My 1967 Eldorado has 116K miles and runs pretty good but the engine did get hot recently because the radiator leaked coolant. I was wondering if I should replace the head gasket, timing chain, water pump and fan clutch just due to the milage. I was considering a valve job too. I thought it may be a good time while the radiator is already out.
Thanks for your opinions,
Jake
Here I would have changed the timing chain to an all steel true
roller set long ago, pretty much lifetime. Head gaskets I would
never touch unless there was a problem. Water pumps I swap
at about 60,000 miles to avoid failures on the road. Use NEW,
a so called rebuilt may still have the original bearing and seal
you want renewed. Fan clutch I usually leave till it fails, non
critical (if you can watch a temp gauge). Bruce Roe
Mr. Roe Left out the radiator in his nearly comprehensive list. Deposits in the radiator core can truly screw up your engine. ALso, check the heat riser on the exhaust. If it is stuck in the partially closed position, it too can cause havoc. All this said, BEFORE you do a deep dive into the engine internals, do the following: Heat riser, radiator, check cooling system with a leak down test, take a compression test. I would ask club members for recommendations on radiator replacement and just how to determine the present position of your heat riser (which is likely stuck at the half way geometry, causing your car's engine to experience back pressure, loss of power, a good deal of internal heat and possible exhaust valve issues. James
When you perform a compression check, do it first twice and get a set of readings, Then again after adding some oil to each cylinder. If the compression rating improves with oil, then you know you have some wear on the cylinder walls/rings. If not then any compression shortcoming would likely improve with a valve job.
Yes the timing chain should have been replaced a while ago. You can replace it without removing the engine, but you will not be able to drop the oil pan. Probably you should remove the engine to do this as a nice winter project. Unfortunately the hood has to be removed to get engine out. If you remove engine then yes also remove transmission and replace all soft parts and gaskets. When engine is removed there are another whole set of might as wells - clean engine bay, any suspension work, motor mounts, replace heater core, replace wiring and etc.
Yeah, I'm sorting out the steering and suspension now, she's up on jack stands. I just want to get her back on the road. I will take some compression readings.
Thanks all,
Jake
Jake, I did own the same year and model back in the early 70's through mid 80's... and the advice regarding the cooling system, the exhaust heat riser, timing chain and water pump are all necessary concerns--- also, take a close look at the functioning of your vacuum advance-- if it leaks vacuum, your engine won't idle perfectly among other problems. Mine ran well without much maintenance up through 160,000 miles, but I never pushed the engine, and kept the cooling system flushed, so you may wish to "staged" these more intrusive and time consuming maintenance items around your projected use of your vehicle on a seasonal basis. Because the 67 did not have the 472 engine, I think the engine may have been a bit more durable. Be prepared to replace two large front wheel bearing... they were expensive and were "one model year only" items... I recall 35 years ago, that Cadillac charge me over $400 per side. It's a beautiful car, and when running decently, it is a gem.