my son recently bought a 98 cadillac seville sts. the next day it overheated and we found that it has a blown head gasket. there is no recourse to get out money back. Is it worth having this fixed. I know its big bucks
If this car has the Northstar V8 in it, your best bet for getting the car back on the road in an economical way will be to have a used engine installed. I have never done any significant engine work to a Northstar, but I have heard that to call it a nightmare would be an understatement, and most mechanics won’t touch it. Getting someone to replace it won’t be a problem, though.
First make sure that there really is no recourse.
Depending on where it was purchased, and in which state, it may be covered by the Lemon Law. Go to http://www.lemonlawamerica.com to see what protection is available, if any. If the car was purchased at a dealership, or even a used car lot, many states mandate minimum warrantees.
Whether or not the engine is worth the repair, that depends on the mileage, how long the car was driven while it was overheating, and the general condition of the car. You can expect to pay over $1,000 to have this repaired, easily. More important is whether or not block damage occured while the car was being overheated. First thing to do is have the compression tested, and if it is solid, get an estimate for the repair.
Weigh this against the car’s actual value.
I would personally let it go. Poor mpg, not a very reliable car, and probably low value make this car a clunker that missed the boat to China.
What Mark said…The NorthStar was designed by Lotus as a racing engine but Caddy developed it as a street engine. It has a split crankcase, making mechanics shy…The electronics interfacing makes engine swapping very difficult…The 32 valve overhead cam design makes a head gasket repair expensive and difficult.
Put it on craigslist as a parts car…And learn…(the hard way)