You are here:
- Home
- Shopping
- Vintage Cars
- Cadillac Repair
- 89 Eldorado
Cadillac Repair/89 Eldorado
Advertisement
Question
Hello - I have an 89 Cadillac Eldorado. When I got it last summer,it would start but, wouldn't remain running. I took it to a local mechanic and he couldn't even get it to start for awhile. He finally got it started and put a new alternator on it. Now it will run fine until he tries to hook up either wire to the alternator and it dies as soon as he puts the wire on it. He doesn't know why it dies. He has changed the steering column and removed the auto start. This is apparently why the car wouldn't in the first place. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Hello,
Although I would like to, there is no way I can help you. It sounds like your mechanic is way out of his league and should have never touched the car.
You need to take the car to a service center with qualified technicians that can fix the car. The only problem is that you may pay a lot more because your mechanic might have screwed up more in this car, than the original problem.
I have no clue as to why the engine stalls and it puzzles me as to what wires you are speaking with in the alternator. You only have the field wires (2 wires on one connector) and power at the rear) and if he is connecting a disconnecting with the engine running, he can do even more damage to the electrical system.
This guy sounds like what we call (shade tree or an alley mechanic), usually some guy working out of his house with no insurance if he burns the car up.
Yes, the economy sucks and few have money, but sometimes going the cheap route ends up costing the owner much more and it sounds like this is happening to you. Why was the column changed? Attempt theft? Loose? Why was the remote start removed? Was any of this done right?
You are asking me for an answer AFTER this guy has removed and changed components. Replacing an alternator is a simple job, if in fact, it was a problem in the first place. Replacing a column requires skill and if the lower shaft and the pinch joint at the bottom of the column. under the dash is not correctly installed, you are now talking about a safety issue.
Connecting the two wire connectors on the top of the column, can be screwed up at the electrical ignition switch. Not replacing the wires correctly from the remote start removal can be an issue as well.
When I used to run into repairing alley mechanic's work to get a car running right, I would charge double or triple, depending on just how much stuff I had to redo.
Something is wrong if your mechanic can't fix the running of this car the first time, and from your description, he is guessing on what is wrong and yet, that just shouldn't be.
Find a technician familiar with your type of vehicle before it costs you any more!
http://www.autotheftexpert.com
Related Articles
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.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.