My family and I recently purchased a used 2000 DTS, it had 56k miles on it when I picked it up in Utah (Bountiful, UT Specialties Auto ). I flew down and drove it back to our Eastern Oregon home, no problems, fell in love with the thing.

A week or so into it, the \"Service Engine\" light turned on... I purchased an engine decoder (?) to read the problem (Amazon, only $75), the engine ran just fine, better then fine. The engine light was due to a \"Misfire in Cylinder 2\". Figured the spark plug needed to be replaced. I am not a mechanic, so I checked with the local auto parts store, they recommended a fuel injector cleaner then look to the spark plug, then to the wires...

Fast forward three weeks no problems, injector cleaner does not seem to be working, light keeps coming on. My wife and my mom take the care 45 miles out of town, the car overheats... Of course I am sure that my wife was driving it hard... Gets it home just fine, it then does it to me on my twenty mile jaunt to work, then back from work. Took it to the local GM dealer, figure the thermostat has gone bad, I am running through antifreeze, but I am not blowing any kind of smoke, I do not have any water in the oil, no oil in the antifreeze, the coolant just does not want to cool.

I get the call today, blown head gasket. $2600+ to fix it. Utah has a wonderful lemon law for dealers, none, unless it is new. No recourse on the vehicle, the dealer states they will not do anything for us, that this is common on the N* engine.

My question, if I pay to have the head gasket replaced, what are the chances that the other side will go in the next little while? It was just as hot as the side that went bad. So far no cracks in the block or the heads (so far... they will check this out if they replace the gasket), but is it worth the money to replace one or even both sides, or would it be better to replace the whole engine? Can that even been done for a reasonable price? Is there an alternative engine that would work?

I love the car. Absolutely love it. It is beautiful. Drives like a dream (except for the blessed \"camel mode\"). We have put a little over 2k miles on it since we purchased it.

What do I do? This is my first Cadillac. I don't want to toss it, but I also do not want it to become a money pit. I am not a mechanic, we tried to find a car that would not require a mechanic for an owner... Please help!

First off, you do not need a code reader. The Cadillacs are self diagnostic. Check the Tech Tips section (sticky) for instructions on how to get the codes.

Don't bother having only one head gasket done. The engine has to be removed to do it so there is absolutely no sense in only doing one. Also be absolutely sure that they Timesert all 20 head bolt holes or you'll likely have another failure.

I think Chazglenn3 decided to R & R the engine vs repairing it and found Timeserted rebuilts at custom inovations in Madison Wisc. if I remember correctly for something like $2700 with a 3 yr warranty. Of coarse you have to add shipping and installation. Charles will likely chime in with details.

Best of luck whichever way you go.

\"Wait until your have some suspension problems....\"

WOW! Are the DeVille's notorious for suspension issues too?

What could I be looking at cost wise for a decent replacement? Anything close to Oregon/Idaho/Washington area that anyone knows of?

Quote:
WOW! Are the DeVille's notorious for suspension issues too?
No. Devilles have passive suspension. It's the Sevilles with active (road sensing) suspension that are expensive when they fail.

Other problems you might encounter are:

1. power windows. Many many GMs have window problems.
2. the drive unit for the pass side a/c vents (under dash). Pass side units fail; driver side does not.

Good fast car. Keep and eye on fan belt that controls water pump. Many garages do not know it exists. (You don't need to worry about that for 3 years or so.)

Good luck.

Quote:
No. Devilles have passive suspension. It's the Sevilles with active (road sensing) suspension that are expensive when they fail.

I just checked my 2000 consumer guide.The 2000 DTS came with the road sensing suspension as standard equipment. The DHS and base Deville do not have it. I am not sure how they much changed the RSS between 96 and 2000. But for my 1996 the shocks were 1000 dollars a piece(active ones), control arms were 1000 (you can't just replace the bushing), the sensor for each shock i believe is 400 dollars. Now you can switch over to a passive system, the kit is around 620 dollars from suncore industries or arnott. Another thing you may run into; crankshaft position sensors (gm had a bad supplier of these).I am not sure if they redesigned it but, if your abs or wheel speed sensor fails, you must replace the entire hub assembly, around 400 dollars( for the part). Personally I believe caddys are expensive to keep on the road. Parts are usually more expensive than your average car on these. Don't forget it takes 8 quarts of oil for an oil change, other cars ive owned usually only take 4-4 and a half quarts. Some places will charge you more becuase of that. Having said all that, its a kick ass car with some amazing power, and presence.