1985 Cadillac DeVille Sedan Deville from North America - Comments

When I got the car it ran pretty nice for a 1985 Cadillac. Within one week I blew the motor. After I put a rebuilt motor in the car that one blew within 500 miles. The third motor lasted however nothing else did. The cooling system was shot and no mechanic could figure out what went wrong. The transmission began to slip and the rear air shocks blew out making the rear of the car sag. This car is a HEADACHE and a NIGHTMARE.

Never buy a 1980's Cadillac. Especially stay away from the HT4100 motor. This is a garbage motor and I cannot believed Cadillac survived the 80's with this motor. Other than the fact that I hated this car more than anything I also loved it. The ride was so smooth, the audio was great, the car looked beautiful. It is such a shame that the car was garbage because I really loved how it drove and looked.

I feel your pain, brother. My '82 Coupe deVille blew up with 86k miles on the clock -- even though I took great care of it! It's a cruel irony that some of the most beautiful Cadillacs ever produced ('81-'85 deVilles, Fleetwoods, and Eldorados, as well as Sevilles) had the single worst engine Cadillac ever produced.

I have a 1985 Sedan Deville and a 1986 Sedan Deville. They were both well taken care of previously and the oil always changed every 3000 miles. They both run wonderfully. The 1985 has 130,000 miles and the 1986 has 220,000 miles on it. A couple things have been replaced on both cars, but nothing expensive at all. All older vehicles need things done to them, and these ones didn't need much because they are well taken care of.

I have a 1980 Cadillac coupe de ville and it has 95k miles on it. It has not been taken care of at all it sat for years in a parking lot and the oil has been changed many 4 times in its life. it has had no major repairs except for a replaces heater core and it runs great.

I own a 1985 Cadillac Sedan De-ville which I purchased for 2000 dollars in 2000. This car has been great only a few minor things were wrong with it. The rear ride levelers were blown out and the rear ball joints were bad, I have had the rear ball joints replaced, and I put knew struts on the rear and adjustable Air Bags in the rear coil springs to solve the sagging problem which is relatvely inexpensive they were only around 60.00. The air bags and struts really improve the ride and handling. The air bags give you about 3 inches of lift, makes the car look better. Also the rack and pinion was bad which I have since replaced. Also I use Castrol GTX, and prolong or slick 50 in the engine. The radiator was clogged, which I replaced with a brand new one, and a new water pump. Headliner was sagging, which I repaired. Also whoever had the car before wired the cooling fans directly to 12 volts so they ran all the time. I had the fan control unit replaced which was the reason they bypassed it. I think the reason the engines in these cars failed so much is that the computer is programmed not to turn on the cooling fans until 240 degrees. And turn off the fans at 213 degrees. According to the All-data Manual that is the specs for this car, I think it must be to lower the emissions in city driving. I have solved this problem. I wired in a toggle switch into the fan circuit so I can switch on the fan when in city driving or climbing a hill or high speed driving. I also have a temp gauge so I can monitor the engines temp and switch on the fans if it gets too high. Car is nearly 100% restored now.

I have a nice plum color 1985 sedan de ville. I bought it in 2000 and had 87,000 miles on it. It was only $1900. I think the reason for the low price is due to the transmission, it seems to slip here and there. I had the car for 4 years now with 130,000 miles and the transmission is still working, basically I got my moneys worth out of it. There was a few problems with it the water pump, antenna motor when out, back air shocks (its sagging a bit) and right now my fans are not coming on, I'm not sure yet if its the fans or the fan control unit. It's a good car, its stylish for an 85 but yet it is a little sluggish, I'm not a race car driver so it doesn't matter. I'm making good money now and I'm able to buy a new car, but I'm not, I'm very happy with my cadillac

I bought a 87 Cadillac De ville about 2 months ago with 230,000 miles. It runs fine, but the transmission changes gears loudly. I only paid 850 for it, but it's in very good shape. The rear also sags a little. I haven't seen a model that old that doesn't sag yet.

I just bought a 1985 Sedan De-ville for $500.00 and invested about $500.00 in it so far. The car seems to be quite healthy and the 4.1 engine sounds real good. The problem I'm having is that in overdrive when starting to go up hills, it seems to die until I take my foot off the gas and then step on it again. When I run it in third gear it seems to go better, but still has some trouble going into passing gear and dies momentarily every now and then. What kind of problem am I experiencing? Some said that the catalytic converter was bad and others said it's probably the gas filter. I just had the air sensors installed and a tune-up. The AC is not working also.

Angel 85 caddy.

I just wanted to say that the 85 deville I bought is still running smooth as the day I bought it. I got it in 2004 and a year later and 162000 mile on the car the caddy is still running smooth.

1985 cadillac sedan de ville february 19, 2008.

The ride is very smooth. engine purrs quietly. I am the second owner. it has 61,540 original miles. My 85 caddy was owned previously by an elderly lady who forgot to service it regularly. As a result I needed to replace the transmission at 59,000 miles. Cost = approx. $3,000. Due to its sitting for years, the AC didn't work properly. The AC wheel within the belt system disintegrated while driving one day. No big deal. I replaced it too. Cost = $875.00 with an updated AC system. I have had no other problems with it. Ride is ultra smooth and comfortable. It's a joy ot drive! We just finished driving it from Michigan to Florida without problems. I hear the cooling system really needs watching to keep the engine from blowing. Otherwise engine oil changes every four months work for me.

I read all the above last night and went ahead and bought a 1985 DeVille for my daughter who will turn 16 in three weeks. It has a few problems that are common with cars this age, but the engine and trans work fine and the body is in near perfect condition. The 2 mile drive home was smooth! I can't wait to do a brake job, new rear shocks, get plates and insurance and go for a cruise! (BTW, you can legally drive a car straight home from purchasing it without plates if you have another car insured)

I have both a 1985, and a 1986 Cadillac Sedan DeVilles.

I've had the '85 since I was fifteen, my father bought it new. I got my '86 last year. Both cars were extremely well cared for.

Both of my Cadillacs have the HT 4100 DFI engine. I have heard some very unfortunate stories about the HT 4100, I believe this engine to be just as good as the other engines Cadillac has produced.

My '85 has 153,670 miles on it, and my '86 has 224,363 miles on it. Both cars look, run, and drive like new.