30th Jun 2002, 13:06
The 4.5 and 4.9L engines would not have worked in an '82 Cadillac because they are transverse-mounted engines and the '82 was a standard engine. Perhaps a 425/472/500 Cadillac engine would have worked, but at the time I needed a daily driver and didn't have the time or money to be searching around for an old engine to put in the car.
It seemed silly to me at the time to take out a loan to put a $2000 new engine in a car, when I could get a whole other car for $2000 or so. Considering that the '82 deVille needed a whole new exhaust system, new rear wheel cylinders, a new vinyl top, and other small repairs, it seemed better to just scrap it. I was able to part out a lot of the good things about it and sell them to get some money. I ended up getting a '77 Sedan deVille for just over $3000, with only 46k miles on it. So I did. I later sold that and bought an '84 Lincoln Town Car for $2200, which has served me much better than any of the five Cadillacs I have owned. I sometimes wish I could have kept the '82, but hey, hindsight is 20/20. At the time, I did what I had to do.
22nd Jul 2002, 10:57
I have a 1983 Fleetwood with the 4100, and THAT is an underpowered car. I figure that, with some modifications, I could get a 368 to go in (they put them in the Limo version). That is, of course, if it's not one the 8-6-4 deals.
Was there a power-train mistake that Cadillac did not make in the 80's? I just replaced my 4100, and I want to make it at least 10,000 miles before the next problem.
29th Aug 2002, 02:25
The 368 cid engines with the 8-6-4 feature are the same engines as the other 368 Cadillac engines and the 8-6-4 feature can be easily disabled while installing the motor in the car.
5th Sep 2002, 18:29
I currently own a 1985 Cadillac Seville with the HT4100 engine also and I've read the previous comments about that engine. I'm wondering if a 4.3 liter v6 engine from a Chevy s10. I haven't actually taken a closer look at how the trans./engine connection bolt together to see if it could bolt right into that transmission. This is just a thought I had from hearing about those engine conversions.
2nd Oct 2002, 20:54
I own a 1982 Cadillac Coupe Deville with a V-6 engine, 92,000 miles, Original 8-track, Floor Mats, and Hub Caps. I paid $1500 for it and I believe it was money well spent. I am the second owner, the previous was an older man who used the car for running to the store and church. The only concern I had with buying this car was the fact that it wasn't a V-8, But after reading what you guys have written I feel better. I previously owned a 1979 Coupe and I really haven't been able to tell the difference in power or gas mileage, they both take off slow, but get up to speed quick and maintain good. I'll be putting it on the road for the first time to attend the Tennessee Vols and Kentucky game. I guess I'll get back with you then and let you know how she does...
22nd Oct 2002, 16:09
I have an 83 Eldorado with the HT4100,& so far I have been very pleased with its performance. This engine has the potential to be very reliable with a few modifications. I purchased this car at 94,000 miles with a blown head gasket. Before I began to fix it, I did my homework on the 4100. I found mass amounts of information about it. This engine is very complicated & bolt torques must be EXACT. This engine uses cylinder inserts completely surrounded by antifreeze. The Block is made from an aluminum-alloy, & the heads are cast iron.
First of all, in 1983 gasket & casting technology were not as good as todays. As a result many 4100's have a nasty reputation for blown head gaskets & engines failing due to coolant contamination of the engine oil.
Second, there were several inferior parts used in the original 4100's which general motors has issued Technical Service Bulletins for. The worst being the camshaft. The GM supplier of camshafts for the 4100 was caught using inferior quality metals for camshafts. As a result the camlobes would round-over very quickly. Replace the Camshaft with a "NEW", not reground, camshaft & that problem is solved. There is also a service bulletin for the 4100 that states that the original intake manifold gaskets may seep anti- freeze into the engine oil. Replace the intake manifold gaskets & that problem is solved. The service manual procedure MUST BE FOLLOWED EXACTLY when toquing the intake manifold bolts. The Engine oil pump was a very poor design & does not provide sufficient oil pressure & that by itself will slowly destroy the engine. Replace the Factory Pump with a new aftermarket model. The head-bolt torque has been revised. The new bolt torque is much tighter than the original factory torque. Also you must use a special sealer in the anti- freeze to seal any porosity in the block. I made these modifications At 94,000 miles and I know have 126,000 Miles and have not had any problems with my engine. I change the oil every 3,000 miles.
I installed platinum+4 spark plugs, an Accel ignition Coil & wires, & a K&N air filter. This added quite a bit of horsepower.
21st Jun 2002, 19:36
It breaks my heart too, that you had such a nice car crushed.
My car is an '84 DeVille. It's been a "One Family" car since it was a new car. I bought it from my uncle about 5 years ago when it only had 28,000 original miles on it. I've put about 80,000 miles on it since then (it now has 108,000 miles).
I've been scrupulous about getting oil changes every 3,000 miles and flushing the radiator out once a year. I've also replaced numerous parts simply because I thought it was a good idea. Rubber dries out after a while and I've replaced most of the rubber parts under the hood. My last major undertaking was asking my mechanic to fix all the things that were leaking under the car. (Same mechanic since the car was new, I might add.) I've also replaced the rear air shocks, etc.
My car died out this week and coasted to a stop. None of the lights inside ever came on and the car didn't smoke. I thought it might have been the alternator or a fuel filter. I had the car towed to my mechanic.
One fuel filter was totally clogged, but he also noticed that the car had very little fluid in the radiator. He has tried to reseal the head gasket with something that has come out in the last couple of years -- but we don't know if it will take or not. Right now he says the engine seems "kind of flat" but he's not saying I should replace it yet.
Worst come to worst, I will replace the engine. According to my mechanic, they have new rebuilt engines that have steel shields on them (supposedly better than the original engine). He does not recommend a reconditioned engine. He says the rebuilt ones come with warranties, etc.
I too, baby my car. I am hoping to get about 300,000 miles out of this car. I love the fact I have no car payment. I love the "land yacht" aspect. The car runs great, gets very good gas mileage (24 mpg highway), and has loads of room. It's just an exceptionally good car. With no car payment, I can afford to put money into fixing it.
I'm terribly sad that you had a perfectly good car taken to the junk yard. Yes, engines cost money, but so does buying another car. I'm putting my money into fixing the one I have versus looking for something else to buy.