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Question
i have a 2000 cadillac deville that keeps running hot.i have changed the radiator and the thermostat.what could it be?
Hello,
Running this engine hot will destroy it, if it hasn't happened yet.
Just got accolades from the last Cadillac that I answered questions for on his over heating problem. He was very happy and he found the remains of the water pump gasket, just by me telling him what to look for.
In my opinion (I have owned 20 Cadillacs) if the temp gauge shows over 3/4 or if you are running at 200 or higher, you are destroying this aluminum engine. These things self-destruct!!!! DO NOT DRIVE IT HOT!!! There are no good used engines available and there is a 90+% that any junkyard engine you find is junk from being over heated and a new engine will cost you $5K!
These are not the cast iron engines like I drive that you can run hot and at worse blow a head gasket.
I tell you this to instill in your mind just how serious and dire your problem will be.
Check the radiator cooling fans. Turn ignition on and put heater to defrost. Fans should come on in a minute of so.
Is white smoke coming from tail pipe with engine running? Have you checked the oil. If white and milky at minimum you now need head gasket (s) for either of these issues.
Do you know the history of this car? Was a water pump ever changed?
Remove radiator cap with cold engine. Start it up and let it run till warm. Is radiator circulating at all?
A bad radiator cap could also be the cause, but no sense in checking that yet. Did gasket material go into engine when you changed thermostat?
I am real concerned about the head gaskets. Common to blow even before engine gets really hot.
Answer my questions and get back to me.
I am serious as a heart attack---Don't get this engine hot!
http://www.autotheftexpert.com
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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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