Harbor Freight or to harborfreight.com http://www.harborfreight.com/radiator-pressure-tester-kit-65053.html and buy a radiator pressure tester Kit. (Or if you don't think you will ever need it again, rent one from Autozone or Oreilly Auto Parts...they charge anywhere from $80 to $150 to rent it, but give you the full refund when you return it. (essentially it's free to rent unless when/if you return it)

Use this kit and I assure you, you will know if the coolant system has a leak anywhere. It the head gasket is blown, you will know it. If you use the kit and no leak is found, it is almost a definate that the thermostat is the problem.

If you decide to take on the job, let me know. I can get you diagrams and step by step procedures to change the thermostat. According to the labor guide, that job should take 3.8 hours and the OEM part should cost $22.60. If the shop you select bills at $100 per hour, that job should cost $380 plus $22.60 plus maybe a gallon of anti-freeze.

Thank you brutha, I never thought of this.

Peace!
 
Go to your nearest Harbor Freight or to harborfreight.com http://www.harborfreight.com/radiator-pressure-tester-kit-65053.html and buy a radiator pressure tester Kit. (Or if you don't think you will ever need it again, rent one from Autozone or Oreilly Auto Parts...they charge anywhere from $80 to $150 to rent it, but give you the full refund when you return it. (essentially it's free to rent unless when/if you return it)

Use this kit and I assure you, you will know if the coolant system has a leak anywhere. It the head gasket is blown, you will know it. If you use the kit and no leak is found, it is almost a definate that the thermostat is the problem.

If you decide to take on the job, let me know. I can get you diagrams and step by step procedures to change the thermostat. According to the labor guide, that job should take 3.8 hours and the OEM part should cost $22.60. If the shop you select bills at $100 per hour, that job should cost $380 plus $22.60 plus maybe a gallon of anti-freeze.


Thank you Brutha Fullspeed!!!!....That worked, her head gasket is blown. I went to the library and got an exploded view of the engine from Mitchel's online.

Thanks again for that suggestion....you have fulfilled the purpose of this forum.:toast:

Peace!!!​
wak6.jpg
 
Thank you Brutha Fullspeed!!!!....That worked, her head gasket is blown. I went to the library and got an exploded view of the engine from Mitchel's online.​

Thanks again for that suggestion....you have fulfilled the purpose of this forum.:toast:

Peace!!!​
wak6.jpg

I'm glad it worked out for you. A blown head gasket is a really big job. A shop is going to charge 12.7 labor hours for that, plus they are going to shave them (to correct any warp which more than likely occured when the gasket blew) and pressure test them for cracks. If they are cracked, the heads will have to be replaced. They are expensive.

Depending on the average labor rate in your area, the job will cost a minimum of $1000 You might consider trying to find a low mileage used motor from a salvage yard. But, that's kind of a toss up....cause as Forrest Gump might say, getting motors from a salvage yard is like a box of chocolates, "you never know what you might get".

A word of advice to all, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER let your engine run hot, you are taking a chance at blowing your head gasket which can get real expensive, real fast.
 

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