QuestionHi I have again another problem I am so tired of this car. You probably don't get this many questions from one person in one week lol. I appreciate everything advice that you give me. On the 1992 Cadillac Deville I had a problem Friday the left tire locked up I got home the car was smoking from the left front fender. I took the car apart the caliper went bad and it burnt the brakes up so I fixed that today. Now I have a new problem. Their are no codes nothing. The car has decided that the fan wants to run all the time. I pull the key out no power and the fan still runs. I tested for power to the fan to the fuses they all have 12 volts. The only thing I can come up with is the electronic climate control unit has went bad. For it to run all the time. I pulled the fuse under the hood for the fan it turns it off and their is 12 volts their. I put it back in it turns on again. I pull the sensor off the fan under the hood it turns it off it has 12 volts their at the sensor. I put the sensor back in and it turns it back on. Their is continuous power to the fan for some reason. Any suggestions or reason why this is doing this. Also the caliper I replaced today that had burnt up I replaced it 6 months ago. The bleeder screw broke in the old on so I just went on and bought a new one from autozone. it was remanufactured limited lifetime warranty which was good. I took it off today it was rusted badly and also it was like the brake melted to the piston. I had to beat it off the rotor by hand. When I took it off it stunk bad it smelt burnt and so did the pad. So I replaced the caliper and the pad. The car needs an alignment badly could this have caused the caliper and pad to burn up like that. When I pulled the right side brake pades they smelt like they started burning to. I just replaced the tie rods and boots but haven't had time to get it aligned. It is a fwd car. Thanks.
AnswerHi,
I see you are located in Virginia, but from your description makes it sound like the car is from Wisconsin (high road salt usage) for a bleeder to break off and to observe rust on the outside of the caliper and to have to beat the rotor off.
It is very possible the brake fluid has never been flushed in this older car and condensation over time can go into the master causing rust in the system, which can cause calipers to lock up.
As for the calipers, the stainless pistons can pit and prevent the pistons from retracting.
So, I would recommend having the brake fluid flushed, but you will probably have to replace the right caliper as well because you may break the bleeder too.
In Wisconsin, since all bleeders were rusted, we would use a torch to heat and slowly turn the bleeders out. Many were even smaller than a caliper bleeder on the rear wheel cylinders. However using a oxy acetylene torch is very tricky and can be very dangerous and if you have never done it, I would not recommend it. Propane uses to broad of a flame and does not get hot enough.
The brake problem is not the vehicle, but with other contributing factors.
The same car in Texas or anywhere down south or out west, would not have rusty calipers and bleeder screws would not be rusted.
As for your heater blower issue. Another fine Cadillac engineering marvel, designed to fail!
There were two styles here. One used a resistor module which of course was non-servicable located on the passenger side firewall under the hood. It was very pricey when available at about $350.00 for the part. Like the overheated aluminum engines in Cadillacs at the junk yard, these modules were either failed or about to fail and were not worth retrieving.
This problem was very common even under warranty and at any given time in the era, one could walk through a Cadillac service area and see the hoods up in which the module was being replaced. The resistor module controls fan speed.
There is only one correction that I am aware of and with it, you have only two choices for the blower. High or off. You don't want to play silly games installing resistors and rheostats to have all blower speeds because you will cause a fire. Many have tried.
You need to go to a parts store and purchase a 10' roll of 10 gauge wire and a on/off toggle with the highest rating they have. You need yellow butt connectors, in line fuse holder, scotch locks, electrical tape, a test light, a 30 amp fuse that fits in the fuse holder.
Unlike the idiots at GM, you will use switched power (Ignition on) to power the blower without being on a constant power situation as you have due to an internal short in the resistor block. The resistor block has many wires going to it and only one going from there to the blower.
Remove the hush panel (Black plastic) with 9/32 or 7 mm nut driver. At the firewall is either 2 10 mm head bolts or nuts, or wing nuts that need to be removed. Turn ignition on. Probe wires coming from steering column staying away from the thick yellow wire labelled air bag. Probe the wires directly under column with test light. Turn ignition off and if no power is observed, that is a switched wire. What you would like to find is ignition 2.
Attach a scotch lock on the wire you located. Attach the scotcth lock male end to your 10 g wire. Take the wire and figure for where you will mount the toggle unddr the dash and cut. install the wire to one end of toggle. you may or may not need open connectors for the toggle.
Under the hood on the driver's side find the grommet that runs through the fire wall. Take a steel coat hanger and straighten. Run one end through the grommet so hanger goes on driver floor area. Take the end of the 10 g wire and loop it around the end of the hanger in the engine bay. Take a pliers and bend the end of the hanger around the wire as flat as possible. Take tape very tightly applying at this end to make so hanger can go in smoothly. The right way would be to spray the wire and tape in that area with silicone, but WD 40 in this instance will work. as for the tape, it needs to be tight and rolled not more that twice.
Carefully fish the wire through in and out until the wire is in the passenger compartment. Cut the end off and connect to toggle. Mount togle. Tape all connections. Install hush panel.
Cut 10 g under hood for a good location for fuse holder. use butt connectors and tape to secure fuse holder on both ends of 10 g. Run wire along other harnesses securing with tape. Remove connector at blower. Cut wire so you have access to connect 10g to it. Install butt connector and tape both ends. Install connector on blower. Install in line fuse. Test--turn ignition on. Toggle one way and you will have high blower and the other will be off.
Unfortunately, this is the only repair option you have with this style resistor block. I didn't make or design the junk! I am a visionary and always look into the future. Cadillac engineers did not!
If you don't have this module located on the plenum, that means you have their new and improved style, which will require you to get a new computer.
Good luck!
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