1993 Cadillac Deville Acceleration Problem

Hello,

I've got a 1993 Cadillac Deville that's sluggish to accelerate. I'm working on narrowing the problem(s) down, and was hoping this forum could provide some insight.

When this problem first came up, the symptoms were:

- Sluggish to accelerate from a full stop while in Drive, but once it got out of first it shifted fine. It seemed to accelerate better if I placed it in First, and then shifted up.

- The check engine light was on, and the car was giving an E40 (Power steering Pressure switch open) error message.

- The AC didn't work, and the vents smelled really strongly of antifreeze when the vent air was on.


I took it to a few different shops in town, and got varying answers. One place said the transmission needed to be replaced, another said the car was overheating and needed a new radiator. The answer I got about the E40 error code was that it was due to a problem in the transmission.

Choosing the cheaper of the two options, I had the radiator replaced (there were a few places that it was obviously leaking from). Afterwards the car accelerated normally and the antifreeze smell from the vents was not present. I also had the AC recharged, and that worked again as well. The problem went away, and all seemed right with the world.

Fast-forward a few weeks, and the problem appears to be back (in some form). This time the symptoms are:

- Car is sluggish to accelerate (but is shifting fine after it gets out of first). Placing the car in First provides quicker acceleration.

- The check engine light is on, and the E40 error code is back.

- The AC doesn't work. This time though the antifreeze smell is not coming out of the vents.

This could be two separate problems, but I'm guessing that it's the same one (same sluggish acceleration, same E40 error).

Taking it back to the place that replaced the radiator, they claimed it was the transmission. I'm wondering if it was the transmission, why did the problem go away when the new radiator was installed? I would assume that it is a problem with the transmission, then the sluggish acceleration would have continued after the radiator was replaced.

Any advice?

Thanks!