1st Nov 2010, 01:24
I had a 4100 in my '86 Deville, and never had any problems with it until about 125,000 miles, when it did overheat. Wasn't destroyed though, but I sold it quickly for $600, fearing the worst.
Couldn't one swap out the 4100 in the early 1980s Eldorado or Seville for the Oldsmobile 307, which was found in Oldsmobile Toronados and Buick Rivieras of the same platform? That's a reliable, durable motor.
21st Nov 2010, 14:27
My first car was a 1984 Eldorado, sand grey with dark brown leather and top in 1990. I fell in love with that car the first moment I laid eyes on it. My parents bought it for my 16th birthday. I took great care of the car, and had it until 94. That car would go in the shop one week with a bill of $1000, and back in the next week with a bill of $1500. That 4100 was awful. Replaced the water pump I don't know how many times. The night we brought it home, the trunk bar broke under the back window, the car overheated and a couple other things. It was one of the best bodies Caddy ever made. The engine was replaced with a new one in 1992, and it was awful also. I still love that car even to this day. I would love to find it.
21st Nov 2010, 14:31
Continued:
My second Cadillac was an 81 Eldorado, got it in Winter Haven from an estate sale, it was a diesel. Couldn't get it started on a regular basis. I replaced it with a late 70's Delta 88 307? I think. Ran great. The guy who changed it didn't replace the O rings and that was another $400. But, the car was in mint condition as far as int/ext. I did have to replace the rubber with the newer fiberglass. But this was the long way around to answer... Yes, you can replace the bad engines of the early 80's Eldogs with a great Olds V8.
27th Jan 2012, 19:34
I had a 1984 HT4100 Cadillac Eldorado for 14 years. It had so many bells and whistles, and power everything. Interestingly, none of the bells, whistles, or power anything ever worked. I was in love with the styling, and expected a good cry when I parted with the 125 hp, two and a half ton slug of a lemon.
I was surprised when I did not cry at all when I parted with it; I simply added up all the service bills and cried at $14,000 dollars I had spent on a car that never worked!
12th Jun 2012, 00:02
This review sounds like I wrote it, but didn't. I had the same exact problems with my 82.
17th Dec 2012, 00:32
I purchased a 1996 Cadillac Eldorado 2 years ago. It passed smog with flying colors. Had 3 previous owners. 2 were related, so more like 2 previous owners. Older folks up the hills of the Pondarosa, Ca.
Soon the gas was leaking out. The antifreeze had a loose area somewhere. One day after work, it just didn't turn or fire up. After letting it sit and attempting to accumulate money, I had a friend install a new part, as I'd read previously about gas getting into the oil. Eventually in getting it running, the starter CRACKED. Replaced it. Did a tune up. Drove back and forth for a few months until the cold night of Thanksgiving. The defroster just didn't seem to want to function or heat. It began to tell me the engine was overheating. I had checked fluids almost every day, except on this occasion it had been ONE WEEK. Needless to say, it overheated big time. Needs a heater core, re-routed some lines, but it just drops water back on the ground. For a while it was just being flooded inside on the passenger side.
I purchased vehicle at the current Blue Book; it was 3,200. I have it on Craigslist for 1,000 and everyone wants to slash the price.
Now I'm looking at a 1983 Cadillac Biarritz with low miles on a fairly new engine of 30 thousand, and a good smog history. Family owned (Grandma/Grampa - son selling it for them now)... Am I just setting myself up for another fall or what? Please email zeeayseekay@aol.com.
17th Feb 2015, 02:46
I have two 85 Eldos. One is a commemorative edition blue with a 2 tone blue and white interior, and the other is a triple white Biarritz convertible, and to tell you the truth, with regular maintenance I have never had any trouble with either one. They are the most comfortable and nicest riding cars I have ever owned. I personally think that in the future you aren't gonna be able to touch them. Not that I would ever sell mine; they are just too pretty to part with.
17th Feb 2015, 11:40
I owned a 70 Cadillac Fleetwood. It had none of these issues. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I liked the elegant styling of mine. It had enormous fuel thirst with none of the high repairs or smog robbing HP devices.
During this period we went to Town Cars. Again very reliable as well. Sometimes you catch a bad era of cars. You can always switch back another decade. In 2015 you buy a 630 HP Cadillac with a manual trans. Pretty amazing.
17th Feb 2015, 22:29
The problem with Cadillac in the early-mid '80s was the dreadful HT 4100 V8. It's a shame because the '82 -85 Coupe DeVilles and Eldos were beautiful.
20th Feb 2015, 10:56
Would it be feasible and within reason cost-wise to replace the unfortunate 4100 with a reliable Oldsmobile 307, as found in the Toronado?
20th Feb 2015, 22:36
It definitely can be done, but much work is involved.
The engine mounts, computer, A/C and fuel system are all different.
21st Apr 2015, 23:04
The comment you replied to was posted over 11 years ago... pretty sure they figured out the solution to the overheating problem by now.
19th Nov 2016, 05:51
I just bought on July 25, 2016 a 6,500 mile all original Biarritz and it is with a doubt the nicest old car I have ever driven. I bought an 83 Biarritz when new and regretted trading it 6 years and 25k later. I never had one single issue. This car is not anemic, nor was my new one in 83. I think sometimes when you buy a used car, you get a used car. Also, if you were able to buy one new like myself and you treated it with love and kept up with the maintenance schedule, then you should never have an issue.
I find the car to have just enough power for what it needs. All the people that balk need to get over it. I find the engine and electronics to be so far ahead of anything on the market at the time and I love every aspect of the car. I loved my 19k all original triple yellow Biarritz, but it was not balanced. The front end was way too heavy and the butt too light. Even though it was stunning and without flaw, I prefer the 83 to any other year.
31st Oct 2010, 16:45
Yes, I've just purchased a 1982 Cadillac Fleetwood with the 4100 in it. I just gave it a oil change and I checked the oil; it seems to have water in it, is it the head gasket or intake gasket? Should I fix it, or is their a product out there that will seal it?
Thanks.