17th Jan 2007, 14:24
Ahh, Massey Cadillac. They are a pretty good dealer, but I have found them to be rather doom and gloom, and the like to suggest repairs seemingly out of nowhere.
8th Jun 2008, 12:01
You gave a very good review of your car. Even though you had trouble with the car at the end, it did very well for an 84. The rear wheel drive Caddys with the HT4100 engine were geared for high RPM;3.42:1. That explains why the transmission dropped it's gears and why the timing chain broke.
3rd Oct 2008, 19:38
1983 Cadillac Deville 4100 E.D.Fuel Injection. I paid $500.00 clams for the car in June 2008 and drove it for 2 months with no problem including trips over back road gravel. Then it quit on me for about 1/2 hr. Crank but not run. It fired up and I drove 60 miles to a garage. A fuse and fuel filter and off I went to stall in a major intersection... tow truck to garage. Off I went again with no problem that could be found... broke down in a medium intersection at rush hour and had it towed back. Put a new Coil (Modulator) and drove for 300 miles and a week before I went over some railway tracks and low and behold it quit again. Crank but no run. So I took the panel off to get at the fuses and am checking them. A key orange wire with a black stripe was hanging off, and I may have dislodged it pulling fuses. The fuel pump is in the tank and it could be a ground problem or wiring in the tank. Never the less I am finished with this magnificant car... terrific ride when it runs, but after quitting 4 times without a solution I have had it. It has 94,000 originalkm and one owner. No rust, Interior as new... actually without this problem and $300.00 of body work to clean up the scraps it would be close to excellent. I have never had a car that could not be fixed without methodically replacing a lot of parts to remedy the problem. Luck, CF Canada.
6th Jun 2010, 08:45
Sorry to hear of your troubles with your caddy. My 84 DeVille 4.1 liter has been absolutely reliable for 10 years. I bought it for around $3k with around 64K on the odometer. It now has 116K on odometer and has been a super reliable car. I have not spent even $1000 since buying it for any repairs.
From what I am reading, seems it will not hold up into the 150K range. No more than I have invested in it though, I will not complain if it gets too much to care for in its old age.
I have had little to repair on it during my 10 years. The biggie was the climate control, which I had done because it could be one of 3 items in trouble and there are no refunds on electrical parts. It cost me $500 and they replaced not only the climate control, but the gizmo that keeps the evap coil from icing over (which I would likely have missed had I done the job.)
Just recently the climate control is again acting up. 7 years from when I had it replaced before. Same symptoms, blower not working but compressor cycling normally. Heat and defog out of commission too, as 7 yrs ago. Cannot find a new unit and no longer in production. Am looking at rigging a toggle switch to operate blower fan to effect a cure for the air conditioning. That should restore defog and heat as well.
Other than that, it has been a pleasure to own and drive. Not enough engine for the size/weight of the car. A 350 is a better match for the size than a 4.1 liter engine, which is likely why I only see the Fleetwoods around and never the metric DeVilles. I always do 99% of all work on my cars at home in my workshop building, (which now has a hydraulic hoist, praise be to God!)
I would rate the 84 Caddy as a good reliable large car, like a Lincoln Town car for reliability and ride. I suspect the Town Car would outlast the caddy into old age though, if all things were equal such as mileage.
20th Oct 2006, 10:14
Sorry to hear of all the problems you had with your car. I have an 83 Coupe deVille with 39k miles on it. I LOVE this car.
Cadillac is a life style. I had a 90 Eldorado Biarritz, a 98 Catera, and the 83 Coupe deVille. They require a LOT of upkeep and money. That just comes with owning a Cadillac. That is why elderly people make such great Cadillac owners as they tend to have all the time in the world to keep these touchy cars in order.
On my 83, I have the LOF done every 2k miles, the coolant changed and pellets added every year. I have NEVER had any of the issues with the 4.1 that have been reported.