I'm thinking about buying a 1995 Cadillac Deville 4.9L V8 and a mechanice at the local GM said that is has 2 engine cooler lines leaking and the front crank seal is leaking. How hard is it to replace or fix these 2 things?

coolant line leaks could either be a bad hose or loose connection (not hard to fix).

The crankshaft seal might be a little harder. you'll have to remove the harmonic balancer and belts; but on a scale from 1-10 for a novice it should be around a 7.

slkeeler,

The mentioned work should take one entire morning or one entire afternoon.

HOWEVER!

To honestly answer your question I would have to ask you:

What is your level of skill?

Are you a pro or Saturday morning warrior?

Do you have access to a repair shop with the proper tools and a lift?

MORE QUESTIONS:

What's the asking price?

How much are you willing to pay?

Overall condition (Wear and tear, rust, etc)?

Engine integrity is critical so post the results of a compression and cylinder leak down test.

Did you run the VIN?

Has the car ever been junked?

Has the car ever been in a flood?

How many previous owners has the car had?

ASE MASTER

I went to WyoTech for automotive so i understand cars and how to work on them, but we never did anything with cooler lines or crankshaft seal.

They are asking $2,500 for the car. I would like to get closer to $2,000 range.

Overall the car is in good condition, great interior, exterior, no rust, only 80,000miles, and yes i have ran the VIN on it and it comes back clean, besides the owner now only 1 other own and she traded it in for a newer cadillac.

I just want to make sure i not going to be getting into something way over my head and something that is going to cost me a lot of money. I really need diagrams of step by step on how to fix these things and the tools needed to repair or fix them. If any one has these it would be very helpful to have them, thanks a lot.

here they talking about the engin oil cooler lines?, if so there a bulletin out on them.
your slao going to need a balancer puller to remove it.
some parts stores will rent the tools, call around.

slkeeler,

Thanks for your last posting it does help a little.
80.000 miles is not alot of mileage. On the other hand, it could be depending on how the car was driven.

Since you went to school, I'm sure you well know that the 4.9 used in a 95 Deville is an aluminum piece of crap.

If the car was driven hard, that 80.000 miles could be more like 580.000 miles. That's why I stated; "Engine integrity is critical".

Don't meet the asking price, or make an offer untill we have evaluated the results of the compression and cylinder leak down test. The sooner you get those results to us the better.

You should also drop the transmission pan and tell us the color and condition of the transmission fluid. While the pan is down, describe the concentration of metal particles stuck to the magnets.

Little or no concentration is best. Pieces, or chunks of metal stuck to the magnets, is a red flag to major transmission issues, and should get you thinking twice about a purchase.

The car was driven by an older woman and the person i am buying the car from drives the car very nicely i have known the person for many years.

I have ordered all the parts for the Cadillac but now i need location of all the parts i am going to be replacing and step by step instructions on how to replace all of these parts. It would be really helpful if someone could give me step by step instructions and pictures including location on how to replace the 1. power steering pump, 2. all 3 transmission cooler lines, and 3. front crankshaft seal. If anyone has this information it would be very helpful to get this done

Thanks,
SLKEELer

i can send info to a email ad., pics donn't post here.
let me know, mws919

msw919,

My email address is s.l.keeler@hotmail.com i will keep an eye out for your email, thanks

SLKEELER

ok, will send, you can edit out email ad. now, i've saved it.

check email and let us know what you think.

Since you have some training in auto repair this will not be such a big job for you. The leaking cooler lines can often be fixed by disconnecting them from either the transmission or radiator (depending on which end is leakking) and wrapping the threads with a little teflon tape and then re-installing them [making sure that the connection is clean and tight].
If the lines are leaking else where (middle or far from the ends) replace them.

The crankshaft seal is a littel harder, but not somthing you can't handle.
Remove the serpentine belt (make sure you have a diagram of how it goes so that you can reinstall it easily--draw one if you have to).
remove the front crankshaft center bolt.
Use a harmonic balancer puller (made for your car) to remove the balancer. [as mentioned before--can rent at autozone]
Once pulley is removed, inspect the seal noticing how far it is pushed into the engine cover (new one should only go in as far as the old one was).
Use a seal puller (or large screwdriver)to remove the seal [doesn't matter if it tears up].
lube seal inner surfaces with engine oil.
lightly tap new seal into place (make sure it's only as far in as the old one was).
Install balancer and serpentine belt.

(on some applications the engine sits too high for the puller to work--you'll have to remove the lower motor mount so that the engine can drop a little to allow the puller room to work)