2001 Cadillac Eldorado ETC touring

[DBOND1]

longtime member, sold my 1952 6219 about a year ago through self-starter. Missing a Cadillac in my garage. Purchasing a 2001 Eldorado ETC touring tomorrow. I am aware of all the various service issues in particular Norstar head gasket and cooling system. Will perform combustion test before purchase, other than that carfax shows excellent timely maintenance since new at authorized Cadillac dealers. I thought I would look at forum and search for 2001 Eldorado info. I see it is very scarce, wondering if 2001 too new to be considered in CLC. I would like to know best place to purchase a parts and service manual as on any 21-year-old car things are going to wear out and break and I intend to repair any that I am capable of doing. Thanks for your comments.

[James Landi]

Dennis,

I've been mouthing off here for nearly a decade, and no one apparently cares that I drive a 2007 XLR and a 2006  SRX....  I think your new ride will be "old school" for some in the club. I've owned several Northstars.  I always kept up the maintenance, and never pushed the engines and transmissions.   I hope your new//old car will provide you with years' of pleasure and pride.   James

[Carfreak]

Guys,

FWIW, the CLC National Board and particularly the Membership Committee have been talking about how to engage newer vintage Cadillac owners such as those from 2000s. 

Dennis, your 'new' 2001 Eldorado ETC is eligible for CLC Judging at the GN. 

James, your 2007 XLR and 2006 SRX are also eligible. 

It is the entrant's responsibility to ensure the car(s) is/are entered by the deadline(s). Call Cynthia Rutledge to confirm: (303) 673-0011. All entries received by the registrar after June 3, 2022, will be rejected for judging; however, the cars can/will be displayed. No changes to judged vehicles (i.e. different car, change of class or status) after June 3, 2022, unless permission is granted by the National Chief Judge.

NOTE A: Eligibility—Cars eligible for judging include:
Touring—2012 and earlier
Primary—2002 and earlier
Specialty & Unique—2002 and earlier
Preservation—1992 and earlier
Display—2022 and earlier.

NOTE B: Body Identification—Compare the numbers on the car's body plate against the Body Style charts published in the CLC 2022 International Membership Directory. The CLC reserves the right to use the correct body style descriptions when publishing material relating to your Cadillac or LaSalle.

NOTE C: Special Entry Requirements
Modified Division Entrants—A supplemental application is required and will be provided by the registrar after processing this form.
Preservation Division Entrants—Must complete and attach an image of a Preservation Application Form (see page 107 of the CLC 2022 International Membership Directory).
Preservation vehicles may also be judged in Primary, Touring, or Specialty & Unique Divisions; if not, it must be entered in Display. There is no additional entry fee for Preservation Division judging.

NOTE D: Senior Award Cars—Enter the Senior Badge number. Check your vehicle's Senior Badge number in the 2022 CLC Directory (pp. 108–119).

[Carfreak]

Your cars are made to drive but if the distance is a bit much for you to make the GN in June, there is a CLC Driving Tour planned for late October / early November.

It is starting in Virginia Beach VA and heading south. 

[DBOND1]

Thanks for the responses. I did a head gasket test and the car failed. I'm now checking with a local rebuilder who has extensive Northstar experience for cost to repair and upgrade bolts. While waiting I priced new engine at 2 sites Jasper and another performance site. About $6500 plus tax from Jasper and about $8000 from other site not counting labor to R and R and clean out cooling system. Dealer says make offer, vehicle has other cosmetic interior and exterior issues at least 2K and who knows what else. not sure what my decision will be other than a real lowball offer 1K if I decide to move ahead. What do you folks think?

[James Landi]

Dennis,

My thinking--- does everything else on the car work?  What would the dealer charge to have a complete inspection report to you?  How many miles on it?   Would you get into "the might as wells" with the car, that is ,repair things that seem small but carry at big price?  FOr instance, does the car throw codes that seem small but are big cost items, such a suspension codes, catalytic converter codes, etc. etc.  All this is to say that $1,000 can cost you a lot of money and a world of pain.   You might be better off searching for a low mileage one, owned and driven by someone of my advanced age  (babied and garaged)   Hope this helps,  James

[dinhnguyen57]

There's a lot of similar cars out there in better condition.  I would look for a low mileage pristine condition car.  They are all affordable.  You probably can sell it later for not much of a loss.  On the other hand, if you bought this car and replaced the motor, it will be harder to sell it later.

[DBOND1]

Thank you for your good advice, I'm inclined to agree with you. I'm going to keep my eyes open for a better example, through self starter and just resubscribed to Hemmings motor news again after cancelling it years ago. Thank you, so glad for the Cadillac Lasalle Club and all the information available on the website.

[V63]

I bought a similar era northstar with visible water vapor from both exhaust. No water in crankcase noted. 100k miles. I offered $1,000 for the car, aware of the risk.
I bought a product called "K- seal Ultimate". The product Is promoted as a PERMANENT repair SPECIFIC for head gasket repairs. $35

No flushing, antifreeze compatible...just create enough coolant volume for 16oz product ....pour into unfastened upper radiator hose. close system and start engine,  exhaust cleared in under 5 minutes.

I have driven the car 100% , I drive assertively.  all terrain, sustained speeds of 90 MPH...now approaching 5,000 miles and absolutely zero issues.

See product video below.
👇🏽

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LH4sLAmYc6Q

[59-in-pieces]

Dennis,

I'm curious how you tested for bad head gaskets, and found 1 or 2 bad.
Please share.

Have fun,
Steve B.

[DBOND1]

I used a lisle 75500 combustion leak tester. My Brother in law who is an extremely excellent mechanic who owned his own auto repair business since he returned from Korea War did the test. almost immediately the blue test liquid turned from blue to yellow. we did the test twice and it failed both times. Don't know if it is one or two heads leaking but doesn't really matter. Dealer did safety report prior to my arrival. it also showed that the camshaft positioning sensor was bad and that the #2 cylinder missfired and failed psi test. Hope this answers your question