2014 Cadillac ATS Premium 3.6 AWD - Mostmint #47

[TireSmoker]

Improvisation. Adaptation.

[TireSmoker]

Can't you reset the speed/mpg on the trip computer?

[MostMint]

Yes I figured out how to reset the mileage and avg speed trackers through the options on the dash display. I have not had a chance to drive it since so we'll see how it goes.

Spring maintenance items:
* I installed a new set of AC Delco plugs.
* Swapped out the snow tires for the Firewhawk Indy 500, recalibrated the TPMS sensors to detect them.
* Also with the stutter resolved I decided it was time to reinstall the K&N CAI.

Up next is the rear toe in. This car seemed kinda sketchy on snow covered surfaces, with the back moving way more than I thought it should. I attributed this to incorrect toe in. I had made it pretty good when fixing crash repair. Current measurements show it toed out about 1/4 which didn't seem like much, however it was almost at the end of the adjustment and I could only improve it a little. I checked to make sure the passenger side was straight (it was). A new lower control arm was like $30 so its on the way.

I drove it with the K&N installed - it sounds so much better.

[MostMint]

Updates:

1) Fixing rear toe alignment took a couple tries. I was maxed out on the LR adjustment and still not in spec. Eventually I decided to do a four wheel alignment. That was tricky at first since the front tracking width is more narrow that the rear. Once I knew the difference I was able to set the strings on each side of the car properly. This confirmed the front alignment was good, but the RR was out by quite a bit. After a few rounds of trial and error everything is lined up. The steering wheel had been a little off center, but after getting the right rear set right it came back into alignment.

2) Changed oil and filter today at 124608 miles. Filter is accessed from up top and the plastic aero pan does not cover the back of the oil pan, so it was a fairly easy task. Oil monitor was at 15% and the tag that came with the car said oil change was due about 1200 miles back. It had a NAPA oil filter and it looked clean. Also it was about a quart low, so in the 2500 miles I've driven it I think it's consumed a quart. I'll monitor this going forward.

I removed this from the car last year - maybe not the best idea?

In preparation for the Acadia timing chain replacement, I've learned quite a bit about this 3.6 high feature V6. It uses engine oil to help cool the timing chain and tolerances are tight enough that if you let the oil go too long, or don't use oil that meets the Dexos-1 standard the engine is prone to timing chain stretch. With this in mind I bought Pennzoil Platinum full synthetic 5W30.

Next:

The car still has rough idle occasionally. Next step for that is probably some injector cleaner. Also there is some overspray on it from the paint work I did so I want to clean that up.

[MostMint]

Another small upgrade is getting a spare key for the car.

I ordered a cheap one on eBay. When I went to install it I learned the sequence to program the remote requires me to put the physical key in the door and turn it counter clockwise five times. The instructions are actually in the owner manual.

It was at this point I learned that the physical key in my remote was not cut to the car, so I have no physical key.

To fix this I had to go to the dealer with ID and registration to get a code, then to a locksmith with the code to cut a key. I had them cut both physical keys.

With this I made an attempt to program the new key. Well it didn't work. After some debate I decided the best path was to order another key fob and try it. When that fob showed up the physical key had a groove in it meaning its not compatible with this model. Fortunately the fob worked this time.

This monkey business cost me $135 and the time to figure it all out.

[MostMint]

With the Dragy I learned the Cadillac appears to be about .1 second slower on dirt than on dry pavement to 200'.

I also learned that leaving traction control on limits the launch RPMs (left foot brake) to about 1600. Launching at 2000 really helps improve throttle response and it is a lot more sudden starting from there.

The snow tires (vs all the different tires on there last year) did not appear to help the speed though weather may have been a factor. Temps seemed similar but humidity and pressure I am not sure about.

I'm thinking a higher stall converter will really wake up this car. Anecdotally I've read the same, I just need to figure out what specs I want and get one.

I also went down the rabbit hole of converting this to E85. This seems like it would have potential to add a lot of power. Flex fuel was an option in 2013 but not in 2014. You can get the parts and convert it over though - based on what I read the engine and fuel line components are unchanged- just removed the fuel sensor (and likely programming in ECU). Unfortunately this is not a huge power adder for this engine - maybe 15 hp. As such I'm undecided if I want to pursue this further.

But that found me some other ways to make the car faster. Based on this site there are plenty of options: http://getoverkilled.ca/ats.html
I'm still deciding the best path. More to come....

Bonus item: Thought the windshield washer fluid bottle had no cap when I bought it - but recently found the original

[MostMint]

128222

The door stop mechanism in the driver door has been clicking since I got this car. There is a crack in the rod where it attaches to the A pillar. I waited a while for one to show up at pull a part. when one finally showed at Cleveland West I was busy and didn't want to spend the 1 hr each way to get it, so I got a used one off eBay for like $22. Finally took the time yesterday to install it. IT was pretty straightforward though it did require removing the door

that one little crack made some annoying sounds

Also this past Wednesday the car became a class winner at KMP. The last six times this car has been at a drag strip it has either won or been runner up in class.

Last October I upgraded the front brake lines to Goodridge with stainless sheathing. I have an intermittent problem where one of the front wheels just starts shaking. It happened twice before this upgrade, but then it happened again on the way to KMP. I had reasoned that 12 year old brake lines might be swelling up a bit on the inside and affecting the ability to retract, causing brake drag and overheating/pulsing. It could be a bit of calipers hanging up or caliper pistons hanging up. I'm going to have to investigate.

I also have replacement front struts waiting to be installed the RF is clearly not doing a good job keeping the tire down.

[MostMint]

Decided to tackle the front brake problem and struts at the same time.

Upon disassembly I found the strut hat to be unlike anything I'd seen before. It had a little free play in it on both sides so I ordered replacements. The replacements had the exact same free play.

Removing and installing the spring turned out to be a pain until I figured it out. The sprint compressor did not have enough length to grab onto the top and bottom coil in order to compress the thing far enough to remove the nut without any spring tension. Turns out putting the top of the tool on the plate at the top of the spring worked, and the second one was a piece of cake. The old struts were quite shot.

As far as the brakes sticking, I did some internet browsing and found people were reporting issues with the seals on the caliper pistons getting hard and causing extra drag. I decided to rebuild them rather than shell out $500 for a pair. There was a cost though in the amount of work it took. I watch a video and the thing came apart no problem. I had a very difficult time getting the dust seals off - ground out a small notch so I could get under them and force them out. When putting the pistons back in they would not just slide past the new seal. I tried vice pressure on one but didn't like that, so ended up using a small dead blow hammer to tap them in. That worked. After assembly and install I found one of the pistons to be leaking - presuming its the one I tried to force with the vice. Luckily it just damaged the seal and I was able to change it out fairly easily.

I did learn that this caliper design is also unique. There are no metal clips to hold the pads in place. The pad is basically square and the front and back edges are about 2" long and they just fit up close to the caliper. Well they seemed a little difficult to slide, so I cleaned the caliper surface and ground just a little off both ends of the pads. With this in mind I postponed the rebuild of the other caliper, and reassembled the front suspension.

Test drive says the struts are way better and the car stops straight. Time will tell if the sticking brake pad/caliper thing is fixed.
I'm leaning toward changing out the rear brake hoses and then maybe a track day is in store for the ATS.