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My 06 suffered multiple electrical failures the other day and I'm fearing it isn't worth fixing but I'd like some other opinions...
I was driving on the interstate and it lost power all of a sudden and would barely run...I stop on the shoulder and see smoke coming out from under the rear of the car and the hood. At the time, I thought the smoke coming from the back of the car was exhaust fumes because it was running rich or something. The smoke coming from under the hood though was coming from the wiper motor/harness which was on fire...not so bad that I couldn't put it out with a couple of water bottles but bad enough.
Had the car towed and gave it a once over. At this point, I was still thinking the smoke coming from the rear of the car was exhaust related, So I took a few minutes to cut the burnt wires form the wiper motor harness and separate all them apart so they weren't touching each other and then I replaced one damaged coil and 2 damaged plug wires. I also checked all the fuses and was surprised that none of them were blown, not even the wiper fuse.
Then I started the car,...it still ran like crap and I noticed fuel pouring out of it back at the tank...
I haven't dropped the tank and don't really plan on it although I may cut a hole in the floor to have a look. Suspecting to see the same kind of damage to the fuel pump that we were seeing during the recall as shown below but that's just a guess.
So at this point, one has to wonder why I would have electrical failures at the fuel pump and the windshield wiper motor at the same time when they're so unrelated. Everything else that's unrelated to engine management seems to work but the car won't even make what I think would be limp mode so I'm thinking the damage probably isn't just limited to the fuel pump. I keep the battery disconnected so there's no codes stored in it and I'm not too excited about trying to run it long enough to set codes as much fuel as it's leaking.
Insurance has already paid out on the car but I hate to see it go because I love driving it. If there's anyway to fix this thing I'd do it but nobody wants to work on it and i don't have much time to dick with it myself. Thinking about sticking a fuel pump module in it and fixing the wiper motor but I'm not hopeful that those things alone will fix it. Before I take that step, I thought I'd come here and hash it out a little in the hopes that somebody knows something I don't.
Electrical problems and like you said. "You don't have the time". Someone needs to troubleshoot the root cause of the electrical failure and if your not doing it then your paying someone.
LIghtning strike, internal short in the battery, fuel pump **** the bed...or some combo. Been any storms through the area? Check the roof line for little tiny burn marks, may not look like much. Have the battery tested? I have one of these BNIB, LMK if you need it. https://www.racetronix.biz/p/cadilla...rness/fpwh-027
LIghtning strike, internal short in the battery, fuel pump **** the bed...or some combo. Been any storms through the area? Check the roof line for little tiny burn marks, may not look like much. Have the battery tested? I have one of these BNIB, LMK if you need it. https://www.racetronix.biz/p/cadilla...rness/fpwh-027
No real thunder storms of merit have been through here lately but the battery shorting is a possibility. It holds charge and everything else on the car seems to work but it could be an intermittent thing I guess.
I’ll research the racetronix setup and see if you have to take the tank out to install it…don’t know that I want to go down that road but it is worth cutting the floor open to have a look at the fuel pump at the very least.
The car has 184k on and it still runs great but it’s starting to show it’s age and it already had a branded title when I bought. I won’t be putting more than a couple of “Hail Mary” hours into it.
I’d just go buy another V1 but around here, they’re either pricey or modified.
Built my own hot wire kit out of 12ga wire, a relay, alternator power wire boot, 1/4” all-thread, nylon nuts and a spare o2 sensor plug for my dw300 (E85 car). Brought power from the battery post in the fuse box with an inline fuse. Had most of this stuff laying around but if you don’t, it can all be had for about $60 off Amazon/junk yard/hardware store
Yes I cut the floor under the rear seat. Word of advice though, don’t cut too deep. Thank goodness the tank is thick because I cut deep into the plastic by mistake but didn’t go through. The tank is all but pressed up against the metal so take your time. I cut 3 sides and rolled it back but if I had to do it again, I would cut a square piece out and seal it back with tape/foam tape
Slick and good work, though I am not sure why do all that running around and fabricating to save $10 over just getting it from Racetronix. When it comes to maintenance and repairs, I always calculate a value for my time and can't for the life of me see why so many others don't.
Slick and good work, though I am not sure why do all that running around and fabricating to save $10 over just getting it from Racetronix. When it comes to maintenance and repairs, I always calculate a value for my time and can't for the life of me see why so many others don't.
The only argument I can put against this is you can piece it together instead of paying $70 + shipping. I know ~$80 isn’t much but when you’re trying to do car stuff and muddle your way through life, it can make a difference. Additionally, if something is wonky, you know where every wire goes and can diagnose a problem possibly faster and easier because you built the harness and have a slightly more intimate knowledge of your car because you studied the wiring diagrams. I’m a huge DIY person so learning and saving money at the same time makes my pajama bottoms wiggle.
If I am not mistaken, the racetronix kit reuses the stock bulkhead to run power and ground to the fuel pump which is prone to melting as evidenced in the pic above. The way I set my system up is only fuel level sensor goes through the bulkhead now and power and ground for the pump goes strictly through the all-thread to avoid any melting problems
As it turns out, fuel wasn’t leaking from the tank but coming out of the exhaust system which is seamed right at the tank making it look like it was coming out if the tank.
Bore scope the cylinder.. They are cheap (Search Endoscope amazon attaches to phone) and once you have one it will be in the top drawer of your tool box forever.. I use mine all the time.. Like not crawling under that dash to look for wire, leak,bolt etc..
Works truly fantastic if you drop something in a carb..
My 06 is up and going after splicing in an LKQ wiper harness tail/wiper motor assembly, replacing one melted ignition coil/spark plug wire combo and replacing the PCM which was causing an injector to stand open. What caused the fire is still a mystery but the car responded well to the $350 in repairs and everything else seems to be working well after 500 miles. Since this happened, I've seen one CTS and heard of another that suffered the same electrical short in the wiper harness/wiper motor assembly so maybe its a thing with these cars but who knows. Both of those cars were totaled.
On cadillacforums.com I've seen a number of threads in the non-V CTS forum about the wiper controller failing and causing the wipers to run constantly, or wiper washer to spray constantly, stuff like that. I don't think I've seen other examples like yours (not that I've read every single thread, of course), but clearly that wiper controller can be a problem. Glad to hear you were able to get yours fixed and back on the road!
Glad to hear you were able to get yours fixed and back on the road!
Thanks! Me too...there's nothing on the market in this price range that can hold a candle to my stockish V1. I drove a couple of LS3 Camaros and I liked them but a nice one is going to cost 20k and it's only got 2 doors. Mustangs are Mustangs, Challengers feel cheap, I can't warm up the G8, I don't have the patience for German cars and the Japanese offerings have no soul. V2s are through the roof, Chrysler didn't offer a manual in the Charger and most of the V1s that were popping up for sale were cammed or whatever...
I bought a Cummins swapped squarebody 4wd Suburban last year and it's served me well enough to kinda put the V repairs on the back burner while I shopped. And while I get compliments every once in a while driving the V, I came out of the hardware store the other day to find some kids taking pictures of the Suburban...go figure.
11-21-2021, 03:07 PM
Is it done? 
