General STS thread
Re: General STS thread
So on my commute I think it did warm up faster, especially considering it was in the upper 20s. It's probably warming up about as fast as it is supposed to. If I had to do it again I'd probably splurge for the OEM stat and possibly a new gasket but I don't seem to have any leaks.
Re: General STS thread
Wife borrows car tuesday. I didn't drive it yesterday. This morning, I start it and there's a check engine light. That seems about right.
Probably the cat code, which would have come back a lot sooner than it did the first time. I will check.
Probably the cat code, which would have come back a lot sooner than it did the first time. I will check.
Re: General STS thread
This is just a little thing I discovered.
I prefer to lock my doors from the remote when everything is closed because from what I know about factory alarms, it doesn't arm unless everything is closed. Sometimes my hands are full and it is annoying to hit the button on the remote once I grab a bunch of stuff. So it just dawned on me that maybe I can press lock on the remote with a door open, or the trunk open, and when I shut those, it will automatically arm. I tried it. The lights did NOT flash, because the system did not arm, which I expected. And, guess what - when I closed the trunk (keys in pocket, hands full of stuff), the lights flashed just like as if I had pressed the button. So that is pretty cool and probably not unique to the STS at all but it is convenient nonetheless. I like the feedback, to let me know that I definitely pressed the lock button previously.
Still annoyed that neither the STS or SRX will do a horn chirp upon pressing lock once on the remote. You have to press twice, then it chirps. On my CTS-V you can set it to chirp on press which I use as I don't need to look at the car to know it locked. I have also set the truck to chirp on lock (yes it is configurable, just not through a screen).
The Roadmaster cannot chirp and the Caprice has no keyless entry....
I prefer to lock my doors from the remote when everything is closed because from what I know about factory alarms, it doesn't arm unless everything is closed. Sometimes my hands are full and it is annoying to hit the button on the remote once I grab a bunch of stuff. So it just dawned on me that maybe I can press lock on the remote with a door open, or the trunk open, and when I shut those, it will automatically arm. I tried it. The lights did NOT flash, because the system did not arm, which I expected. And, guess what - when I closed the trunk (keys in pocket, hands full of stuff), the lights flashed just like as if I had pressed the button. So that is pretty cool and probably not unique to the STS at all but it is convenient nonetheless. I like the feedback, to let me know that I definitely pressed the lock button previously.
Still annoyed that neither the STS or SRX will do a horn chirp upon pressing lock once on the remote. You have to press twice, then it chirps. On my CTS-V you can set it to chirp on press which I use as I don't need to look at the car to know it locked. I have also set the truck to chirp on lock (yes it is configurable, just not through a screen).
The Roadmaster cannot chirp and the Caprice has no keyless entry....
Re: General STS thread
Saving this for future door handle micro-switch replacement if that should become necessary.
Part 1: http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/ca ... t-how.html
Part 2: http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/ca ... t-how.html
And actually this is really the switch replacement thread that I wanted: http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/ca ... witch.html
Says $4. Ha.
Good logic to save:
Part 1: http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/ca ... t-how.html
Part 2: http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/ca ... t-how.html
And actually this is really the switch replacement thread that I wanted: http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/ca ... witch.html
Says $4. Ha.
Good logic to save:
This makes sense as it does not request the presence of the fob if you pull the handle with the car unlocked. So if it opens unlocked, it is an antenna issue. I will try that next time this happens. Of course if it is somehow both the antenna and switch then I pretty much need a new handle. They are paint to match, of course.Generally speaking, if you press the unlock button on your fob, pull the handle and the door opens, the problem is quite likely the antenna. If you unlock the car but the door doesn't open when you pull the handle, switch(es) are quite likely the cause. The testing matrix will help to better pinpoint where the problem is.
Re: General STS thread
Got my part. Filed it down. Filed the seat down. Fitted it up and epoxied. I think this will hold up fine. I also epoxied the other tab to give it a little extra assistance.
Working on it last night. More filing today. Time to mix up the epoxy.
Working on it last night. More filing today. Time to mix up the epoxy.
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Re: General STS thread
I spread it on the seat, installed the piece, and then spread it around the top, pushing it into the crevices as best as I could.
Reinforcement on the other side.
Trying to compare sides. I tried to make the angles about the same so it would retain the cover in about the same place. This is all gravy because anything is better than a completely broken tab.
Gave a little help to this fabric area as one of the staples was pulling out. Found a screw and washer that fits.
I will give this a good 24 hours to cure. I also have to decide if I want to see if I can figure out what's wrong with the lumber before I put the cover on. Now that I know how to remove it I guess it isn't a big deal.
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Re: General STS thread
Put the cover back on. I'll get a pic. Fits right.
So I did an oil change and took a good look at the engine mount situation. It looks bad.
But I found this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqXs-04K5bQ
I hope the layout copies over to the STS. On the driver's side where it is tightest, it looks like you remove the axle (never done this before) and loosen the exhaust manifold heat shield. Then you can access the top nut. The bottom nut is already accessible.
For the passenger side. it looks like he partially unbolted the alternator and pushed it out of the way to get in and remove the mount. He had to support the engine and jack it up a bit. To do that, he had to remove the belts (have to do that for the alternator anyway), and also disconnect the fan since it would hit the shroud.
It took a professional mechanic about an hour to remove both mounts. It'll probably take me at least 3x that but still this seems much more doable than it seemed when I was under the car. Also it looks easier on a lift...
So I did an oil change and took a good look at the engine mount situation. It looks bad.
But I found this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqXs-04K5bQ
I hope the layout copies over to the STS. On the driver's side where it is tightest, it looks like you remove the axle (never done this before) and loosen the exhaust manifold heat shield. Then you can access the top nut. The bottom nut is already accessible.
For the passenger side. it looks like he partially unbolted the alternator and pushed it out of the way to get in and remove the mount. He had to support the engine and jack it up a bit. To do that, he had to remove the belts (have to do that for the alternator anyway), and also disconnect the fan since it would hit the shroud.
It took a professional mechanic about an hour to remove both mounts. It'll probably take me at least 3x that but still this seems much more doable than it seemed when I was under the car. Also it looks easier on a lift...
Re: General STS thread
Oil change this weekend. 8 qts GC 0W-30. Life remaining was 18%. Interval was 8,432 miles. So the total interval would have been around 10,283 had I let it run all the way down.
This is all just fine because I added a total of 4 makeup quarts so technically over this interval half of the oil was replaced. Getting somewhere around 2,400 miles to the quart. Not great but there is definitely some leaking. On these the valve covers (cam covers?) are pretty much guaranteed to leak. It's a bit of a PITA to do one of them (maybe pass side) so given my history of fixing oil leaks (marginal) I'll probably ignore this for a while longer.
This is all just fine because I added a total of 4 makeup quarts so technically over this interval half of the oil was replaced. Getting somewhere around 2,400 miles to the quart. Not great but there is definitely some leaking. On these the valve covers (cam covers?) are pretty much guaranteed to leak. It's a bit of a PITA to do one of them (maybe pass side) so given my history of fixing oil leaks (marginal) I'll probably ignore this for a while longer.
Re: General STS thread
Fun fact that I forgot to report from a week or two ago: I was in the touchless car wash and put the wipers on intermittent, which is also the rain sensing mode. I wanted to see what they would do in a car wash. To my surprise, due to the continuous water on the windshield, they not only went to low speed (as opposed to a fast intermittent) but even cycled to high speed at one point. It did this while on the lowest sensitivity/frequency setting which is really why I was surprised, because I don't think I've seen it go to low (let alone high) in that setting.
Seat back is still perfectly attached.
Clunking is still absent except, I assume, for the occasional caliper rattle that is still on my list. I really enjoy this platform. It is tight and connected to the road.
Headlight still has not taken on water but it has had significant condensation pretty much 2 weeks after I sealed it. So that tells me I did fix the issue (and recall that it was a mangled ballast cover gasket which was negligence on someone's part) but did not dry it thoroughly enough before resealing.
My left rear tire is wearing the outer shoulder pretty badly. I don't know if this is due to driving around with the rear suspension at the wrong height but I can say the right side is NOT doing it. So maybe alignment? The PO did annual alignments. Maybe that is why (cannot rotate tires as it is a 235/255 directional split). I was thinking about what I will do for my next set of tires. With this car I do care about performance so I will probably splurge for a fairly quality set of high performance all seasons (I would consider Michelin, too). But I will also probably switch to 255/45 all the way around so I can at least rotate front to back. If I can get a non-directional tread, even better, as I can add side to side rotations and get the most mileage out of my next set of tires.
Seat back is still perfectly attached.
Clunking is still absent except, I assume, for the occasional caliper rattle that is still on my list. I really enjoy this platform. It is tight and connected to the road.
Headlight still has not taken on water but it has had significant condensation pretty much 2 weeks after I sealed it. So that tells me I did fix the issue (and recall that it was a mangled ballast cover gasket which was negligence on someone's part) but did not dry it thoroughly enough before resealing.
My left rear tire is wearing the outer shoulder pretty badly. I don't know if this is due to driving around with the rear suspension at the wrong height but I can say the right side is NOT doing it. So maybe alignment? The PO did annual alignments. Maybe that is why (cannot rotate tires as it is a 235/255 directional split). I was thinking about what I will do for my next set of tires. With this car I do care about performance so I will probably splurge for a fairly quality set of high performance all seasons (I would consider Michelin, too). But I will also probably switch to 255/45 all the way around so I can at least rotate front to back. If I can get a non-directional tread, even better, as I can add side to side rotations and get the most mileage out of my next set of tires.
Re: General STS thread
I have been meaning to post this for a week now.
There is road construction in Jamestown. They are resurfacing the highway which means as they go in sections, there are big dips down and big bumps back up. There is one area where they left a high area where there is, I guess, a manhole cover or something. It is on a soft left hand corner and at 50-65 mph really twists the car because typically only the right side runs up and down it, so it is a good test of chassis control.
What I wanted to post were my thoughts on how the STS with the FE3/MR setup handles all of that.
Basically it's pretty dramatic. It is one area where you can really feel the MR system working, and modifying damping in real time through the dips/bumps. On the dip, when many cars would sort of fall down and bounce once (or twice, or more) and then regain composure, the STS does like a perfectly damped thing where it goes down, immediately settles and then it's done. Bounce is completely arrested and eliminated. It doesn't even feel like it rebounds, even one time. It also feels awesome on that light left hand turn where the right side of the car goes up and comes back down. It reminds me of stuff Randy Pobst has said about some GM cars with MR, how they can effortlessly be driven over the apex curb of a track and just be totally fine with it. This is like that. It just goes up, comes down, and it is instantly done with the bump. It's not like an isolated luxury car where everything is absorbed, but it is most likely softer than other cars that have this kind of ride control.
Anyway I thought that was cool. This is fairly early in the MR lifecycle as an 05 but it clearly was effective, even then.
There is road construction in Jamestown. They are resurfacing the highway which means as they go in sections, there are big dips down and big bumps back up. There is one area where they left a high area where there is, I guess, a manhole cover or something. It is on a soft left hand corner and at 50-65 mph really twists the car because typically only the right side runs up and down it, so it is a good test of chassis control.
What I wanted to post were my thoughts on how the STS with the FE3/MR setup handles all of that.
Basically it's pretty dramatic. It is one area where you can really feel the MR system working, and modifying damping in real time through the dips/bumps. On the dip, when many cars would sort of fall down and bounce once (or twice, or more) and then regain composure, the STS does like a perfectly damped thing where it goes down, immediately settles and then it's done. Bounce is completely arrested and eliminated. It doesn't even feel like it rebounds, even one time. It also feels awesome on that light left hand turn where the right side of the car goes up and comes back down. It reminds me of stuff Randy Pobst has said about some GM cars with MR, how they can effortlessly be driven over the apex curb of a track and just be totally fine with it. This is like that. It just goes up, comes down, and it is instantly done with the bump. It's not like an isolated luxury car where everything is absorbed, but it is most likely softer than other cars that have this kind of ride control.
Anyway I thought that was cool. This is fairly early in the MR lifecycle as an 05 but it clearly was effective, even then.