1998 CADILLAC CATERA Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

ENGINE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH OIL PRESSURE THAT STAY BELOW MINIMUM AT IDLE WHEN ENGINE IS AT OPERATING TEMP. FRONT CONTROL ARM BUSHING FAIL WITH LESS THEN 90000 MILES. AUTO TRANSMISSION FAIL WITH LESS THEN 90000 MILES. HAVE ENGAGEMENT PROBLEMS AND SHIFTING PROBLEM. *TR

THE TENSIONER PULLEY & TIMING BELT WAS A KNOW DEFECT FOR VEHICLE AND WAS RECALLED BUT I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED, AT THE TIME OF FAILURE I LOST ALL POWER & CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE ON AN DECLINE IN A HIGH TRAFFIC LOCATION IN A SERVER RAIN STORM. VEHICLE IS NOW DOA AND GM REFUSES TO REMEDY TUES EVENING 6/23 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON, IN 30-45 SECONDS THE CAR STOPPED RUNNING, EARLIER IN THE DAY I HEARD A KNOCK AND THOUGHT I RAN OVER SOMETHING AS ALL GAUGES INDICATED EVERYTHING WAS RUNNING NORMAL. HAD AAA TOW IT TO MY HOME AND NEXT DAY (WED.) TO THE CADDY DEALER. THEY CHARGE ME $109 TO ASSESS THE PROBLEM, THEN TELL ME THE TIMING BELT BROKE! IT WILL COST ANOTHER $600 LABOR FOR 5 HOURS OF INSPECTION TO CHECK THE PROBLEM AND DEPENDING WHAT THEY FIND $$$$$$ TO FIX, DAAAAA! I CALL...

A/C COMPRESSOR LEAKING AND A/C COMPRESSOR NOT CYCLING AND LEAKING FROM THE CHASE VALVE SYSTEM. COMPRESSOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. *JB UPDATED 01/11/08. *LJ THE HEATER COOLANT VALVE HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE FRONT BRAKE PADS AND SENSOR WERE REPLACED AND THE ROTORS HAD TO BE RESURFACED. UPDATED.

FAULTY HEAD GASKET FAULTY WARNING LIGHTS. *JB

CAR OVER HEATING, SMOKING, STEAMING. TOOK TO MECHANIC, WAS TOLD THAT ENGINE BLEW, LATER TO FIND OUT OIL COOLER WENT. ALSO JUST FOUND OUT MY TRANSMISSIONS NEEDS OVER HAULED, NO WARNING, NO LEAKS. HEAT REGULATOR HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE, IGNITION COIL HAS BEEN REPLACED, ALL WIRES HAVE TO BE REPLACED. ENGINE HAS AND STILL DOES RUN TOO HOT, CAUSING CONTINUOUS PROBLEMS WITH ENGINE PARTS. ETC. I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 2001, PURCHASED EXTENDED WARRANTY, THAT HAS SINCE WARE OUT. MY SUN ROOF DOES NOT WORK, MY KEYLESS ENTRY DOES NOT WORK, HERE IT IS 2005 AND THE CAR ONLY HAS OR AROUND 65,000 MILES ON IT, WHEN PURCHASED ONLY HAD 23,000, I ONLY DRIVE THE CAR TO WORK AND BACK, AND TOO RUN ERRANDS. WHY AM I HAVING SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH IT, I CAN'T EVEN GET A DEALER TO TAKE IT AS TRADE IN. *JB

I WOULD LIKE TO PLACE A COMPLAINT ON RECORD ABOUT THE POOR QUALITY OF THE CADILLAC CATERA. THESE VEHICLES SHOULD HAVE ALL BEEN BOUGHT BACK BY GM TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC FROM THEIR POOR QUALITY. I HAVE A 1998 CADILLAC CATERA ,WELL CARED FOR. OVER THE PAST YEAR THOUGH THE CAR HAS BEGUN TO LEAK OIL HEAVILY,TO THE POINT OF ACTUALLY BEING AN ENVIROMENTAL HAZARD. THE OTHER DAY I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL CADILLAC DEALER ONLY TO BE TOLD THE CAR HAS LEAKING VALVE COVER GASKETS,CAM COVER GASKETS AND AN OIL COOLING LINE. THEY SAY $1200 WILL SEAL UP MOST OF THE LEAKS. THE CAR ONLY HAS AN ORIGINAL 65,000 MILES ON IT. UPON HEARING THIS I DID AN INTERNET SEARCH ON CATERAS AND THE HORROR STORIES ARE ENDLESS. IT SEEMS THEY ALL INCLUDING MINE HAVE BROKEN HEADLIGHT ALIGNERS. THIS IS APPARENTLY CAUSED BY HEAT AND CHEAP MANUFACTURING....

ON JULY 24, 2004 WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 65-70 MPH IN THE LEFT LANE ON I-81, I COULD FEEL THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS GONE IN THE VEHICLE,THERE WAS NO INDICATION IN THE IDIOT LIGHTS OR THE GAUGES THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN DISTRESS. AS I GOT TO THE RIGHT THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON, THEN THE RADIATOR LIGHT CAME ON, I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE VEHICLE. THE REPAIR SHOP HAD THE CAR FOR 2 DAYS AND FINISHED THE REPAIR OF THE WATER PUMP. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR THE IDIOT LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS WHITE SMOKE EMANATING FROM THE EXHAUST TAIL PIPE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO CADILLAC FOR REPAIR THE NEXT DAY. THEY TOLD THE HEAD GASKETS WERE GONE AND IT WOULD BE $ 1800.00 FOR THE LEFT ONE AND $1900.00 FOR THE RIGHT ONE IN ADDITION TO THE...

LIKE ALL CADILLAC CATERA OWNERS WE KNOW, WE HAVE HAD AND ARE CONTINUING TO HAVE ENDLESS MAJOR REPAIR BILLS ON THE CATERA (98 MODEL). THE WATER PUMP HAS FAILED AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO RUN HOT. THE WATER PUMP WAS ON RECALL. CADILLAC REPLACED THE PUMP BUT CHARGED FOR BELTS AND OTHER PARTS DAMAGED BY THE FAILURE. WE HAVE SPEND OVER $1,900 TRYING TO SOLVE A MORNING COLD START SKIPPING PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM COMES AND GOES. CADILLAC DEALER REPLACED THE HEATER CONTROL VALVE AND CHARGED $953. PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. THEN A REPAIR SHOP CHARGED OVER $600 TO REPLACE THE SPARK PLUGS AND SPARK PLUG WIRES. PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. THEN THEY TOLD US IT HAD TO BE THE COIL PACK. WE SPENT OVER $300 ON THAT. PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. THE CAR IN BACK AT THE CADILLAC DEALER'S SHOP YESTERDAY AND TODAY. SO FAR THEY CANNOT LOCATE PROBLEM. A CO-WORKER OF MY...

I HAVE HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR AND THEY JUST KEEP PILING UP. I JUST REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET AND VALVE COVER GASKETS A MONTH AGO AND NOW MY OIL PRESSURE IS FAILING. MY SERVICE WRITTER TELLS ME THIS CAR IS NOTORIUS FOR PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE, SPECIFICALLY THE WAY IT HANDLES OIL AND COOLING. I SENT A LETTER TO CADILLAC WHEN I HAD PROBLES A MONTH AGO BUT HAVE HEARD NOTHING. IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO?*AK

SENSORS WENT BAD. OIL CURRENTLY IN THE ENGINE, HEAD GASKETS GONE. TOO MUCH PLAY IN THE STEERING COLUMN. CRANK SENSOR AND IGNITION COIL PACK REPAIR

CAR RAN HOT. TOWED BACK TO DEALER. DEALER STATED CADILLAC HAD A RECALL ON THE WATER PUMP. CADILLAC REPLACED THE WATER PUMP. DEALER PAID FOR BELT, ETC. AMOUNTING TO ABOUT $190. LESS THAN A MONTH FOLLOWING THE WATER PUMP FAILURE, THE COOLANT BEGAN LEAKING. CADILLAC DEALER CHARGED $950 TO REPLACE HEATER VALUE AND A FEW HOSES. 1 WEEK LATER, CAR LEAKED AGAIN. RETURNED TO CADILLAC DEALER. DEALER KEPT CAR FOR TWO DAYS, RE-SEATED A WATER HOSE. 1 WEEK LATER, CAR BEGAN SKIPPING. NOW CADILLAC DEALER WANTS TO REMOVE HOSES, ETC. TO GET TO ELEC SPARK PLUG. NO ESTIMATE OF COST YET. I BELIEVE ALL OF THIS IS RELATED TO THE FAULTY WATER PUMP WHICH I UNDERSTAND CADILLAC HAD ON RECALL BUT I DO NOT FIND THE RECALL ON YOUR SITE.

ENGINE COOLING FLUID LEAKED ONTO THE ENGINE AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL, AND WILL NOT RESTART. HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. *AK

NUMEROUS ISSUES WITH 1998 CATERA. HAD TIMING BELT TENSIONER-PULLEYS/CAM DRIVE REPLACED LAST YEAR(3-2002) WHILE UNDER WARRANTY. "SERVICE CAMPAIGN" WAS ISSUED BY CADILLAC IN SEPT 2002 FOR CATERA'S TO HAVE CAME DRIVE IDLER/TENSIONER PULLEY/WATER PUMP REPLACED WITH NEW VERSION. GOT VEHICLE SERVICED TODAY AND WAS INFORMED THAT CAR HAD ANOTHER SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT NEEDED TO BE CORRECTED-OUT OF POCKET-COOLANT CROSSOVER LEAKING INTO OIL COOLER, AND VALVE COVER WAS LEAKING OIL.....THE CAR RUNS EXTREMELY HOT, HAS POOR PERFORMANCE, GETS TERRIBLE GAS MILLAGE, BATTERY HAS LOW VOLTAGE WHEN NOTHING IS LEFT ON BY MISTAKE, REPLACED THE BATTERY 4 TIME IN TWO YEARS, A/C HAD NEW COMPRESSOR REPLACED PAST SUMMER 2002 STILL NOT ABLE TO COOL CAR AND WHILE IN USE THE CAR SOUNDS LIKE A TRACTOR, BOGGS DOWN THE PERFROMANCE. HAD TO HAVE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM REPLACED (COST OVER 800.00) AT 34,000, PURCHASED 4 SETS OF MICHELLAN MXV4 TIRES IN LAST 2 YEARS-INSIDE...

WATER VALVE FAILED RESULTING IN COOLANT LEAK, THE DEALER REPLACED VALVE AND REFILLED SYSTEM, OIL COOLER LINE LEAKING, DEALER RESEALED HOUSING AND REPLACED COOLANT BRIDGE OIL LEVEL SENSOR SHORTED . NLM

WATER VALVE FAILED RESULTING IN COOLANT LEAK, THE DEALER REPLACED VALVE AND REFILLED SYSTEM, OIL COOLER LINE LEAKING, DEALER RESEALED HOUSING AND REPLACED COOLANT BRIDGE OIL LEVEL SENSOR SHORTED . NLM

WHENEVER VEHICLE IS PARKED OVERNIGHT IT WOULD FAIL TO RESTART AGAIN. WOULD HAVE TOW VEHICLE TO DEALER EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED, 8 TIMES SO FAR. MECHANIC WOULD REPROGRAM KEY; REPLACED BATTERY/FAULTY FUEL INJECTORS AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE. GMC EPURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN OCTOBER, 1999 FOR THE FULL PURCHASE PRICE LESS $400.OO *AK

TEMPERATURE GUAGE FAILED. YH