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My 1973 Cadillac, Huggy Bear


eddyramrod

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1 hour ago, Mrs6C said:

Have you checked the operation of the transmission neutral safety switch that prevents the car from being started when it is (or thinks it is) in gear?

It's worth checking the plastic/rubber bushes too that connect the  various parts of the transmission selector linkage/rods/cables between the transmisison and the in-car shifter, to make sure they are all present and correct and not soft, worn or missing. If they are missing or in a poor way,  there may be too much slop in the end-to-end mechanism to give the physical extent of movement required to activate the NSS when you go into Park or Neutral after stopping. You think you are in Park or Neutral and the shifter inside the car looks like it is, but heading towards the transmission end of things, the movement hasn't been enough to activate the NSS so the car thinks it is in gear and won't start.

Guess how I know this !

Mrs6C knows this only too well as her Cadillac developed this fault. It would not restart for me at a Tesco petrol pump and then when I got help to push it clear it did. I know our transverse FWD car is completely different to yours but it must have something to do the same job.

There was even a kit available in the US that someone on here helped us find to fix it.

IMG_20190204_160453 broad.jpg

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We had a similar problem with our Saab floppytop  not starting after a short stop. The advice given , if I remember correctly, was to throw cold water at the gearbox because a solenoid was overheating. We were in the queue for customs after driving off a ferry so it caused a certain amount of hilarity to those around us.

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3 hours ago, Low Horatio gearbox said:

You spent ages adjusting it carefully.. the wrong way. Oh wait no that was me  🤦‍♂️

 

Tho my best was imperceptibly knocking my Xj's shifter from P thru N to D and  wondering why it wouldn't start at all. In fairness I'd just stripped the  interior out and was sitting on the front crossmeber 8 inches lower than normal.. contemplating why on earth I'd taken a shabby but entirely functional car to bits  and then immobilised it.🤷‍♂️

Nice name. Someone listens to Smith and Smith?

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/27/2020 at 7:37 PM, Mrs6C said:

Have you checked the operation of the transmission neutral safety switch that prevents the car from being started when it is (or thinks it is) in gear?

It's worth checking the plastic/rubber bushes too that connect the  various parts of the transmission selector linkage/rods/cables between the transmisison and the in-car shifter, to make sure they are all present and correct and not soft, worn or missing. If they are missing or in a poor way,  there may be too much slop in the end-to-end mechanism to give the physical extent of movement required to activate the NSS when you go into Park or Neutral after stopping. You think you are in Park or Neutral and the shifter inside the car looks like it is, but heading towards the transmission end of things, the movement hasn't been enough to activate the NSS so the car thinks it is in gear and won't start.

Guess how I know this !

I had a word with my sparky this week.  He seems to think you could be on the right track there!  He said bring it round Monday or Tuesday, and if it doesn't start, he wants to come and see it intact, as-is-where-is.  So let's see what happens...

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Went to Huggy this morning and... He started, no problem!  So after a little warm-up where he sits, I took him round to the sparky, John... who wasn't in.  I left him with the other mechanic who shares the premises and now I just have to wait for a phone call.

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Well, the sparky couldn't make it do the same again, and it started fine when I went to collect.  I don't know, and neither does he.  Maybe I just need to use it more.

 

Actually, there's no maybe about it.  I know I need to use it more!  But, where can I go, and what can I do when I get there?  Bloody virus.  It's letting my car develop laid-up niggles much faster than I can deal with them, not forgetting the big issues that await the next owner.  Unless he's a banger racer...

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Yay she runs. Yay* intermittent FTP, nothing like the will it/ wont it start now or at my destination to get home 😒

It may be worth checking your earths and electrical connections as ther has been previous  electrical gremlins. Definitely use it and it gets better  sadly we are all there currently.😢

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It probably is just lack of use tbh Eddy, coupled with it being winter so damp old electrics starting to cause problems. I had it once in the Capri where I went out in it after winter lay-up, switched the heater fan on and it didn’t do anything, then a trail of smoke came out from behind the dash, then it started working fine! Just damp and dirty contacts I think!

Not much anyone can do at the moment sadly. None of mine have been used since about November. There’s just nowhere to go and nothing to do, I dont even think going for a drive around is allowed at the moment is it!? 
Things will change though, might be a few months but it will get there in the end.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

I went to start Huggy this morning... nothing in the battery.  I wasn't really surprised tbh.  This was the first time in weeks I'd even tried.

In other news, I'm in a Cadillac group on Facebook.  One of the American members has been looking for some plastic clips that hold the interior trim in place... the same clips I need for Huggy.  Someone has suggested getting them 3D printed.  Now, don't we have someone here who can do 3D printing?  If so, could you please contact me?

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13 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

I went to start Huggy this morning... nothing in the battery.  I wasn't really surprised tbh.  This was the first time in weeks I'd even tried.

In other news, I'm in a Cadillac group on Facebook.  One of the American members has been looking for some plastic clips that hold the interior trim in place... the same clips I need for Huggy.  Someone has suggested getting them 3D printed.  Now, don't we have someone here who can do 3D printing?  If so, could you please contact me?

If you have access to a 3D model of the part I can try.  Only have PLA filament available here but it may well be strong enough depending on what it's holding in place.

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Just now, Zelandeth said:

If you have access to a 3D model of the part I can try.  Only have PLA filament available here but it may well be strong enough depending on what it's holding in place.

The originals are the thick end of 50 years old, so they are pretty brittle.  I'll see if I can salvage one to send you.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just for possible info, just seen that the next episode of "The Grand Tour" (love it or hate it, think its jumped the shark myself) has recently been filmed up in Scotland.
They have each got an old American car to see if they could be used here. Believe James has a red Huggy.

Know no more than this, but you might find prices going up a bit when its released.

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Can they be used here?  Ask the bloke who lives in the Lake District, a region not exactly known for wide sweeping highways...  Also, ask him to bring his local mate, who has a bigger Lincoln than Clarkson's...

Prices going up?  Well you never know, do you?  May's is a 1975-6, which unlike mine isn't pillarless, but they're still Nice.  I caught sight of some bodgery going on there though, of the aftermarket modification kind.  Oh-oh.

 

Thanks for the link though, I reckon I might have to watch it with the sound on sometime.

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I went to Huggy today to remove the battery, as sitting since Nooyears hasn't done it any favours.  And couldn't unlock the driver's door!  Fortunately I'd parked far enough away from the wall that I could unlock the passenger door and squeeze myself in.  So, the battery is now on charge from my lovely new charger and there's a load of 3-in-1 inside the door in the hope of easing the mech.

I feel like the car has now decided to fight me at every turn.  Don't take it so personally?  Too late!

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'Like' for at least beginning the process of recommissioning!

It's a hard thing to get car mojo working again, when there's nowhere to go and nowt to do. Especially whenever previous adventures have involved a return journey courtesy of the big yellow funbus with the flashing lights...

But! Fingers crossed for better times coming, and in the meantime get the 3-in-1 splashed about everywhere that might need it!

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^^Whs.

If blame needs to be issued blame the shit bag that is the British winter, oh and the China virus!

Once you get it up and running again and go out for a spin it’ll all be alright! Now I’m unemployed I’m considering getting the Mercury out sometime soon. It’s not been run for a few months. The weather seems to be improving every day and I’m sure the salting season is now over, clocks go forward next weekend too. All that means it’s summer again!

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  • 1 month later...
On 3/22/2021 at 5:17 PM, eddyramrod said:

I feel like the car has now decided to fight me at every turn.  Don't take it so personally?  Too late!

Some weeks later, and many doses of WD, I still can't get the driver's door to unlock.  The key will turn so far and no further.  Today I tried it from inside, seeing if I could pull up the lock button.  Nope.  It comes up so far and no further, and immediately and very determinedly returns to the Locked position.  If I'm going to get inside the door to fix it, I need it to open enough to get the door card off!

So I put a freshly-charged battery on, after taking two attempts to pull the hood, thinking I could start the engine and roll down the appropriate window (and maybe even go for a cheeky drive).  I don't know if rolling down the window would help me open the door but it seemed worth a go.  Turn the key: the dash lights up.  Turn it one step further: nothing.

the car has now decided to fight me at every turn  You see what I mean!  Obviously my next step was to lock it up and retire to the telly.  Maybe I'll have another go tomorrow, with another battery.  I've got two or three around me.

I'm beginning to think I should change its name to Christine.

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Today is May 14th 2021.

May 14th 2016 was the day Roger and I took my Swoopy Saab over to Derby, and came back in convoy: Saab and Cadillac.  Yes fans, I've had Huggy five whole years today.  I don't think he's done 10,000 miles in those five years.

I'm typing this at 8pm; five years ago at 8pm I think we were fighting our way out of Derby heading for the M6.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I changed the battery for a younger one with fresh charge in, car still won't try to turn over.  However I did get the driver's window down and sprayed WD everywhere.  It still won't unlock.

Next door (6) is currently having some drain work done, so yesterday I got a letter telling me to make sure there are no cars parked where the workies need to be.  So I had to move Huggy.  By hand.  On my own.  I managed to push him to the back of numbers 4 and 2 (2 is empty) and bloody hell I was worn out!  I've spoken to the workies this morning and asked for their help to push him back when they finish, which I think will be Friday.

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1 hour ago, eddyramrod said:

So I had to move Huggy.  By hand.  On my own

Having pushed Huggy (with help) I can confirm he weighs a bloody shitload.

10 minutes ago, JeeExEll said:

you can't struggle with this on your own

This.

You'll do yourself an injury, hopefully the workers will assist in getting him back "home".

Edited to add: We're not saying you're incapable, but I'm twice your size and 10+ years younger, and would struggle on my own! We don't want Uncle Edd to keel over!

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On 5/9/2021 at 10:33 PM, eddyramrod said:

So I put a freshly-charged battery on, after taking two attempts to pull the hood, thinking I could start the engine and roll down the appropriate window (and maybe even go for a cheeky drive).  I don't know if rolling down the window would help me open the door but it seemed worth a go.  Turn the key: the dash lights up.  Turn it one step further: nothing.

 

I had a similar issue with my LTD when I let it sit for a few months. Wouldn't crank. I cleaned up all of the connections on the starter circuit with sandpaper, starting with the battery terminals then working back to the starter motor. Turned out to be the power supply for the starter motor on mine. It might not help, but it's a reasonable place to start begin. 

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Yeah, if you can get heater fan, lights, all on and also roll the windows down at the same time with the ignition on your battery isn't too bad.

Sounds like the neutral switch. Will it start in P and N? I know a number of older cars had a cheap switch which meant P was the only option for the starter to operate. Sometimes a little bit of violent PRNDL-LDNRP action can either get the contacts worked enough to function or be pushed far enough to work.

Sounds like the lock barrel got wet, you might find a Fandango with the lock button and the interior door handle may free it up enough to get it unlocked.

 

Good luck. Yes, this does sound like UseItMore symptoms.

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