2017-2023 Cadillac XT5 P0128 “Steering assist reduced, drive with care” Thermostat replacement FIX

[@purplemartinracingteam1750]

In addition to the steering assist message, my temp gauge was pegged at zero and my engine cooling fan was running on high but no overheating. Best to replace both like you did. I will tackle this soon. The parts info is much appreciated also. Thanks!

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@purplemartinracingteam1750 yeah I’ve experience the fan on all the time, I didn’t check the temp gauge though. Have fun! This wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Saved plenty of $$$ from doing it myself.

[@lancescott7620]

@@NutzAboutBoltsI don’t understand how the thermostat has anything to do with the steering assist. Couldn’t you just replace the temp sensor? My gauge is pegged at 0 also and fan is constantly on

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@lancescott7620 from what I remember, the heat from the engine coolant works with the steering assist for the vehicle. So if the coolant isn’t hot enough, the steering assist for the vehicle is affected by it.

[@lancescott7620]

@ gotcha. That makes sense I guess. So if the sensor is bad causing the fan to stay on, would it be ok to just change the sensor? I’d hate to go through all this if it’s just the sensor

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@lancescott7620 did you get the message? Usually it’s the message, fan being constantly on, and the temp gauge being 0.

[@leoampie4942]

This video is fantastic. Step by step, well explained, and having the tools and part (with part number and all) called out and listed is a gem. Thank you very much for this. Subbing.

[@NutzAboutBolts]

Thank you for the compliment 😁 I’m a DIYer as well and I would do what I’d want others to do to help me as well. I’m glad they’re helpful for you 🙌🏽

[@DouglasMix-o7h]

Thanks for making these videos! You are helping a lot of people. 😊

[@tommink2577]

This is a fantastic how-to. No BS, excellent camera angles and great explanations. Thank you for posting!!

[@NutzAboutBolts]

No problem! Glad you liked it 👍🏼

[@BillThompson-y5u]

Thanks for your help. Replaced the thermostat and temp sensor on my 2018 XT5. Followed your instructions and torque values. The only two things done differently was leaving the pipe connected to the hose and grinding down the sides of the crow foot to give more working area. The pipe was kept out of the way with a large screw driver to pry against the valve cover and pipe-hose assembly.

[@NutzAboutBolts]

nice work!

[@richardzicarelli3193]

Thank you for your in-depth explanation and video on how to change this thermostat. This just happened today on my 2019 XT5, and now I know how to get it fixed.

[@NutzAboutBolts]

You are welcome!

[@SavedByTheBloodOfJesus.]

NutzAboutBolts thanks for posting this video. It saved my husband and I both $3200. First he had to fix my 2019 Cadillac XT5 with 54,000 miles three weeks ago. Then a week later his 2020 Canyon Denali with 70,000, had the same issue. Come to find out, they both have the same motor. LOL. 😁 P.S. We found out it was cheaper to go to the Chevy place buy us and get OEM parts than going to AutoZone by us.

[@NutzAboutBolts]

Great to hear! OEM all the way 👍🏼

[@SavedByTheBloodOfJesus.]

@@NutzAboutBolts Thanks again. I totally agree OEM all the way!

[@Bluuuue908]

excellent video thank you. i just did it on my 2019 acadia denali with 58000 miles. gm should be issuing a recall since this is clearly material defect causing this common failure. so about $250 dollars and few hours it is done. few things i did differently though. one i replaced the spark pLust while the intake manifold was out. i also used flexible extension set. with a skinny rocket to remove the sensor. i bought the hose clamp removal tool for 10 and hose removal pliers for 15

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@Bluuuue908 yep, I did all of that in one go as well since the intake manifold was removed already. Good job! 👍🏼

[@XXXLL73]

Thanks a lot for making this video. I really appreciate you including the tools that you use. Great job!

[@NutzAboutBolts]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kimfyffe]

Great video this is what I'm going to have done to my 2018 xt5 at the dealer looks like alot of work I can't do this myself hope they do a good job like you did thanks

[@NutzAboutBolts]

Nice it’s under warranty, I’m sure they’ll do a good job since it’s hard to mess this one up. are they changing your ect sensors too?

[@kimfyffe]

@@NutzAboutBolts I hope they have not looked at it yet I'm going to drop it off tomorrow on Sunday and they are going to look at it Monday it's what was wrong with yours no warranty thanks

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@kimfyffethe “steering assist reduce, drive with care” message popped up, that’s what caused me to bring it into the Cadillac dealership. Then they quoted me 1300$ for a 4 hr job, and that was a discounted price since he won’t charge me for the diagnostic fee, which was 140$ an hr. The vehicle warranty was out for a year and the mileage was only 30k miles or so, under the 70k mile powertrain but it was out of warranty due to the year. Not a bad job to do, less than 200$ all together.

[@chrisx840]

Thanks a lot for making this video! My XT5 has had the same issue for awhile. This video is incredible helpful!

[@NutzAboutBolts]

Yeah the XT5 has this known issue and it’s out of warranty so I’m expecting there will be a lot more people watching this video. Dealer wanted to charge me 1300$ so I ended up doing myself for a fraction of that costs. Their labor charge was 240$ an hr 😬😬

[@mplage11]

How much were they asking to repair the XT5?

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@mplage111300$ for 4 hr job. They said they would waive the diagnostic fee, which was 140$ 😅😅

[@robertlewis2565]

Outstanding detail!

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@robertlewis2565 thanks 👍🏼

[@RuvimAbaras]

Great thorough video ! You don't really have to remove radiator hoses,

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@RuvimAbaras good to know for next time 🙌🏽

[@D.T.350AG]

Thanks for the video I’m about to tackle this right now, is it necessary to change the intake gaskets? I order the kit from Amazon but they only sent one gasket for the intake🤦🏻‍♂️

[@NutzAboutBolts]

Yes, the intake gasket comes as only 1, I didn’t know either and had to ask the seller lol. Just buy 5 more, they’re pretty cheap. Also if you don’t change it, it might cause air leak because it’s rubber and hardens over time.

[@mplage11]

How much would a repair like this cost if you took it to the dealer? Great work BTW -- !

[@NutzAboutBolts]

My dealer quoted 1300$, some quoted 1100$ so it depends on your dealership. Parts alone costed me 200$ and I did the repair myself which took a couple of days due to filming. If I didn’t film, it probably takes about 2-4 hrs, depending on how fast you work.

[@mplage11]

@@NutzAboutBolts Thanks! Interesting, the message popped up this morning, temp gauge at zero, no ac either. This afternoon when I started the car again (approximately 2 hours later) the message was gone, temp gauge normal, AC working -- ! Check engine light still on though.

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@ it’s an intermittent issue I guess, some people disconnect their battery and reconnect and it became normal. I’d still have the thermostat replace though. The thermostat is a routine maintenance part of the vehicle.

[@mplage11]

@@NutzAboutBolts Yep. All signs point to the thermostat leaving this world. Time to replace.

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@mplage11 lol, yeah this isn't too bad to do. have fun!

[@tooldiebum]

Great job I’m looking at this now just can’t believe all that for a freaking thermostat I have a warranty I might just let them do it

[@NutzAboutBolts]

Did you have the extended warranty? Our warranty expired since it’s 6 years or 70k miles. We bought this used since 2 years ago and they didn’t honor it under warranty since they said 6 years since the car was manufactured. 😑

[@EliG-t8k]

Quick question, do I also need to get the engine coolant water inlet gasket?

[@NutzAboutBolts]

Yes, when you buy the pipe, just transfer the gasket to the old pipe like in the video.

[@EliG-t8k]

First of all, thanks for responding and your video gave me the confidence that I can handle the job.

[@NutzAboutBolts]

⁠yeah, it looks intimidating but it’s not, just follow it step by step with the video and you’ll be good 👍🏼

[@GaryHaugh]

I had the same problem with my 2017 XT5 (temp gauge pegged at " C", radiator fan on full blast, AC stopped working, and Steering assist warning message). So worried I was in line for an expensive service appt. at the dealer. I read somewhere in comments on this issue that just disconnecting the battery neg cable for a few minutes cleared the entire problem so I decided it was worth the try. Wow! It worked. Have been driving the car for about a week since and problem has not returned. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[@NutzAboutBolts]

😬 I’ve read something about that somewhere as well, but not sure how long it will last, keep us updated if anything changes. Good luck!

[@captaincrypto9660]

We did that too. At first it lasted a few weeks. Now it's only last a day or so. Fixing ours over Thanksgiving week. Thanks for video

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@captaincrypto9660 glad to read an update about this issue. Its a temporary fix to trick the ecu, but the part itself is already gone, so it’s best to replace the thermostat and be done with it. I’m sure replacing the thermostat is a regular maintenance you’ll have to do down the line since they tend to go bad overtime.

[@nbr1dallasfan293]

Excellent video. Thanks.

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@nbr1dallasfan293 thanks! Hope it’s helpful

[@GIANGNGUYEN-go8oy]

I JUST REPLACED THERMOSTAT AND COULDN'T REPLACE TEMP SENSOR. FIRST TIME AND TOOK ABOUT 7 HRS BUT I CAN GET IT DONE. DEALER THEY WANT OVER THOUSAND DOLLARS TO REPLACE IT. THANKS

[@NutzAboutBolts]

Replacing the coolant temp sensor should take less than 1 hr or so.

[@wallman411]

Great video but Thermostat is not GM, I’m a little concerned after reading reviews. Amazon says temp sensor doesn’t fit 2017 xt5. Any suggestions?

[@NutzAboutBolts]

That’s the thermostat and pipe I bought on amazon, for the temp sensor, I returned it because it didn’t have a washer for it, but you can also buy it at GM for cheap if it doesn’t work out.

[@terencebrooks8943]

Those two O-rings on the 2 lines above the thermostat, can you list the part number???

[@NutzAboutBolts]

I left it in the description box 2x GM Genuine Parts 12648547 Engine Coolant Air Bleed Pipe O-rings I linked it as well.

[@h.n.2259]

Is it necessary to change the temperature sensor?

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@h.n.2259 not needed, but since you’re there, might as well since it’ll be hard to change it later on.

[@AndrewHopkins-e5j]

If you are only replacing the thermostat and the coolant pipe oring, do you need to fully drain the coolant still before completing this?

[@NutzAboutBolts]

I mean, you should, if you don’t drain the coolant, when you remove the thermostat, coolant will pour out from there and will cause a big mess.

[@Hmcdonald13]

Thank you!! Just to clarify-are you saying it is optional to replace the pipe Coolant Thermostat Housing Assembly and just replace the o ring (part 12623519) and the thermostat (part 12678780)?

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@Hmcdonald13 yes, people don’t replace the pipe since you’ll have to remove the fuel rails to get it out. People just replace the o-ring on it and call it a day lol

[@James-Lifts]

Would it be easy to replace all 6 spark plugs while doing this?

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@James-Lifts yes, I’ve did a video on it. Once you remove the top cover and the intake manifold, everything’s there for you to replace, so it’s better to do all this all at once since you’re going to replace the intake manifold gaskets anyways.

[@James-Lifts]

@@NutzAboutBolts thank you so much.

[@James-Lifts]

Is there a kit that you bought to get all these parts?

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@James-Lifts there isn’t a kit, but I’ve left the links to all the products I’ve used in the description box. Just buy the right amount such as spark plugs, intake gaskets and coolant pipe o-ring etc etc, if you got any questions, let me know.

[@James-Lifts]

@@NutzAboutBolts wow thanks if they don’t cover it under powertrain warranty, I will have to. It’s gonna be a lot for me.

[@jameshangley4646]

About how many hours should this j jk on talk Gm said 5 hours

[@NutzAboutBolts]

The dealership quoted me 4 hrs. If this is your first time, it’s probably gonna take you 3-4 hrs, but if you’ve done this before, maybe 2 hrs

[@TrippinAintEasyVa]

All this just change spark plugs wtf.

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@TrippinAintEasyVa yeah, just remove the top cover and intake manifold, not too bad

[@OneWickedEvo]

Waiting for dealer to confirm the obvious P0128 results. Anywhere from 800-1200 is what I was told. If so I’m trying to convince wifey to allow me to do it.

[@NutzAboutBolts]

@@OneWickedEvoI got quoted for 1300$, and they said that’s with a discount 😂😂 if you do it yourself, it’ll cost you around 200-300$ and a couple of hours.

[@OneWickedEvo]

@@NutzAboutBolts just got the call, $851.15 before tax - Wifey is not thrilled that I'm working on it, however, $900 to replace a known issue is unacceptable. I'll post an update when I'm done and thanks for posting the vid!

[@NutzAboutBolts]

⁠​⁠@@OneWickedEvowow, that’s not too bad but still high for a known issue with these models. Parts alone is cheap so you’re saving a good 600$. Time is money so depends on what’s more important to you. This took me about a couple days since I film, but if I didn’t need to film. Probably 2-3 hrs.