Hey guys, obviously new here and new to forums in general so forgive me if my process/etiquette doesn’t quite fall in line yet. After months of searching and a couple bad experiences, I finally got to bring a 1976 Eldorado convertible home. I must say I got lucky as I feel it is a very nice car. Now comes the fun of sprucing her up a bit and getting some things beefed up. First off I have the fuel injected model and I just want to make sure I complete some of the “must-do’s†in terms of going trough and replacing parts that need to be replaced. My list thus far includes the basics...air and fuel filters, maybe new fuel pumps, plugs and wires, maybe new dist cap, vacuum hoses, brakes, any fuel lines that need replacing. I don’t believe the car needs all of this at the moment but I do enjoy working on vehicles and new parts add some piece of mind. I drove the car 200 miles home without a problem. Minus the leaking top (where it meets the windshield) it ran great. Only thing I noticed is that the next day it developed a sputter whilst in drive and at a stop, so at a stop light for example. My question to you guys: is there anything that should be checked or replaced right away. Injector o-rings replaces 2500 miles ago or so I was told. The guy had 9 Eldorado a and seemed to know his stuff. He gave me some sensors and top relay to go with the car just in case. Do most people go with Delco when replacing parts on these cars? Cheers!
Congratulations - you will enjoy the new ride.
I previously owned a 1974 Eldorado Convertible, and I really enjoyed my time with the car. These cars are popular, and there a many member who can help with any questions you have.
I currently own 4 Cadillacs with the Fuel Injection, and the resident expert on these systems is Bruce Roe - he can troubleshoot most any issue with these cars, and there are lots of forum posts with his advice. First and foremost is verifying that the injector seals and O-rings are current - 2500 miles ago could have been 10 years ago, and these are critical parts, so get some more validation that these are fresh. Check and or replace ALL vacuum lines - the ECU depends on vacuum source, and test those temperature sensors for correct cold Ohms - they make all the difference on a cold start (not as critical when the cars are up to temperature). It is a good idea to secure extra parts for this system since not everything will be on the shelf at the auto parts store. Spare pumps are a good idea (there are two of them - in-tank low pressure pump, and the chassis rail hi-pressure pump). As long as you are getting approx. 40 psi at the fuel regulator, then your pumps are probably good. The fuel filter housing can be a pain to get threaded properly, so if you replace the filter, cycle the system a few times to get the pressure up and make sure you have no leaks in that area. And, check the condition of all of the F.I. hoses - including the return lines. If these have not been recently replaces, they can be a sources of problems. These fuel systems can provide great and smooth performance when they are all working properly.
Keep us posted on progress, and please review and take Bruce's suggestions on improvements to the FI system -
Enjoy!
Don't forget about brake hoses. Also check the parking brake when the car is somewhere you would not mind having it stuck for a while if there is a problem. Besides the usual cables sticking that car has rear disc which has a fairly complex mechanism that lives inside the fluid area of the caliper. Sitting and non use can be pretty hard on them. New caliper are available because they are popular for rear disc conversions.
Pick up at least 5 new valve stems so you have them on hand for if/when you need to do some tire service. They are unique to the 67-78 Eldorado. Also would not be a bad idea to pick up an assortment of the CAX wheel weights. These Eldo's seem especially sensitive to tire and wheel balance and using the original style weights seems to give you the best chance of getting a good balance.