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Cadillac Repair/Steam coming from defroster vents
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Question
I have a 93 DeVille 4.9 and today steam started coming through the defroster vents then soon after the Hot Engine lite came on. I pulled over, shut down the engine and was towed home. Checking the coolant reserve, and radiator, nothing was showing. No leaks on the ground. Radiator hoses look OK, and have a 2 year old radiator. What should I look for???? Have had the car for 4 years, and have used the radiator pellets when needed. This is the 1st overheating issue. 129000 miles. Thanks.
Hello,
Sounds like a heater core failed and has a leak inside the car.
The worse problem is that you drove it hot, which you cannot do on an aluminum engine. The possibility for catastrophic engine damage is great now. It does not take much for these Cadillac engines to self destruct when over heated.
You can cut the heater hoses in the engine area on the passenger side. Buy a flushing T and install it to each hose. Make sure the screwi on cap is tight. This is a temporary bypass for the heater core. Add anti-freeze/coolant not water.
If you are real lucky you did no harm to the engine. If so, could cost you thousands in repairs. I get an average of four Cadillac overheats a week.
It may be a Cadillac, but the truth of the matter Cadillac has not made a decent engine since 1981 when the engine was cast iron.
Good luck
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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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