power steering fluid

[Nick Begante]

in my front wheel drive 85 ht4100 was very low and steering whinning, should fluid be foamy and yellow, and what brand amd amount should i fill it with?

[Porter]

The fluid specification should be right on the filler cap.

Best to use a suction gun, "turkey baster", etc. and remove the existing fluid and fill to the correct level.

You can repeat that process a few times over the course of a few driving days and you will have 99percent all new fluid.

The squealing was due to a low fluid level, check all your house connections for leaks. Dont overfill.

HTH,

Porter

[Porter]

Im no expert but make sure you change the coolant every year and use the GM additive "pills" or whatever it is.

And never let it overheat.

[Mike #19861]

 Use power steering fluid. This is available at most all automotive parts outlets. Do not use Dexron.

 The foam you see in the reservoir is from cavitation caused by a low fluid level. Since the pump cannot pick up a good supply of fluid, it will pick up some air as well, causing aeration. It then just whips it around into a foam. The noise you hear, like a groaning/whining is caused by the air in the fluid. Once the fluid is topped up, this should eventually disappear. The yellow/brownish colour you see is normal for power steering fluid.

 On the subject of the HT4100, Porter is correct in saying the coolant must be changed on a bi-annual basis. This is important to prevent deterioration of the aluminum components caused by electrolsis by old coolant. Also be sure to use the engine coolant supplement part # 3634621. Use 2 tablets.

  Mike

[Porter]

Mike,

Since you have rebuilt 100s of these engines, in lieu of "beating the dead horse" about this problematic engine, where do you think GM went wrong, what was required right up front to make this engine right ?

Is the design and engineering fatally flawed due to use of dissimilar aluminum block/cast iron heads, etc. ?

I guess I am "shanghaiing" this post here but so be it.

This was the direction my thought process was lead to.

Perhaps we can also discuss the latest GM engine designs and engineering, not that we know better than their engineers.

Nuff said,

Porter

[Mike #19861]

 I think the main problem with the HT4100 was simply lack of development before it was released. Then it was up to the hapless consumer to pursue the development in subsequent years.

 Perhaps, the reason that the engine was released before it had been adequetly developed was the tide of political and social events at the time. Fuel was still at a premium, Cadillac had failed with the V864. There was a demand for fuel efficient cars, and the HT4100 was very fuel efficient. So, it was relesed before it should have been.

 Also, Roger Smith being the consummate bean counter, saw that further development was unecessary and costly. of coarse we all know what this man did to the reputation of General Motors as a whole. They are finally digging themselves out of the mess he created.

 The design was sound. Witness the reputation of the 4.9 V-8. It is a very durabe and reliable engine. It makes good power and returns excellent fuel economy. Disimilar metals have been used for decades in engines with good results. It was the small things, like the casting techniques of the block, poor head gaskets. Main bearing knocks that could have been prevented with more judicious testing. But others like camshaft failures caused by both poor material and defective oil pumps are utterly common components. No excuse for that. Simply cost cutting.

 These were the dark ages for GM. Yes, some very good and durable cars and trucks were built, but there were also many very horrible cars built. The early J-cars were pure and simple, junk. The Camaro and Corvette, while touted in their day, are compromised designs. An on and on. Perhaps the jewels of the GM fleet were the full sized RWD cars. Simple, rugged designs. From these, the C and D body Cadillacs were built. The E-bodies were a technological tour de force, introduced long before Roger Smith could ruin them. They were good cars too. Save for the problematic engines. Then there was the Fiero. That one is best left for its own discussion! Saturn, Smiths baby, was always trailing the pack. Its innovative dealer network is more or less a bean counters delight. While they have proven durable, they are certainly not inspring cars. In the early years, Saturn was a financial sink hole for GM. The primary reason for GM finally seeing the light and disposing of him.

 But as bad as some of the stuff GM was building, Ford and Chrysler were making them look good. The endless K-Car iterations form Chrysler. Rough, noisy and unrefined. Then Ford had the Tempo and Escort. They pounded out an incredible array of variations of the plebian Fox (Fairmont) platform and only recently saw fit to bury it. They based everything from dope dead econo boxes to Lincolns on this platform.

  Mike

[Robert Meyers]

Mike, are 2 tablets sufficient?

I use the 3634621 tablets in 1992 Fleetwood 4.9L with fresh
coolant every two years.

Directions and GM parts man say to use entire contents, 6 tablets.

Have I been overdosing the poor old girl?

Thanks

[Mike #19861]

 In a one time dose to correct a leak, I would use all of the tablets. As the package says. But, as routine preventative maintenance, use only 2. Over use can lead to a plugged heater core and/or rad.

 Mike

[Bruce Reynolds # 18992]

What is the illustrious, or famous, Roger Smith doing these days?

[Bob Chesnutt #21760]

This engine was noted for failing (dropping antifreeze in the oil or out the rear) by 50K miles.  GM had a kit available to fix the problem.  I had 4 at the same time, three I sold at over 150K and still have 1 with 52K on it.  After the kit was installed, they were still running great when I sold them. All were used every day except the one I still have.  I feel the problem made everyone scard of them and so many great cars were available for almost nothing.

Cheers.

[Porter]

A perfect fit for the new modified chapter.

Id be hard pressed to see a purist cringe if you have a Cadillac with a blown HT 4100 and you upgrade the engine to a real Cadillac engine with a cast iron block.

The other approach is the 4.5 cylinder liner upgrade, our resident HT engine expert Mike Jones is building one for his 85 Eldo, I had a 90 ETC with a 4.5 engine, it was a fine ride with plenty of power. Not an inline FWD engine but the same block.

Cars with bum engines are nothing new, I recall years ago reading an add for a Volvo engine replacement with a SBC, "replace your underpowered unreliable Volvo engine with a GM crate engine" etc.

The HT era of engines is almost 20 years old, time heals all wounds.

Stout Detroit iron drivetrains are alive and well.

Porter

[Porter]

http://fp.enter.net/~rockcrawl/caddy49b.html TARGET=_blank>http://fp.enter.net/~rockcrawl/caddy49b.html

Scroll down to the bottom and start with page one.

For us low tech guys they still have cast iron engine blocks. ( for primitive, stone age type heavy duty pickup truck use)

[wayne womble]

I have an `87 with over 250,000 on it with no problems other than an intake gasket change at 110,000. There may have been other problems with the earlier units, but I have had good service out of this one. It is obvious that the most serious problem with the design is that the coolant leaks directly into the engine. This is the reason for the preventitive stop leak pills. If the leak is not caught immediately it will knock the bearings out of it. My wife let it get so hot one time that it quit running and lost all of the water. It literally cooked out all of the antifreeze. You could hardly stand the burned smell. Amazingly it is still running and with no apparent effects.