QuestionQUESTION: My son bought this. Just want to make sure you knew. LOL. Started overheating and I don't know alot about these. So I flushed everything. Put a knew t-stat in and took the cover off and looked at the water pump. Went to the store and looked at a new one and everything looked OK. Fans both come on at around 225. T-stat opens fans come on and it will still over heat. No water in the oil, no oil in the water and no steam out of the tail pipes. Let it heat up and cool down no water loss. Please help before he drives me nuts.
ANSWER: Did you install the 2 head gasket sealant pellets in the cooling system when you added your correct mixture of anti-freeze ?.
Cadillac's are famous for small head gasket leaks .
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QUESTION: I have no idea what the pellets are. Where to get them and I do not have anti-freeze in it yet. I have heard that if you do not have anti-freeze in the engine on at least a 50/50 mix it could cause some kind of a gas pressure in the tstat? What and where is the air purge line? I have taken the line off the top of the resevoir over the water pump and water comes out. Streams then spits. Where do you put the pellets when I get them? I have a 79 Malibu runs fine.
ANSWER: Drain out the water and remove the bottom radiator hose at either end and put the 2 pellets in the bottom hose an reattach it. you can buy the pellets at any auto parts store.
NEVER run an aluminum engine on WATER.
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QUESTION: What are the pellets called? I also heard someone say they make bars. I also heard you should put them in water and disolve them before putting them in. Should we drain all of the water and put distilled water in? Can you tell how much I have read trying to fix this. Dexcool,distilled,air purge line. It seems like everyone has tried something and no one answer is always even a start. He loves this car and I will do what I can to fix it for him. So if I buy the pellets (name unknown) put a 50/50 mix antifreeze (dexcool). Water (distilled)? Run the car with the resevoir cap off to let any air out. Put the cap on and??? I am so sorry for so many questions. I have built them and tore them apart again. But just the older cars. These new cars have so many things that are run by a computer. Thanks for your patience
ANSWER: Does not matter which way you put the pellets in. your choice. Fill with proper coolant mixture and run engine at hiher speed than idle to purge air from system and check radiator for being full a couple of times.
Just ask any auto parts store for the GM Cadillac engine sealant pellets.
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QUESTION: Could you tell me the answer to all the questions I'm asking? Should I use distilled water? Should it be antifreeze or dexcool? Exactly how do you purge the air? If you can help me and I can get this fixed without putting it in the garage (junk yard). I would gladly send $50.00 for your help. How can you tell if the headbolts are backing out. Pressure test, die test? Thanks again for your help.
AnswerNot necessary to use distilled water.
Use an ethylene glycol based anti-freeze in a 50% water 50% anti-freeze solution and add the pellets. Just ask any auto parts store for the correct anti-freeze and the 2 pellets or similar sealant product.
Run the engine like you would normally do like an older car to purge all the air from the coolant system. There is no special air purge method.
You really can't tell if the head bolts are backing out.
You can check for head gasket failure by removing the radiator cap and making sure the engine is at normal operating temperature so as the thermostat is open and the coolant system is full of coolant and removing all the spark plugs and applying approx 80 lbs of air pressure into each cylinder one at a time and with the radiator cap OFF look for bubbles appearing in the radiator cap opening of the radiator. If you see any bubbles or gushing of the coolant from the radiator, You have a head gasket problem which will require pulling the engine, Makes it much easier to get the rear cylinder head off and on, And replacing the head gaskets and also installing ALL NEW HEAD BOLTS. If any of the new head bolts will not torque down to specifications you will need to drill out the bolt holes that will not tighten to specs and install heli-coils in each bolt hole.
Hopefully you will NOT have any head gasket problems.
