Cadillac CTS Thermostat Location (Beginners Guide)
Regardless of how well you manage your car, faulty thermostats are sometimes inevitable, and no one wants to drive in a vehicle without a thermostat.
So, you have to do something about it. You’ll either be required to fix it or change it entirely. To do this, you need to know its location in the first place.
It can be hard to do, especially if you have no experience in such matters, and this is also the case with the Cadillac CTS. So, where is its thermostat located?
The location for the thermostat of Cadillac’s CTS slightly differs from model to model. Still, in most CTS vehicles, you should be able to find it under the intake manifold. You can find the intake manifold in between the cylinder banks. You can always visit your owner’s manual or reach out to Cadillac for assistance.
Where Is The Thermostat Located On A Cadillac?
In most CTS vehicles, you should be able to find it under the intake manifold.
However, the CTS series of the Cadillac has been around since the early 2000s, and we’re in 2023.
So, there’s no way they could’ve improved the engines down the years without having to shake things up regarding position.
So yeah, I cannot give a one-for-all answer here on where you can find the thermostat in your Cadillac CTS engine.
Your ride may be one of almost 20 models we’ve gotten to see of General Motor’s masterpiece series, the CTS.
However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t know where your thermostat’s location.
There are three ways I recommend you go about locating your vehicle’s thermostat. The first one is visiting the closest Cadillac dealership for assistance.
If they don’t know or can’t assist you with locating your thermostat, then probably no one can.
Unfortunately, the area you live in might make this difficult because Cadillac dealerships are not common.
If you’re lucky enough to have a dealership a few minutes drive away from you, then perfect.
You may not even need to go with your vehicle and that I believe is very helpful because if you’re trying to locate your thermostat, you probably need it changed, and if you need it changed, it’s bad.
You can always visit a dealership and state your vehicle’s model and trim, and they’d be more than happy to help you locate your thermostat.
You can even have everything fixed at once unless you insist on cutting costs and doing it yourself, but this is probably the best way to locate your vehicle’s thermostat.
The second way you can locate your thermostat is through the build sheet. Unfortunately, it will cost you $50 to access your Cadillac’s build sheet.
If you were trying to find out complex information on how your vehicle was made, this would’ve been ideal, but spending $50 and waiting to get the Cadillac to build sheet delivered to you isn’t worth it.
Different strokes for different folks, though. You may still find the build sheet method as perfect for you, maybe because you’ll get access to some information you may find useful later.
You’d be glad to know this isn’t complicated if you’re all for the build sheet method. All you need is your vehicle’s VIN and $50.
You’ll know where your thermostat is located and the installation process.
Once you’ve gotten your VIN, all you need to do is visit GM’s build section to input your VIN and make your donation, and you’ll get your build sheet.
Alternatively, you can try using compnine to get your build sheet with no payment required. Not too complex, is it?
I mentioned three reliable ways you can go about locating your vehicle’s thermostat. I’ve discussed two, which means there’s one left.
So what’s the third method for locating your thermostat? You don’t need to drive anywhere, nor do you need to click on a link for this one.
Why? That’s because it’s right here! I’ve done a lot of research on the most popular models of the CTS and located their thermostats.
In this article, I’ll be sharing this information with you! Let’s get to it then.
#1. 2003 Cadillac CTS Thermostat Location
In most vehicles I’ve covered, the thermostat is quite easy to locate, remove and install. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy with the 2003 Cadillac.
I don’t know if they did this, so customers will always have to reach out to dealerships whenever they want their thermostats changed, but it is inconvenient.
To locate the thermostat, you’ll have to take off the intake manifold in your engine. You can find the intake manifold in between the cylinder banks.
With the intake manifold removed, look toward the center of the space behind your engine; you’d find your thermostat there.
#2. 2004 Cadillac CTS Thermostat Location
It doesn’t get any better with the 2004 model—still the same inconveniencing process.
To get your thermostat, you’ll need to take your hood and windshield wiper motor off completely and then remove the intake manifold as the thermostat is under it.
The coolant thermostat housing is a two-piece unit that sits behind your engine’s motor.
#3. 2005 Cadillac CTS Thermostat Location
You’ll need to take your hood and windshield wiper motor off and remove the intake manifold as the thermostat is beneath it.
The thermostat of this model is located towards the left of that space behind your engine. As usual, it’s secured with bolts.
#4. 2006 Cadillac CTS Thermostat Location
To locate the thermostat, you’ll have to take off the intake manifold in your engine. You can find the intake manifold in between the cylinder banks.
With the intake manifold removed, look towards the left of the space behind your engine; you’d find your thermostat there.
#5. 2008 Cadillac CTS Thermostat Location
For the 2018 3.6L Cadillac CTS engine, you’ll need to take off the intake manifold in between the cylinder banks.
It gets a little bit more complicated for this model as you’ll be required to lose more screws and unplug more stuff, but if you’ve handled something like this before, you’d know it isn’t a cumbersome task.
The thermostat location of this model is located towards the left behind your engine. As usual, it’s secured with bolts.
#6. 2009 Cadillac CTS Thermostat Location
You don’t need to take off the intake manifold for this one. Although doing so can make it easier, it isn’t a necessity.
Take off your hood and look to the rear left of the whole hood area. You’ll see some black box with screws keeping it down.
You’ll need to take it off to get clearance and reach down the center of the hood area. You’ll find your thermostat there.
#7. 2011 Cadillac CTS Thermostat Location
It comes down to your size. If your arms and hands are not too big, you can go for the same procedure listed for the 2009 model.
Take off your hood and look to the rear left of the whole hood area. You’ll see some black box with screws keeping it down.
You’ll need to take it off to get clearance and reach down the center of the hood area. You’ll find your thermostat there.
#8. 2012 Cadillac CTS Thermostat Location
I recommend taking off the intake manifold in between the cylinder banks for this one as the thermostat is deeper down the center.
Once you’ve taken it off, look behind your CTS engine’s motor. You’ll find your thermostat with three screws holding it down.
Conclusion
No one wants their thermostat to go bad, but sometimes it’s inevitable.
Luckily for us, the internet exists, and with this guide, you can easily locate your thermostat and fix or replace it yourself. I hope you find this article helpful, good luck.
