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Cadillac Repair/heads for eldorado
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Question
I just purchased a engine for my car, he told me everything was good but i want to double check. what can i look for before i put the engine in and after
Wow, I hope you heard it run and checked it out thoroughly, but it sounds like you are just taking some guy's word for it that the engine is good. You did not specify what year the engine was and what year your Eldo is. Cadillac has not supplied a "good" engine since the 1981 368 C.I., but it is all relative.
If you are referring to a Northstar, many come with inherent problems. They can NEVER be overheated or there will be head gasket and possible block problems and Cadillac had their share of problems that could cause overheating.
You may get the impression that I don't like Cadillac engines. The opposite is true. I just plan for worse case scenario. I love Cadillacs. I just sold my 88' Allante with 62K miles and it was the best car I ever owned. It had the 4.1 that commonly came with a knock from the factory. You either had a good one or a bad one. The same holds true for the 4.5, 4.9 and the North Star.
You need to be concerned about oil leaks. The north star commonly used oil. Not always leaking and rarely smoked, but I commonly saw 2 quarts added after 500 miles. You need to be very vigilent checking the oil every other fill up.
Check the remains of the coolant where the hoses connect. If rusty, the engine has either been overheated or the engine was not maintained. If the engine still has an oil filter, remove it and pour the contents into a pail. If thick and black, you may have problems due to lack of oil changes.
I am a little concerned about your question here because it does appear as though you are taking a guy's word the engine is good. Its a lot of work to change an engine and then to find the guy did not tell you the truth.
Hindsight is 20/20, but I would have told you to take a mechanic you trust to take the car with the engine down the road or at least had it running to determine if the engine was worth buying. There are a lot of crooks out there and it really is "Buyer beware"
I hope it all works out for you.
Rob
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Rob Painter
Expertise
Alarm system questions cannot be answered on this forum. These systems are not what I can answer. Without being physically at the vehicle and not knowing what kind of electrical service has been done on the vehicle, there is no possible way to give an accurate answer over the internet. My expertise is in Ignition/key based anti-theft systems. These issues include GM VATS (resistor chip in key blade) PASSLOCK (MRD)-ignition lock rotation based, no special ignition key and the PKIII Transponder (computer chip in key) systems. These systems are not alarm based and are integral with the starting of the engine. This is why I cannot diagnose alarm problems without physically looking at the vehicle: Alarm systems are a completely different annimal than ignition key/lock based anti-theft system. Many alarm questions come from vehicles 10 years old, and since older, many hands that had been involved over the years.I am an expert in all GM factory (ignition/key based)systems. Alarm system questions pose to many situations beyond my knowledge as to what has been done to the vehicle over the years. Some guy may have actually wired the stereo into the alarm system. Who knows? Over my past 30 years in vehicle wiring repair, I have seen unbelievable wiring disaters done by guys that consider themselves "mechanics." I have seen stereos and alarms intalled using surgical tape. I have seen modules burn up, un-fused circuits, wiring jambed between the doors and even lamp cord used for a starter kill. To answer alarm questions over the internet without examining the vehicle is like asking; What does it take to remove a dent?
Experience
Education/Credentials-ASE certified. 11 years with a GM dealer and 17 years with a repair facility dealing with only the repair of theft recovered vehicles.
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