Smoke

I was gonna drive the Caddy to run some errands on Saturday morning. Of course, I took some time to check the various fluid levels since I hadn't driven it in a while. Everything looked fine.

Shortly after cranking it, I heard screeching sounds coming from the front and smoke started pouring from under the hood. I shut it down and opened the hood and found a broken drive belt.

It looks like what has happened is the Air Pump seized, causing the belt to grind against the pulley, overheat, and snap.

The air pump is part of the emissions control system. It pumps air into the exhaust port of each cylinder to help oxidize any unburned hydrocarbons. It also heats air before it goes into the carburetor. That belt also drives the water pump.

So, it looks like I need to replace the air pump, which isn't too, too pricey - about $100 for the part. The bummer is that I believe the belts were all pretty new and I hadn't planned on replacing them anytime soon, but since I have to replace one, I should replace them all.

Also, as I've mentioned before, for such a large car it is pretty tight under the hood. There isn't much room between the radiator and the front of the engine, so it is gonna be a pain to replace that pump.

Since I'm gonna be under there, I am wondering if I should replace the water pump. It seems to be working okay, but its not that expensive (about $50) and I really don't want to have to get back in there in 6 months if it goes bad.

Anyway, I guess I need to go ahead and order the parts and try to find a free weekend to put in the new parts. Sadly, it looks like I won't be driving the Eldorado for a while...

Photos

Here are a couple of photos from October 4 when Kyra & I went for ice cream.

These photos were taken by our friend Robin who was out registering voters during the Kirkwood Fling.

Mini

Here is a photo of the Caddy with a Mini:



It was such a nice day today, sunny and cool, that I had to take the Eldorado for a drive.

Don't know where that bolt came from. Had a bit of a scare Thursday morning when I started the car to go to work. A very loud CLUNK! came from the front when I first tried to turn it over. Marcia came out of the house asking "What was that!?". She quickly followed that by saying "Go ahead, drive it. It'll be fine, it will be fine...". I'm not sure if she just didn't want to see the Caddy again, or didn't want to see me again...

No weird noises or other parts falling off since then...

Spare Parts

I found this 3 1/2" bolt and washer down at the base of my driveway after getting home this afternoon.



They certainly look like they could have come from the Eldorado. They don't look like any of the bolts I had to take off to replace the shocks and springs.

I live on a busy road, so it could have come from some other car, but I'm thinking something big is getting ready to fall of the Caddy... Rats! I was planning on doing some highway driving tomorrow, but I guess I should do a good inspection before driving it again.

Smart

Eldorado vs. Smart Car



Smart cars are 8.8' long and 5.1' wide.

So, the Eldorado is over twice as long as a Smart Car, and a foot and a half wider.

Ice Cream

Kyra & I took the Caddy for a spin this afternoon. Kyra didn't want to go but I bribed her with the promise of ice cream. We saw some friends, went to the playground, and stopped for the promised ice cream. Kyra had chocolate and mint chocolate chip. I had cheesecake and chocolate.

The car rides quite a bit nicer with the new suspension components and I don't have to worry about dragging the bottom going over speed humps anymore. The annoying squeak from the back seems to have been fixed as well.

Front Shocks

I put the front shocks in after I got home from work this evening. I got done just as it was getting too dark to see.

For such a big car, it is really tight working on the shocks - hardly enough room to turn a wrench.

I'm looking forward to taking the car for a spin tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be nice - sunny and not too warm. Hopefully, nothing will fall off the car!