Amazing how GM experiment and screwed up their flagship brand. Industrial strength stupid. But the top brass still got their bonuses and golden parachutes.

@francisniestemski2440

2 жыл бұрын

So true. They were rewarded for their incompetence.

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

@@francisniestemski2440 saboteurs i remember papers from gm corporate office

@saratoga123321

2 жыл бұрын

Top heavy boats capsize frequently…

@acrostoa

2 жыл бұрын

How dare you attack modern capitalism!

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

@@acrostoa sarcastic?

When Jerry Seinfeld bought his dad a Caddy in Fla, Jerry’s mother asked him “ Do we really need the Northstar?” She knew.👍😊

@eswyatt

2 жыл бұрын

I don't think that car had a northstar

@ThePrissy11

2 жыл бұрын

@@eswyatt That’s what the writers of Seinfeld said👍

@eswyatt

2 жыл бұрын

@@ThePrissy11 yeah those writers were usually spot-on

@anthonym.cardali1875

2 жыл бұрын

That was an LT 1 Corvette Motor in Morty Seinfeld's Car

@aarongranda7825

2 жыл бұрын

The Fleetwood/Roadmaster/Caprice featured in Seinfeld had the 4.3 v8 or the 5.7 v8 not Northstar.

Sounds like a case of, "Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?"

@davidespinosa236

2 жыл бұрын

Hahahaha

@joshuamartin6841

2 жыл бұрын

That’s dark…I like it!

@blvckdxvth

2 жыл бұрын

mint

@MrChainsaw80

2 жыл бұрын

LMAO

@ralphwilliams2396

Жыл бұрын

That line gets me every time🤣

“When it is working, the Northstar is a great engine.” What a great endorsement!

@michaelmurphy6869

2 жыл бұрын

Many people who had used those engines to power their larger sand rails (4 seaters), because the HP and torque output. Those engines sounded pretty wicked with headers. A very unique sound. Even in stock form those engines still produced good power 300 + HP . I often wondered if Toyota had used some of the Northstar features in their design of their I-Force V8 engines. There are some similarities. Which too was a very good engine.

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

@@michaelmurphy6869 but don't use that garbage pellets 🤦‍♂ ( insider secret the dealership's down the road said the was for idiots and for a quick get lost trick aka it doesn't work on that platform and not in my SBC 350 as it miss up the insides before i got it from the previous owner ) my old job use to be a profomance shop doing caddy's and the north star and 500CI engine was one of them might even have modified rare classic cars SLS caddy somewhere in the passed so he might not know what is in side/modifyed. and i like the starter in cramped mucky parking lot space 20m ish job with my old tools if im pushing it ( on the boss car or the wifeys cursed one aka christen/little bastered/evil car ) and the water cooled alternators are actually more reliable just don't plug it up or overload it ect. with things like big sound systems and 20" rims 🤦🏻‍♂ no! butchers car had to fix more than one problem from that

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

@@michaelmurphy6869 200-300+k miles on the more the one testing mule car so they generally don't suck in my mind after mods bone stock the shortest mileage i saw was about 65-80k and the engine needed rebuilt all the way not just head gasket's. the transmission seems to be aimed design wise for about 200K but if you're nice to it and do service with fluid flush filter and band adjustments every 50k it can last way longer than nun=about 130k ish

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

its not that bad but take it as it is i drive a 60's charger with a BBC/hemi Manule transmission and a 80's Chevy K1500

@aarongranda7825

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah and when my horse isn't dead he can pull a wagon.

Learn something new every day. TIL the Northstar has 10 head bolts. Just for reference, a Chevy small block has 17. Add that to the list of reasons!

@ProjectFairmont

2 жыл бұрын

The SBC had so many cause they had a thin deck, and still have a tendency to crack.

@TinHatRanch

2 жыл бұрын

@@ProjectFairmont the heads? I️ was thinking that was the reason behind the blown head gaskets but then I️ remembered small block fords have 10 head bolts…so…

@donreinke5863

2 жыл бұрын

@@TinHatRanch Not just small blocks..385 series Fords (429s and 460s) also used only 10 head bolts and early versions had compression ratios as high as 11 to 1 The head bolts however were of large diameter and torque specs were 130 ft-lbs. In addition, the Ford 427 FE series engine that embarrassed Ferrari for 4 years running also used only 10 head bolts None of the Ford engines were known for blowing head gaskets. BTW big block Mopars also used 17 head bolts.

@donreinke5863

2 жыл бұрын

@@mikec9112 No 406FE production engine had cross bolted main bearings, they were simply a .080 overbored 390. There were rumors however of 406 engines that Ford experimented with that had 4 bolt mains. The primary reason Ford bored the 390 into 406 was to complete with the already popular Chevrolet 409, but Pontiac division was the frontrunner in the displacement wars with a 421 ci unit. In fact, early 427FE engines mostly built in early 1963 were 2 bolt mains, the cross bolted side oiler version replaced them almost immediately as it became apparent there were serious durability issues under racing conditions, the center oiled 2 bolt became notorious in short order for "oiling down" drag strips when the bottom end blew out.

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

@@donreinke5863 and all 3 of the big-3 🇺🇸 did have options for 6-per-cylinder v8 engines and some of those are aftermarket castings/billet, as a example the LSX is one and the 440RB BBM is another one and i believe the hemi got that mod in the aftermarket pieces as did my frankenstine BBM hemi + 9/16" main and 1/2" shank top and bottom row shank plus a bedplate i know maybe a little overkill but built to take abuse/longevity. ford did 4 per-cylinder in the 6.0 power stroke but it's a mixed bag as it's supposedly a weak spot in the design

Let's face it, this is an exotic engine. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way a bunch of people, engineers and bean counters, dropped the ball and didn't step up to admit there was a problem. GM absolutely refused to take responsibility. This problem NEVER should've EVER come up, because it should never have left the brain of whatever engineer mistakenly thought a fine thread into aluminum was a good idea

@alanblanes2876

2 жыл бұрын

Good point. When the head gasket problem gets fixed, it is a totally superb engine. I got mine done 5 years ago, and it is the most reliable car possible. The next item on the maintenance/repair schedule is the ignition module. GM has discontinued this, but a supplier Blue Streak in Poland is not sure when they will be making a new batch. The Cadillac enthusiasts, owners and repair shops should band together and work directly with the suppliers to keep this part stocked.

@francisniestemski2440

2 жыл бұрын

If you recall, there were many articles about the Northstar years before it was put in production It was the engine all of engines but I think that the reality was planned obsolescence. GM relied on people trading in their cars every 4 years and then bringing to junkyards four years after. Just look on Craigslist how many 20 years old cars, quite a bit being T

@francisniestemski2440

2 жыл бұрын

Toyota’s selling for $5 k. Then look at the Cadillacs.

@wrongplanet1957

2 жыл бұрын

Planned , money pit, to fleech the rich n stupid from the beginning, im a mechanic since 4th or 5th grade, but we owned a car lot sold new triumps, fiats Renault s the North star is like the 75 fiat x19, the triumps tr7, and Renault all Renault are a bitch to get to and way over plumbed , and that was all to make them impossible to work on so you had to hire fat headed mechanic s , and fkeech the costumers

@toddprater14

7 ай бұрын

I heard they wanted to use a coarser thread in designing it..but the bean counters decided to use tons of bolts left over from the quad 4 engine (they had crates and crates and crates),so being a cheap bitch gm screwed themselves and put a stank of Cadillac customers when they early northstars were failing… also using a slogan of the coolant don’t need to be changed for 100k miles and the it can run with no coolant for 50 miles by shifting head sides while running to cool down the other…the smart people who changed their coolant and never ever heated up their motors are the ones that had good luck with 92-04 northstars ..the lazy ones that never changed the coolant , lax on oil changes and letting it get too low,paid the price and there were more lazy people than people that are on top of their engines maintenance.

We had a used 2006 DTS Performance model. I can certainly attest to the oil leaks and engine gasket issues. The local Caddy dealer told us to fix it would have cost around $3,000.00 and at least 3 days. Just as you said, they have to drop the engine completely out of the car. I agree that "when working properly" it was a great running and performing engine with great sounds when pushed hard. But, everyone stay away unless you've got deep pockets or have the ability to fix these problems yourself, both of which we lacked. Why they continued to make that engine is mind boggling to me. Bad, Caddilac! Bad!

@alanblanes2876

2 жыл бұрын

The engine does have a lot going for it, and GM says it is the most sophisticated engine they have ever made. Instead of dropping it, I'd suggest advancing and simplifying it.

@khronin

2 жыл бұрын

I had an olds aurora that I had set up to run in the silver state classic and luckily i never had a problem with it.I changed the oil at 3k and when I bought it with 100k I had all the fluids replaced and everything fixed and it was less then 1k--I sold the car about 2 years for exactly 1k more then i paid--so i actually broke even on it.These cars were great when they ran and some folks like me got lucky and had no issues.

@trentdawg2832

2 жыл бұрын

Just ls4 swap it, you’ll gain a couple horses in the process

@audioelitist3677

2 жыл бұрын

Get an independent garage to put a stud kit in it. That's what I did to mine. No more issues like that ever again.

@knurlgnar24

2 жыл бұрын

GM improved the head bolts in 2000 by lengthening them, and resolved the problem in 2004 by going to a coarser thread. If you had head gasket problems with a 2006 you were either extremely unlucky or had other issues. And oil leaks were exclusively an issue with earlier designs pre 2000. Again, not an issue on 2006. The real tragedy is that it took GM until 2004 to make it a great engine, and then once it was an excellent engine they discontinued it. Only at GM.

I guess the engineers put the starter below the intake because they figured you’re going to have to take it off anyway when you change the head gaskets, might as well get them for a starter too

@russellstall169

2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant

@MrSloika

2 жыл бұрын

Toyota V8 also has the starter under the intake.

@Bacon12954

2 жыл бұрын

That’s a pretty common design with V8s

@hilyardholler7326

2 жыл бұрын

I can attest that with the starter located there …. Can’t even hear it start.

@lindycorgey2743

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrSloika But Toyota uses a better quality starter motor.

Greetings from Glenn in Cleveland! You hit the nail on the head. When I bought my 2001 Deville (lease turn in with 30k), it ran perfect for many years. When it turned 70k it was burning a quart of oil every 1000 miles. A few of my friends had the same issue with their Northstar engines with around the same mileage. The cars were all bone dry underneath. There was no smoking gun so to speak out of the tail pipe. When my Deville turned 120k it developed the dreaded overheat issue (head bolts). I replaced every part of the cooling system! It still had the overheat issue. When I replaced the expansion tank coolant cap, the issue went away until 128k. At this point, I couldn't go more than a couple miles from home. The car seldom ever left the garage anymore. After 17 years, and the last 4 years of pretty much sitting, I traded it in last February. I've owned 5 Cadillacs and each one managed to turn 200k with routine maintenance, except the last one.

@MostlyBuicks

2 жыл бұрын

I understand if you do not drive them aggressively once in a while, the rings start sticking and they burn oil.

@wemustliveent.9597

2 жыл бұрын

I have a 2003 Deville DHS at 141,305 miles and have had no overheating issues. It literally runs like a newer model car. A few issues with the air ride and ebcm but I recently ordered a bypass kit to remove the air ride system because the ABS, BRAKE, TRACTION control lights are on. We'll see if that fixes the issue. I'll let you guys know. The car is my profile pic btw 1LOVE to all

@kenbowser5622

2 жыл бұрын

I have an 02 Eldorado. No oil between changes, never had head bolts changed, 185,000 miles. I do change the anti freeze every year tho. Don't want it getting acidic, might add to the head bolt issue.

@kenbowser5622

2 жыл бұрын

@@MostlyBuicks I have 185,000 miles on one. I sometimes run it pretty hard. Don't leak oil, didn't change head bolts. I change the anti freeze every year, tho. Old stuff is corrosive

In aerospace design, female threads in aluminum (fine or coarse) are never used. Instead, a steel insert (looks like a coil spring) with external coarse threads and internal fine threads is screwed in, then 'staked' in place to prevent rotation. Works extremely well and cost pennies.

@oveidasinclair982

2 жыл бұрын

But GM saved $5 by doing the head bolts the was they did

@PJS-8200

2 жыл бұрын

That should have been done with both the head and main bearing bolts.

@Breadts1cks

2 жыл бұрын

This was a fix by GM, they’re called timeserts. Unfortunately it didn’t help too much as the torque would pull the bolts out anyway. The only real fix is to re-tap the block with very course threads. They’re bulletproof after that

@steveswell1

6 ай бұрын

One dude "f'd" up and a few others signed off on it during a hangover day....so who gets hurt? Lighten up. :)

I've had 6 caddy's with northstar engines and besides replacing a thermostat on 2 of them, one water pump they have been trouble free

@Monza62000

2 жыл бұрын

i have on my boy has one no problems..the fix run the piss out of them no an then

@juanrodriguez-ry6yt

2 жыл бұрын

buy a lottery ticket l1 master car and truck mechanic 50 years in the trade

@Monza62000

2 жыл бұрын

an the northstar is not the only ones that have heat bolt problems ..

The exceptions I should mention is that they did fix those issues. For the 2004 (for rear wheel drive LH2 variants) and 2004.5 (for the front wheel drive variants LD8 and L37) up model years, the headgasket issues should be almost if not entirely be eliminated as they took the beefy head bolts from I believe the LS5 and installed them in these engines. I own a 2004 SRX with 186,000 miles and she doesn’t burn any oil, and you can’t even smell gasoline or blow by in the oil. She has had 2-3 over heating events in her life, within the family (belt snapped, one because the idler pulley seized, and the last because the water pump failed), before I took ownership. Other than that no catastrophic issues and I consider myself lucky that she’s not an oil burner at her mileage. The only issues I’ve had are currently she leaks a bit, and I’m currently replacing some power steering lines, but otherwise ok. My statement is these years (2004.5-2010) were among the last and if you want the most durable northstar and the most powerful naturally aspirated variant, then the rear wheel drive LH2 is for you, which can be found in the Cadillac STS, SRX, and XLR. These engines came with newly designed blocks with support ribbing, a forged crank (which is cast on the front wheel drive versions), Hypereutectic pistons (I recall), modified ring gap clearances, improved coolant flow arrangement and direction, among other rigidity improvements. All vehicles from this marked year should be fine and that includes bonnevilles, Lucernes (I owned one with the 3800 V6 and a sibling has the northstar variant as we speak), and etc. One other option which I hear is pretty robust and haven’t heard anything bad about is the expensive yet exhilarating LC3 supercharged 4.4 northstar V8 which I heard is phenomenal when maintained. As one last piece of advice, DON’T use dexcool (I use Asian red phosphate coolant as I like that better), unless ya want sludge for days and although the new formulations are ok, I still don’t care for it. Furthermore get one that has been MAINTAINED with lower miles but also not sitting as that’s worse in my opinion. Other than the leaks, which I recommend a bottle or two of AT-205 reseal for, make sure to wind them out every so often as they are performance engines and especially so in older ones as sedate use long term can cause problems. Great job on the video and excellent work!

@Marzimus

2 жыл бұрын

Hypereutectic.. 🤔 I just learned a new word! Thanks James.

@MrSloika

Жыл бұрын

'....they fixed the head bolt issue in 2004...' Well, there's a ringing endorsement. They fixed the problem....they fixed it only 10 years after the engine first hit the streets.

@fredaydaybae8450

Жыл бұрын

Your comment wins! You sound like a true enthusiast of these cars. I’m a mile enthusiast and owned an Aurora Northstar that didn’t have anywhere NEAR the issues that I see ppl having.

@steveswell1

6 ай бұрын

Who's endorsing anything? Facts are facts.@@MrSloika

@steveswell1

6 ай бұрын

The post '04 STS had its own share o' troubles apart from the Northstar system. Whew, what a clunker! :)

People who claim the Northstar is the worst simply do not understand them. They were ahead of their time. They were among the most powerful front wheel drive cars in their day. They are excellent in snow, plenty of power, and offer great gas mileage. Although the head gasket issue is a big thing to repair, they give almost no trouble after they have been fixed. And that's on 93-03 models. 2004-11 models rarely have the head gasket issues due to updated bolts. But even then, the 93-03 models are good cars when maintained. Some people run the older models for hundreds of thousands of miles without blowing head gaskets. My reasoning for that is that they never let them overheat. 93-03 models are what I would consider to be "one and done" in terms of keeping it alive with the original bolts. You get one chance, and one chance only with the original bolts. If you buy one, here's what you do. Thermostat, water pump, WP belt, WP tensioner, coolant flush with new orange coolant, coolant resevoir cap, and that's really all I would say needs to be done. You could keep going and eliminate every possibility you want, but that's all I'd do. That way you don't have too much money in it if it still lets loose. But really, from what I see with these cars, those are the things that will cause it to happen most often. Most of the other cooling system stuff is not an issue. And notice how I said orange coolant, not green or anything else. GM says use orange coolant, therefore, I will use orange coolant in the car. GM changed the formulation of their Dexcool so it is no longer as bad as it was. Factory Dex was a nightmare. Saw a water pump come out of these cars that looked like it ran though an acid bath. That's what Dexcool does, it eats the metals until the cooling system no longer works. It always finds its way out.

@SuperBooboo02

2 жыл бұрын

exactly had 2 one with 175000 miles never any problems

@ashtonneale8425

2 жыл бұрын

@@SuperBooboo02 What year was your car? The one I had was an 03 DeVille.

@beatlejuice5951

2 жыл бұрын

@@SuperBooboo02 ooooo 175000 😂 my Toyota pickup has 425861 right now and never a problem and my Subaru outback has 365678 miles on it right now and never had any problems eather.

@richardp6178

2 ай бұрын

I always us green coolant in all my Northstars and flush every two years. OAT coolants are horrible and eat anything that's made out of rubber or plastic! I change all my cars from OAT coolants (Dexcool, Mopar etc. and all that other garbage to green and never have any issues. I also stud my Northstars and use Mitsubond RTV on the bottom end. Mine never leak oil. You have to frequently do the Italian tune up (Thrash them) to prevent the oil control rings on the pistons from gumming up (as per all performance engines of that time and before) and that prevents the engine from burning oil.

Was Service Director in a Cadillac store in the 80's as I posted before. Lived through all the engine problems you mentioned, almost impossible to get customers to understand why we couldn't cure poor engineering problems. HT 4100 also developed low end engine knock especially if it had been overheated. Iron heads on aluminum block caused main bearing web casting to distort resulting in bearings to become egg shaped. Cure was to install redesigned bearings that had extra material on the back of the bearing shell. Measure bearing clearances and decide what size color coded on the back of the main bearing(green, purple, yellow) to install. Did fix the bearing thud but what a bandaid approach for the "Standard of the World"

@3713msg

2 жыл бұрын

I worked in the same position in the 1980's. It was truly disgusting what GM turned out as "cars" Transmission problems, steering gear problems, water pump pulley breakage. Noisy fuel pumps. The RWD cars were way underpowered, and the new FWD cars, were just a disaster. Many of my customers ran to BMW and Mercedes. And they never came back, and I do not blame them, one bit.

I had a 2000 Olds Intrigue (great car!) and a 2002 Aurora (Also a great car except for the aluminum hood), and both had the "ShortStar" - the all aluminum V-6 version of the Northstar. Now there was a good engine! Two less cylinders and all aluminum construction made a world of difference.

My wife had a 2001 DeVille with the North Star. The car went 242,000 before we sold it. It never overheated but did use oil. Other than that, it was extremely reliable. Religious oil changes are a must on these cars along with regular coolant changes as well. Definitely change out a thermostat from time to time. Very powerful and good on gas.

@jlcii

2 жыл бұрын

So in short, meticulous high-maintenance constantly is what this engine needs in order to run half decently. That still makes it problematic to say the least. And I had a 99 Seville. That thing was ATROCIOUS on gas, even with the oil changes and premium fuel.

@Bartonovich52

2 жыл бұрын

All of that won’t solve the head bolt issues.

@PistonAvatarGuy

2 жыл бұрын

You just got lucky, bud. Good maintenance can't fix serious design flaws.

@NeverTalkToCops1

2 жыл бұрын

Oil changes can not possibly fix the head gasket problems and other issues. How ridiculous.

@DiamondJones40

2 жыл бұрын

As a owner of several northstars with only one "2001" 2000 engine design that got the head bolt kit put on it. Which it has 212k miles on it now and running strong. The engines ARE A BEAST when running properly. However, vacuum leaks knock this engine off its tilt. And vacuum lines are mostly plastic on this engine and they are not built to last. So if you habe one address your lines like you would ur plugs. After 03-04 the head gasket issue was for the most part resolved. Long story short do your research first before u buy one. If it is 03 and older make sure the head bolts have been dealt with or prepare to deal with them. If it's 04 and newer check your vacuum lines and make sure there are no vacuum leaks and u should be fine. But from my experience ALL NORTHSTARS USE OIL fresh out of the box so stay on top of your oil and HAVE FUN!

Loved it in my ‘95 Aurora. Hated working on it. Swapping the alternator on that was indeed a dreadful task. So smooth though.

@francisniestemski2440

2 жыл бұрын

I have two classic 67 olds with the 425 engine that was later stroked to become the 455. What a great engine.

@mellyzaurora1277

2 жыл бұрын

I have a 99 olds Aurora daily driver 95,000 miles running strong

@sisyphus2k237

2 жыл бұрын

Loved my 99 Aurora, started leaking oil out of the RMS. Didn’t want to spend the money to fix it, but 7 years after getting rid of it, wife and I still talk fondly how smooth that car ran.

@mellyzaurora1277

2 жыл бұрын

@@sisyphus2k237 I drove from Colorado to LA It went through 6 full tanks of premium gas each way. Very smooth Vehicle for long trips

@sisyphus2k237

2 жыл бұрын

@@mellyzaurora1277 first road-trip with my wife was from NJ to Niagara Falls and a lot of NY wineries. Lol I agree with u 100%

As a GM tech of the 90' and early 2000's, these are all very valid points. The water pump having its own tiny tensioner and belt driven off the camshafts also causes overheating when failure exists. That being said they are smooth, powerful and the engine pitch through the powerband is a thing of beauty. Excellent video. 👍

@ElementalMatrix

2 жыл бұрын

What did you think was the worst car GM made that you had to work on?

@gofast3415

2 жыл бұрын

@@ElementalMatrix By far the 3.4 DOHC vin code X used in the Chevy Lumina Z34. It was in other GM cars with W body. Later is the early and mid gen 3.4 used in the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Chevy Traverse. That latest gen 3.4 used seems much better.

@rm25088

7 ай бұрын

Yeah I heard about that. I think I am going to buy a new pulley right now for my newly acquired 2008 DtS.

@ProteusDIY

7 ай бұрын

@@rm25088Hey I just got a 2008 DTS as well! In fact I haven't received it yet but it's on its way! Glad I found this video!

You know there's a serious head problem when the aftermarket makes a "kit" to bore the cylinder bolt holes and retap them oversize, drill out the bolt holes in the head, and supply new oversize bolts.. and gaskets...

@toothrestorer6588

Жыл бұрын

And Toyota , you know the super reliable brand, has the same issues with some of its 4 cylinder engines. The same aftermarket companies make solutions for those Toyota’s as well.

@toddprater14

Жыл бұрын

@@toothrestorer6588 Toyota sucks,I wouldn’t be caught dead in one of them jap cars…

@toothrestorer6588

Жыл бұрын

@@toddprater14 I would rather drive the Cadillac.

@toddprater14

Жыл бұрын

@@toothrestorer6588 amen brother 👌

Don't care how well it runs when it works. Any engine that blows head gaskets a 60k miles, overheats, leaks oil, has its starter under the intake manifold, and requires gymnastics to take out the alternator sucks.

When the Titanic was floating it was a wonderful ship to sail on. I come from a GM family with two uncles and a cousin that were dealers back in the day, but GM of the last 40 years has done some of the most monumentally stupid things in the automotive world.

@t3hgir

2 жыл бұрын

LOL

Somewhat related (you mentioned this car briefly) I think an episode about the Aurora would be warranted. I think Oldsmobile was really doing some of their best work in decades just before GM pulled the plug, and the Aurora (both gens) was perhaps their best example - plus you could talk about the V6 "Shortstar", which I thought was really quite good, but with so few examples out there (and my families tendency to only keep them 2 or 3 years) I don't know how to speak to their longevity.

@jimamerica7419

2 жыл бұрын

I inherited my parents olds Aurora 4.0 and intrigue 3.5. Both were purchased new and well maintained. Some small issues with the 4.0 although still runs well. The 3.5 short star has been a tank and a pleasure to drive. The only things you have to do is check the oil periodically, change the oil periodically, change and flush the coolant system periodically. Also, water pump replacement, engine electronics such as the mentioned crank sensors MUST HAVE OEM GM parts/AC DELCO. Aftermarkets will not work well and will cause you more headaches later.

@IvyMike551

2 жыл бұрын

The Aurora engine was far less susceptible to the common problems of the 4.6.

@Werewolfmage

2 жыл бұрын

good ol aurora!

@sheldoniusRex

2 жыл бұрын

I always thought the Aurora was a good looking car.

@Red84GT

Жыл бұрын

Had an Oldsmobile intrigue with the 3.5 V6. It did burn oil, it ran great til my ex drove through a flooded street and hydrolocked the motor.

Adam - I really enjoy all of your reviews and chats, but thanks for clarifying about this engine. I own a 2011 DTS with the Northstar, I think it was the last year for this car and engine, and it has been the one of the best cars I have ever owned. It has 110,000 miles and no issues at all. My favorite car of all time though was a 77 Caprice Classic, wish I still had that car today.

@MeDicen_Rocha

2 жыл бұрын

Do your coolant flushes, dont ever let it overheat and it should last

I actually owned two Cadillacs with Northstars, one first gen in a 98 El Dorado, and a third gen 03 Deville. The engines were fuel efficient, and had a lot of horse power, even when using low octane fuel. But both engine head gaskets blew. The first gen blew slowly and lasted over 200,000 miles, but was one overheating away from death for the last 100,000. The second blew at 106,000, and I replaced it, and it blew again at 180,000. The repair on the 03 was $6000, and took three months because no mechanic wanted to do it. I love Cadillacs, but my last two cars have been an Acura and Infiniti. A Northstar will break your heart.

@jlr194

2 жыл бұрын

And your wallet ☺

@toothrestorer6588

Жыл бұрын

200k miles isn’t something to complain about.

I would love to hear your thoughts about the mid size Cadillacs with the 4.9 engine and transmission I always wanted to get one.

@dionrau5580

2 жыл бұрын

My 91coupe DeVille is a fine car lm Glad I saved it, got less than 90000 miles and no problem, decent power and mpg.

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

wife had one 👍just don't get are old car please as it's hunted. that and i worked in a shop that serviced them

I own a '93 Allante and have no complaints.

GM did correct many of the failure points in the last generation. And in typical GM fashion when they finally got it straight they stopped making it. Meanwhile over at Ford their OHC V8 that was introduced about the same time lives on as the 5.0 coyote.

@francisniestemski2440

2 жыл бұрын

What model year did they get it right?

@21Piloteer

2 жыл бұрын

@@francisniestemski2440 early 00's

@brucegrant1141

2 жыл бұрын

32 valve Intech was basically bulletproof. If someone came up with a way to attach the 4T80 to it in place of the AX4N that was made of glass I'd still be driving my Continental.

@khakiswag

2 жыл бұрын

@@brucegrant1141 right. Ford should’ve stuck with the 4.6 SOHC and DOHC instead of the 3V and the 5.4s. That and the 6.2 V8 and the 6.8 V10 were also great engines.

@MrSloika

2 жыл бұрын

GM did the same thing with the HT series of engines. The 4.1HT was complete trash. The 4.5HT was a bit better. The 4.9HT was a fine engine. So after finally getting it right what did GM do? Dropped the 4.9 for the 4.6N and started the process over again.

The 300 hp 2000 model year DTS was a nice hwy hauler. I actually clocked a 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds ,60ft of 1.54... and a 14.7quarter in mine.

@OxBlitzkriegxO

2 жыл бұрын

show me the timeslip of a fwd luxury car with hideous torque management that actually cut a 1.54 60' on street tires. i do not believe you. the 1/4 mile time is accurate though.

@wzpu3283

2 жыл бұрын

@@OxBlitzkriegxO Yep, you're right. No way in hell that it cut a 1.54 second 60 foot.

@timothybayliss6680

2 жыл бұрын

@@OxBlitzkriegxO 1.7x second 60 foot times seem to be pretty quick for a street driven fwd cars with slicks. Like proper 13" slicks on a boosted civic. I am thinking that its supposed to be 2.54 seconds and that sounds way more reasonable other than how do you cover 1260 feet in 12.2 seconds in a barge?

@OxBlitzkriegxO

2 жыл бұрын

@@timothybayliss6680 that car should be capable of 2.0-2.1 60' times regardless of traction control or how you launch. the N* equipped engines are tuned such that you dont get full throttle in first gear no matter what you do. its limited to 50% because of torque management.

Had a 2005 DeVille. Commuted to work for 12 years and took many long trips in it. No issues or major repairs the whole time. At 130,000 it blew a head gasket though. Loved that car, but decided not to spend the 5 Gs to fix it. I opted for a $200 kit that supposedly fixed it. It ran fine for another 6000 miles but I couldn’t trust it on long trips anymore, so I decided to trade it in for a new Suburban.

@oveidasinclair982

2 жыл бұрын

Then the deal took the car to auction and some other sucker got stuck with it

@PETERLINNAH

2 жыл бұрын

@@oveidasinclair982 I think our old cars go to Mexico or South America. Those guys down there can keep things running a long time.

@oveidasinclair982

2 жыл бұрын

@@PETERLINNAH Actually a lot of them (bad shape trade in's) get shipped down to the islands and South America, I can't see the common person down there being able to afford 25 -30 thousand plus for a new car.

I owned two Northstar vehicles - 1993 STS and 2000 STS. Loved the engine performance! Traded the 1993 with 94K miles and it was running great. However, on the 2000, the headbolts started separating from the block at 63K miles. Traded for a 2008 STS. Wish Cadillac would have done better on the design! On the 1993, a special tool is required to change the water pump.

@Breadts1cks

2 жыл бұрын

All the north stars require the special tool. Luckily there are some tricks to just use a screw driver!

@kenbowser5622

2 жыл бұрын

I have one and I change the anti freeze every year. It gets corrosive and plays games with those head bolts. 185,000 miles and is still strong with no oil leaks.

@VCGGBPS2

2 жыл бұрын

@@Breadts1cks Not true, but if they don't taking out the crossover pipe is a challenge.

@toddprater14

7 ай бұрын

Your 93 was fine because it didn’t have dexcool…dexcool came on every late 96’ model car and up…had a 97’ trans am that had a head gasket issue , couldn’t explain it back then, but as I grew fond of eldorados, sts’s and the dts and researched the engine..I finally figured out why my ta messed up….super corrosive formula… your 2000 prolly had a 99 built engine so that’s why…gm then reformulated it (don’t know what year that was) cause it was killing engines after turning acidic…I want a 2011 last year built Cadillac dts platinum..I love this car

Greetings from northern Nevada! I really enjoyed this video and thank you very much for posting!

From what ive learned over years of reading forums and seeing them being worked on, more often than not Northstar failures are caused by neglect, specially on the later years of the engine. Coolant flushes, preventive cooling system revamps and ensuring that it doesnt even run a smidge hotter than it should goes a long way. The thing you always gotta consider is that people specially nowadays expect Chevy SBC reliability from an engine thats far more sophisticated and advanced. For instance People overheat SBCs, fix whatever caused it to overheat and keep driving them, something you absolutely cannot do in an aluminum block engine like the Northstar is.

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

TJ jeep people do that 2 the worst experience i know about is overheated to the point where the ECU shut it off with no water in the system at all

@tingokuman

2 жыл бұрын

The only neglect Northstar failures are to be blamed on is GM. It's a well known fact the 10 headbolts and the bubblegum heads on the Northstar are garbage. Aluminum blocks have been around since forever. Most LS motors are aluminum blocks.

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

@@tingokuman but neglecting it will ruin it and aluminium engine's don't like being over heated by just a little bit as it will do things like warp it. now that jeep it cracked the head something aluminium heads generally don't do as warping happens 1st generally

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

@@tingokuman yes the bolts are a little thin and better qc bits like gasket's and yes 14mm shank's will fit with some shop TCL and maybe 4 vs 6 pre-cylinder would have been needed but most applications didn't push it hard enough to find the point of stud's and 6, and the shops test car had 300+k on it so we must have gotten it right for the most part. my own personal 2-gen hemi is built completely different and probably over kill in some way's but costs wasn't as big of a deal up front vs others considerations which is why im ok 👌with over sized 6 stud's and all iron casting's ect.

@tingokuman

2 жыл бұрын

@@richardprice5978 You obviously know more than I do and most of the automotive community about the Northstar. I've owned one and at 50k the car overheated regularly. This must mean you know the heads warp prematurely on a car with meticulous service records which Is why I bought it. Manufacturers Lemon salvage title $1700. Even GM knew it was trash. I had a race car head milled at an off road shop custom bolts. A classic rocket 350 that made the 80s cadilliacs popular would do 150k with regular maintenance. Cadilliac offered it as a Copo option even in the 90s wonder why.

I've heard that some recommend changing the head bolts out for studs as soon as you get one - it's not cheap, but far less expensive than having to replace an engine. And both the crossover being next to the gasket and the badly located primary ground sound like a typical GM problem - two groups of engineers not talking to each other, not working in the same building, and needing all communications between them to go up through three layers of management and back down the other side.

@Bartonovich52

2 жыл бұрын

No. The price of doing that is more than the entire vehicle is worth. At least at this point anyways. You either need to get a later version.. or drive it like it’s on borrowed time.

@Baribrotzer

2 жыл бұрын

@@Bartonovich52 I heard that at least five years ago, so it's likely that you're right.

@g37fy68

2 жыл бұрын

Sell the car get what you can get Lexus toyata Honda Acura

@toothrestorer6588

Жыл бұрын

Antonio Some Toyotas have the same head bolt/gasket issues.

If you find a good used example with a functional Northstar (no blown head gasket) there is a kit on the market to change to larger studs for the heads that resolves the issue. It involves drilling out the block and head to fit the new studs. Comes with templates to make sure you get the drilling location correct - so not an easy upgrade for average shadetree mechanics. But it absolutely works - you will not blow a head gasket on a Northstar if you make the bulletproofing upgrade. The Car Wizard has a video on how it did it for his daughter's car.

@blackericdenice

5 ай бұрын

You don't need to add studs. When the engines were built. Some of the head bolts were over torque stripping out the threads. Rethread the hole and don't over torque the need head bolts.

My dad had 3 CADILLAC STS and they were incredible when working, but my dad could have sent me to an Ivy League school with the money he spent on keeping them on the road. It was always in the shop for a major repair. But when my rolled up to my high school to pick me up everyone thought he was an elite business man. 90s Cadillacs we’re the most beautiful turds.

I owned a 2005 DTS and totally agree with your review. Mine seeped a little oil but was otherwise ok. Yeah, anyone who doesn't know what torque steer is, turn the wheel to the left and floor it from a stop. It will 'pucker you up', especially if your used to driving rwd V-8's.

Bought a 2001 Seville STS used. It was priced to reflect the Northstar. Head gasket let go at 130k miles. Paid $4000 to fix with the "head stud bolts" and the upper/lower block seal. Drove it another 80k miles with no issues. My thought at the time was that $4k invested into wasn't going to buy anything that didnt have even more problems. Mine used oil, too. 1 qt/800 miles. No leaks. Never could figure out where it was going. Figured the stem seals on those 16 intake valves. Never had to change the starter. Typical GM. A great design killed by half asking a few minor details

@LosAngelesChepes

2 жыл бұрын

That’s how I look at it too. For $4000 I can have my beautiful 99 Eldo back on the road. Can’t get anything near as stylish for $4000.

The LH2 North Star is the ultimate version, GM should of made them like that back in the original release, but I hear the Black Wing engine is the North Star 2.0

@SeanPennII

2 жыл бұрын

Someone who knows. Elite motor. I miss my LC3 Supercharged 4.4 Northstar

I really enjoyed your video on the Northstar design engines. I have owned 2 vehicles that were powered with this engine. One being a 2003 Aurora and the other a 2005 Pontiac GXP Bonneville. The Aurora was driven 120k miles over a 10 year period. A great running and driving car with impressive steering and braking capabilities. Plus an amazing transmission for a smooth driving experience. Cons, notable oil leaks, troublesome air ride suspension, steering hose failures, water pump seal leaks. straight 20mpg which was not a big deal. Last year for the large Oldsmobile sedan.

I just found your channel, and it is excellent. The only addition it would add is the 6.5 turbo diesel lol. I’ve been stranded several times in those.

Ha! It got it’s own video! Stretchy stretchy head bolts!!!

GM and Cadillac should have been sued and forced to recall and repair, every one of these engines that blew head bolts. It's mindboggling to me that nobody went after them. They cost their customers thousands in repairs.

@Chaddron

6 ай бұрын

Agreed & That's The Price Of Not Being Mechanical Minded ~ I Learned 2Fix Cars Over The Years

I repaired these for years and owned several. After installing time-serts and ARP head studs , the engines are very reliable and powerful.

We had a 2001 DTS that used oil from the start. Coulter Cadillac in Phoenix rebuilt it at 13,000 miles and it was fine after that. At 24,000 miles we traded it in for a Jaguar Vanden Plan. Drove the Jaguar for 11 years.

@CadillacDriver

Жыл бұрын

Vanden Plan 😂😂

The biggest crime of the Northstar was that it took them until 2004 to put in head bolts that don't lead to gasket failure. The ~2000 redesign helped but didn't stop it entirely. The DTS Northstar has a belt tensioner pulley that frequently fails well before 100k miles and takes the water pump with it.

@steveswell1

6 ай бұрын

Guys design one of the most unique, advanced and sophisticated engines of the era- not to mention smooth and powerful- and it's all "crime and punishment". LOL

@ralphl7643

6 ай бұрын

@@steveswell1 It ruined what was left of Cadillac's reputation after the HT4100 and V8-6-4 debacles. I've been happy with the two I've owned since 2007--and they were more affordable because of the bad reputation.

From what it sounds like, this is truly a car made for mechanics only. It really isn't for people who take their cars to a shop to be repaired, which is most people. I owned a 99 Seville, and there are two things about the car that I remember That the car was a hoot to drive with it was in good working condition, and an absolute nightmare when it started falling apart. I only have the car for 9 months when I got rid of it because I found it ridiculous how much everything costed to repair. Definitely not a car to buy when you're a college kid on a budget, which I was at the time.

The Northstar is not reliable until it's been modified with a new head bolt kit, all in costs several thousand dollars and days in the shop to perform the repair. Unfortunately the overheating caused by the head gaskets leaking in many cases warps the Aluminum heads rendering them almost useless.

Well maintained and well service, the Northstar is indeed a pleasure to drive

I love how people love to point out this motor but I’ve worked on them for quite some time now and they’re not all that bad and they’re actually quite easy to work on there a little time consuming I can give you that but it’s better than most WRX Subaru’s that blow head gaskets so easily and I’ve had many other WRX owners agree with me it just depends on how well you take care of the car or any car for that matter and if you know a lot about it if you don’t then I probably wouldn’t recommend getting a WRX or a Cadillac Northstar or shoot even Ferraris or Lamborghinis of earlier models because even they suffered with weird problems like this it’s not just common cars that deal with them most hyper cars and supercars can’t even be driven reliably but Norstar’s would actually be able to drive longer than they are supposed to believe it or not it’s just depends on your preference north stars to me or actually quite easy to work on and fun but I do have to warn people that don’t know about them or know less about the little cool tricks and troubleshoots of a Northstar if you don’t know him and you don’t have the money to keep up with them don’t get it it will save your wallet and save your headache but if you’re a person who can’t afford it and or has the knowledge to maintain it and troubleshoot a lot of the issues then it’s the car for you it’s meant for a person who knows how to take care of their cars and not a person who wants to just drive it hard and not check the oil and other fluids you have to stay on these cars and one person told me something that stuck with me and made me laugh but Northstar are just like a woman you treat her right and give her everything she needs she’ll take care of you bur if you treat her wrong and she’ll leave you on the side of the road and take you for everything you got 🤣😂🤣

@Bacnow

2 жыл бұрын

Bro! It would be much easier to follow your train of thought if you were to utilized punctuations every now and again! Just saying……

@bleu_chzst924

2 жыл бұрын

There junk and the 100s of thousands of storie about them being shit contradict eveything you say. They are dogshit along with everything else GM makes.

@mmarciniak

Жыл бұрын

That is one LONG SENTENCE!!!

@CadillacDriver

Жыл бұрын

Wtf

i own my first Northstar this year in a 2008 DTS and very low miles , so for now I am McLovin this car . Drives like a dream

@douglasb.1203

2 жыл бұрын

After 2005 GM fixed the head bolts.

In preparation for their retirement and permanent move to Florida, my grandparents purchased a new Eldorado in gold (I think a 1993). It started having engine issues a couple years into ownership and delayed their move. They traded in for a new 1996 Olds 88 which also had issues immediately after purchase (interior water leak). I somewhat credit GM for them able to spend more time with me before they left - probably a big factor why they moved back after 4 months..

@broman260

2 жыл бұрын

Instead of getting it fixed they just traded it in 😂 old people are so fucking stupid it's baffling

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

@@broman260 does it count if it's a year old but has 200+K miles on it and the gas pump goes out? or tire's ect need replacement? as i know one 70 year old that did that with a gold caddy 98

@broman260

2 жыл бұрын

@@richardprice5978 I don't know how you can put 200k miles on a car in a single year though 🤔

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

@@broman260 150+K road tripping is my guess he was a retired man and was a millionaire 🤔 so thats how that or gm missed up and the odometers didn't work as intended as ferrari got got doing that on a corporate level but the other 20+ car's like his i worked on didn't seem to have that problem 🤷‍♂

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

@@broman260 his od was 180-210K miles and my mind is remembering 15+ year's ago but it stands out in my mind because it was so meany miles racked up in one year on a factory fresh car

In 2021 I bought a 2004 XLR and I have a lot of fun with it. I ordered parts on the internet (the hydraulic valve actuator for the left intake and it came from an ex-eastern country) and had it replaced at my local GM dealer and the radiator blew up on me and I changed it. Since then, all is working fine and I greatly enjoy the sunshine !

It's a shame as I've seen quite a few of those Cadillacs parked over the years. They are a good looking car. My Stepdad had a '98 Seville STS about 20 years ago, nothing but trouble. He had a super clean '88 Deville 2 door that ran good before that. I would have kept the 88. I really admire your depth of knowledge.

@lifewithjosef

2 жыл бұрын

The '88 was the first year of the 4.5. I had 160,000 trouble free miles on my '88 SDV, before it was stolen.

@toddprater14

7 ай бұрын

97,98,&99 are no no years for the northstar we know now..they actually shortened the headbolts these years and then added a new coolant in late 96’(dexcool) which npmade things worse after it turned acidic….

I don't know if the Corvair engine belongs on the list exactly but in their day and with normal use by normal people and normal not great maintenance by 5 or 6 years old and 70-80000 miles they were smoking, decrepit,, oil leaking garbage... Meanwhile a 170 or 200 Ford straight 6 was purring along happily....

@danr1920

2 жыл бұрын

I've owned the same Corvair since 1983, now has 130,000 miles. Cars normally didn't make it to 100,000 miles back then. The problem was the engine leaked oil from just about every gasket that touched oil. When you upgraded to Viton o rings and other seals, you didn't leak for another 20 plus years. These weren't common until they were collector cars. The engine is incredibly smooth because it's a flat six. Not a lot of power, but economy cars of the 60's were all slow.

@2packs4sure

2 жыл бұрын

@@danr1920 All that's true and was why I said "in their day". Modern seals and modern oil changes everything but the secretary that bought a new Corvair in 63' and drove it hard for 5 years didn't get a very good value for her money and almost certainly had a river of oil in her parking space and several fresh quarts in the frunk.. Meanwhile the 63' Falcon with the same miles is purring away with just a few wisps of oil smoke from the exhaust.. BTW,,,, I LOVE Corvairs !

@alanblanes2876

2 жыл бұрын

@@danr1920 You have the kind of ecological approach to cars that would make the auto industry more popular with environmentalists if those practices were more widespread.

You talk about the "Pellets." Could you elaborate on the use? I just replaced the radiator in my sons 98 STS, and I ordered them, but wasn't sure on the use, so they are just sitting in his glove box.

Hello - I have always wanted a 2001 Seville STS - is this the same generation Northstar engine or did they GM fix any of these issues by 2001? What should I look for when looking for one of these? I've read the comments and I know to ask for paperwork for service intervals and all that so my question is - when I go look at one, what symptoms or clues should I be mindful of?

@RareClassicCars

2 жыл бұрын

My best advice is to stay away from that generation of Seville. Tons of problems beyond the engine. I wouldn’t touch one.

I’ve bought a half dozen north star powered cars over the past 20 years, including a last year DTS in diamond white and cream interior, and a last year ETC in the same combo. Love them. Looking for a low mileage example now.

I had this motor in my STS Cadillac had over 135000 miles on it always change the oil and drove it as a daily driver .It was my best car I ever had. I payed about $ 4500.00 used it ran great and had it for 5 years and sold it what i bought for . A great car and great motor .

@alanblanes2876

2 жыл бұрын

I am mystified as to why GM has discontinued making ignition modules for this engine. Part # 104777276 superseded as #19178832. I as a satisfied owner feel that repair shops and Cadillac enthusiasts ought to band together and deal with the supplier directly. [Blue Streak in Poland].

I inherited an 96 DeVille Concours as my first car and it took 9k to keep it going for a year before we dumped it. The engine burned oil constantly, it developed an external oil leak, the hot/cold air box flap broke-dash out repair, ac compressor died, air suspension went out at all 4 corners, brakes went out, and it ate two batteries....Fun times God I miss it though. Smooth as butter, comfy as cloud, and it could really move when you wanted it. Really wish I could have thrown a tarp over it and tried to preserve it.

The early Northstar I had a chance to drive for limo work back in the 90s. It was in a Sedan De Ville Concourse and it had oil consumption problems. I ended up discovering about the piston ring design and cylinder wall finish, and unless you were willing to pound on that engine mercilessly it would use oil. She was fast and sounded great, but too fussy.

Makes sense-the Northstar definitely is remarkable when running well and maintained. The torque steer in the ‘93 Allante’ I owned was a very unwanted attribute to an otherwise fun and reliable weekend driver.

@richardprice5978

2 жыл бұрын

my wife's 97 coupe car scared the living hell out of me in more ways than one ( its cursed/hunted ) but one time i got on it before a small 2line country bridge and 0-45 ish spun the tires on dry pavement 50-60F in the dark from one lane to the other another but trying not to cross the yellow line/keep it strat as i was trying to test the 0-60 mph. keep in mind i have a hairy 60's charger so speed normally wouldn't scare me but my habits and that big tq steer is unreal wow 😲about the last time i ever thought 💭about full go pedal that a let her drive me around in it 😁

@Blue-moon12

2 жыл бұрын

That is the key...not using it as your everyday driver.

Didn't GM generally correct the head gasket issue? If I'm remembering that correctly, which years of Northstar are the best to consider purchaings? Thanks again! Hope we get a Ford and Mopar edition! ;)

@ashtonneale8425

2 жыл бұрын

The issue was mostly resolved in the 2004 model year cars. Head gasket failures after that point are relatively uncommon and usually only on poorly maintained or intensely overheated vehicles.

@joec1774

2 жыл бұрын

@@ashtonneale8425 - Thanks, boss!

@big2868

2 жыл бұрын

You are right about that. I tried to hold Cadillac responsible. In general by the time the gasket blew the car was out of factory warranty.

@bassb450

2 жыл бұрын

To be a little more specific it was resolved in the second half of the model year of 2004.

@ashtonneale8425

2 жыл бұрын

@@bassb450 What do you mean by second half?

The only complaint I've had with the Northstar is the idea of a horizontally positioned V8 with front wheel drive. It's awful to work on because the engine bay is so packed with that giant motor and a transmission. I've owned several the Aurora being my favorite but trying to do a water pump in the middle of winter on the ground with very limited tools, made me a little more prone to dislike them.

Back in 97 I wrote a letter to G.M. Suggesting that Pontiac build a version of the Olds Aurora with the Northstar V 8 and call it the new Pontiac Chieftain they never responded back to me

@RareClassicCars

2 жыл бұрын

They did. It was the Bonneville GXP

@georgewilson1184

2 жыл бұрын

@@RareClassicCars yes thank you I forgot about that model shame on me and I considered my self a member of the Poncho Nation

It’s so unfortunate that one of my favorite cars ever, the Cadillac Deville, has this engine. I love the Deville, I own a 04, so far no issues, I think by that year they figured it out, but the damage was already done to the brand

@fishdontsink

5 ай бұрын

1 year later, are you having any issues now?

I remember this car came in to the shop I recently apprenticed at, and 3 of us couldn't find the damn oil filter being that it was up under the wheel well...things got tense and I was sent home...🍻

@MowerModdin

2 жыл бұрын

at least the Northstars are easy, right in front of the oil pan on the FWD models, and on the driver's side of the oil pan on the RWD models I'm not sure about the 4.9s though, which were still used on the earlier 90s Cadillacs.

@Utubesux

2 жыл бұрын

@@MowerModdinSo it was placed in a few ridiculous spots depending on the model? I'm still very pleased that I haven't had to work on that yr./model except 1 other occasion. Worst decision an auto manufacturer has made since exterior vent exchange in late 60s early 70s with the hope of airing the cabin of cigarette smoke...🍻

I remember Consumer Reports testing one in the early 90's...they said the engine torque overwhelmed the ability of the chassis to handle it's power. Thanks.

@V8_screw_electric_cars

2 жыл бұрын

Yes lets make most powerful engine we had to date and make the car fwd lol

Take a look at northstar performance, I had a 97 STS and I got the tune from them and it really woke it up as well as upping MPG, they also offer a head stud kit and have been moving to do cams for them too! I really want to get another but just haven't found the funds to do it yet

I still refuse to buy a Northstar engine Car

Cadillac Northstar owners: if you love your Northstar Cadillac, and I mean ‘love’, you can bulletproof the engine with a company called Northstar Performance, find them on the web and KZread. Check it out.

Would have been legendary if Cadillac made the north star with a Rear drive platform and used steel inserts for the head gasket bolts

Adam - thanks for addressing the Northstar comments on your last video. I had three of them, all with low mileage, and never had an issue. Fortunately I traded cars frequently in that era and never kept one past about 25K miles. Granted they had great power, especially in the '99 Eldorado ETC. They made decent fuel mileage for the time and I'm familiar with their lineage as a racing engine and what they called a "high feature engine" for their techy customers who wanted something exotic. Looking back I find it ironic that Jeremy Clarkson raved about the Seville with the then new Northstar and repeated GM's claim that it would go up to 100 miles with zero coolant!?! What might have been... I have to say that while you endorse the engine as "not really all that bad", you do hit every problem that they inflicted on buyers who expected better. I think the metric of what constitutes a "bad" engine should ultimately be one that damages the reputation of the brand, costs GM a fortune to repair, and makes any used example a pariah to be avoided. By those standards, the Northstar qualifies in spades! You touch on the Aurora briefly. I drove a demo Aurora when it was new in 1999 and was very impressed, but the monroney was $45k. I looked at several over the years but the reputation they had earned steered me away from ever buying one. I'd love to see you make a video about the Aurora. It had the potential to be a great car, but instead it killed Oldsmobile. Thanks for all of your videos, I really enjoy them

@alanblanes2876

2 жыл бұрын

I agree - this channel has great videos. I disagree that Cadillac should just abandon Northstar owners. That is likely to cause more bad will than an engine requiring some remedial help. The ignition module has been discontinued, which means GM is expecting owners to eventually junk their cars. This is the opposite of a good environmental policy. Cars should be made to be serviced the way Bentley and Mercedes stand behind their products going back to the beginning.

@Chitwn81

2 жыл бұрын

The Aurora didn't kill Oldsmobile...GM killed Oldsmobile. The Aurora was the brightstar in Olds lineup in the 90s and early 2000s along with the redesigned Bravada which was a hit when it was released but they were already closing up shop at the point. The Alero also sold decent enough. Seeing that the 2001-03 Aurora was actually the redesigned 88 they didn't do bad. But would have loved to see what a real flagship the redesigned Aurora could have been.

@jeffshadow2407

2 жыл бұрын

@@Chitwn81 I have three Auroras, one Intrigue and one Alero. All in perfect condition!

@Chitwn81

2 жыл бұрын

@@jeffshadow2407 I want a 98-99 Aurora so bad 😔

What's worse than the "Hook & Tow" HT4100?

@BillofRights1951

2 жыл бұрын

LOL

@21Piloteer

2 жыл бұрын

The Chrysler 4.7 was pretty bad.

The issues with the N* can be fixed. Though, you do have to pull the engine to fix them unfortunately. There are aftermarket solutions for both the head bolt issues, and the block girdle leaking issue that will fix them permanently. If you do deal with those issues, it's pretty likely you won't have anymore trouble out of one. They're actually really well-engineered. Powerful and efficient. It is a pain to fix, and expensive to have someone else deal with it, however. Which is why most of the time it doesn't get done, and the N* has a bad reputation. It's a shame, too. 300 HP in a light, all-aluminum, fairly compact package. Really, an ideal candidate for a small car swap. The GM 60 degree V6 bellhousings will bolt up to them, with I think just one bolt misaligned. Semi-popular in Fiero swaps for that reason. I think there was a company in Cali that used them to power sand rails. They advertised 1k HP with a twin turbo setup. Far as the starter goes, I've never actually had to replace one, so I'm not sure if that is really all that much of a downside. Doesn't really seem to bother the Toyota V8 guys all that much.

@ricky-sanchez

2 жыл бұрын

Toyota owners change their starter every 200k miles

@MrSloika

Жыл бұрын

In many cases the 4.6 can't be repaired once the head bolts go. The head bolts don't all fail a the same time. As the bolts start pulling out from the block it results in uneven clamping force that places a torsional strain on the block. Many of these blocks end up cracked as a result so no repair is possible.

@akio2589

Жыл бұрын

@@MrSloika Indeed. Though, it seems like that's a little more on the rare side. I've heard of it happening, but never seen it for myself. That being said, there's weren't *that* many who would have it done in the first place. Too expensive. So, I've probably only seen 5 or 6 that have had the repair done. And those were done successfully. Hell, they may even still be out there somewhere.

I wonder if the head bolt issue can be improved by replacing them with studs by ARP.

I had a 1994 STS also..it ran good until it hit 100k range and then the head gaskets. In 2000 we traded it in for an Acura RL and been with Acura ever since (leased). The Cadillac dealership wanted $10k to fix. We got very little on the trade i

The Northstar was actually a very good design. It was developed under a racing program. The most issue with the engine is they were ran on the verge of hot all the time, from the factory. The cooling fan does not come on until the coolant temperature reaches almost 230 degrees, fahrenheit, even with the air conditioning in the on position. Installing an auxiliary fan to come on at 200 degrees, negates this issue. GM, along with multiple other manufacturers, sabotage there products in hope that you will come back to buy a replacement vehicle soon. Learning these tricks keeps your car on the road, indefinitely.

@geoffmooregm

2 жыл бұрын

A studded engine, Cometic MLS gaskets with a 195 Degree stat and good fan/rads will run hard. Will run hard. A turbo turns it into a monster. Too bad they were all in FWD cars. They didn't get a RWD variant until late in production and then it was only in a couple cars. The LS got all the glory because you could find them everywhere and they pretty much bolt in place of a Gen I or II small block

@SW-qr8qe

2 жыл бұрын

Crazy to believe. engineers purposely sabotage products - it’s hard enough getting stuff to actually work!

@garymotley8196

2 жыл бұрын

@@SW-qr8qe Yes it is crazy, but it is true. Planned obsolescence, however, is very real. There are many examples of them using plastic components where it is crucial to use metal, but they opt for the prior, instead. For example, plastic thermostat housings will fail, but the metal ones rarely did so.They also extend oil change intervals way past reasonable limits and sludge buildup is a consequence, as a result, many engines fail because of poor maintenance. Many CVT transmissions require more frequent maintenance and demand fluid service service of 30k, but they will recommend 100k, and they frequently fail in many makes because dirty fluid on contact surfaces. Longevity of products is not the objective, selling more vehicles is the objective.

"When it's working...." Durability and dependability are expected in all cars, and especially so in expensive luxury cars which GM designed and marketed as alternatives to esteemed European brands; Lexus, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volvo. Placing your Cadillac engine components where Lexus does is great, if your engine and its related components are designed and engineered to be as competitively reliable as Lexus. If they aren't, that's a huge fail and you'll loose brand loyalty. Imagine the disgust, disappointment, and expense associated with the many trips to Cadillac service departments, this engine has caused for owners. The horror stories I've read, many from original owners, on internet threads, simply add up to the same inexcusable corporate decision making by GM. Many of them praised the cars looks and performance, but said "No more Cadillac's" because of the Northstar. While living in the Westport neighborhood of KCMO, I drove to the Plaza one day. As I was parking, a guy was backing a beautiful blue, '97 Jaguar XK8 convertible, into a spot. It looked new so I complimented him on it. He smiled then said; "Thanks, it's a piece of crap cause it stays in the shop!" We both started laughing. Thanks for the Northstar review.

@broman260

2 жыл бұрын

Bmw Mercedes and Jaguar are also expensive cars that nickel and dime you to death. Also you listed Lexus as a European brand 🙄

@solemandd67

2 жыл бұрын

@@broman260 The number of Cadillac engines on Adam's short list speaks for itself. Now when you come up with the number of durability and reliability problems with the other automobile manufacturers I listed, and their decreasing market share, in comparison to those of Cadillac, you'll be deserving of a eye roll emoji. My point is valid as well as those of others on this thread. GM's Northstar should be included on that list of bad engines. Currently I own both a '95 SC 400 and '98 Volvo S70 among the (7) cars in my current collection. Properly following the manufacturers maintenance guidelines has proved to be invaluable, as with most luxury foreign automobile brands. * Your "nickel and dime" comment indicates that your classic car fiscal capabilities can't accommodate your whims.

@Bartonovich52

2 жыл бұрын

@ Solemandd67 So which is it? “Durability and dependability?” or “nickel and dime?” Lulz Just because someone doesn’t like it doesn’t mean they can’t afford it. Seriously.. these are cars. You can go in to a dealership with a credit rating and heartbeat and drive away with almost any of them.. lol.

@solemandd67

2 жыл бұрын

@@Bartonovich52 I choose "Durability and dependability with luxury and performance." If a buyer isn't prepared to follow the manufacturers maintenance schedule, they shouldn't expect to have a pleasant owner experience. Over 40 cars has taught me to ignore regular car mag reviews in favor of joining and reading owner forums to research any common complaints before buying. Lexus, Volvo, Infiniti, Lincoln and Chevrolet's Corvette have great internet owners clubs. "Ask the man who owns one", is wise advice too. Most consistent problems in old and new cars usually warrant a manufacturers "Service Bulletin". I read them. Proper research is key for me. Just because I can, doesn't mean I'll dump 💰 into a car that's poorly engineered. My cars are kept highway ready because I love driving collector/classic cars versus looking at them.

@alexpetree2038

2 жыл бұрын

@@broman260 also depends on the car though. Considering cadillac used this engine in basically every single car they made for almost two decades. The m113 and m112 from Mercedes are bulletproof, the n54 is a solid engine, and the aj jaguar engines are fine so long as it isn't a nikhasil lined engine (early year models), or so long as you change out the timing chain guides and tensioners (which are about the equivalent in service cost to the headbolt replacement on Northstars).

Can you do a video of your 94 Cadillac STS?

Hey Adam I love the point that you brought about a Northstar how good they run when they're running good I have two Cadillacs a 03 Cadillac DeVille DTS

@cadillacboy-lg2dl

2 жыл бұрын

A 97 Eldorado Doral Edition 179 thousand miles 243 thousand miles on the DeVille and the main key to keep both those engines running is to do a coolant flush every year the owner of my 03 has a flush tube going connected to the heater hose lines where you can hook a garden hose and flush the system out

@cadillacboy-lg2dl

2 жыл бұрын

I keep getting cut off when I write my comments but what I meant to say about my DeVille is the previous owner had a hose connected to the heater hose where you can flush it out with a garden hose and that car runs excellent even though I put some money in it every time someone sees the car I get compliments and compliments on my Eldorado the guy who owned that he never drove it in the in the winter time pearl white with a white padded top but it's good that people talk about northstar's and don't want to buy them but if you can catch one from an original owner and get to talk to him and see what the maintenance schedule was on the car they can be good cars you just have to flush the coolant system every year my 03 DeVille it runs so good sometimes I just let the car idle just to hear how smooth it runs

I loved my N* - Timeserted great on milage, good power, there are so much more bad engines...look to VW/Audi TSI/TFSI, Subaru newer quality problems, even Toyota got oil burning flaws - by the way - the N* burnt a little bit more oil than others, too

Tyler, host of Tyler's Forgotten Car Rescue, is not a Northstar fan. He mentioned many of the things you did.

Have an 04 Deville DHS, bought for $1200 130k miles. Ran great for several thousand miles, however started to overheat randomly to 230F and then come back down to normal temps didn't matter what temperature outside. Eventually one day it got up to 245F and wouldn't come back down, i eased it back home and confirmed head gasket leak with combustion tester. Since the car was so cheap, i tryed this stuff called Thermalweld, their specific northstar kit which also comes with a coolant system bleeder you can install easily (helps thermostat open even if their is air bubbles). Sealed the headgasket problem and i have since put 3k miles this hot summer of 2022, even in 95F heat with the A/C and it runs at 190-205f all day.

@Samuelfish2k

Жыл бұрын

I did the same on my Cadillac and it’s been running great ever since without overheating. More people need to know about that kit. It’s the real deal!

@jameswhite1319

Жыл бұрын

You still have the car?

@thephins1423

5 ай бұрын

​@@jameswhite1319yes, as a matter of fact using it for grocery getter, and also for some gig app action. 157k miles now

The Car Wizard has a video addressing the head bolt issue. It's a bit expensive, when accounting for the labor involved but, when the bolts are replaced with stronger ones, he say it becomes relatively trouble free.

My 2001 Eldorado ETC, runs great!!

Adam, check out Northstar Performance. They have the head stud kits for the early engines. This solves the head gasket issues. Unfortunately it's an engine out job.

My mechanic named his boat 'The Northstar'.

I have a ‘99 Fleetwood Limited and fortunately have had very good luck with the Northstar. It runs great, has power, and gets good gas mileage. Thanks for the video!

True..another one that sucked for many? I drove 94 Cadillac new and never had issues. But I had it for two years.

@RareClassicCars

2 жыл бұрын

I still drive one. Only minor issues, but it has low mileage and I take care of it.

2 жыл бұрын

@Rare Classic Cars I loved mine. Drove it 500 to 800 mile trips from Fresno to Los Ángeles, San Francisco or even to Ensenada Baja California México. It was like you say, very quiet at idle. The reason I let it go was it was a lease. It racked lots of miles. 30k+ miles per year. That's why I've purchased or leased over 30+cars in the past 28 years.

@alanblanes2876

2 жыл бұрын

@@RareClassicCars Adam - have you found any sources of NOS parts for engine + electrical that GM has discontinued? Thanks.

Nice video given I was one of the people wondering why the Northstar wasn’t on your other list of worst GM engines. You are correct that the engine can be very good given the head bolt issue is addressed. I had a friend actually do the corrective procedure to an engine where the head gasket was blown without removing the engine (!) and three months later he had a good working engine. Unfortunately, the thing is still a nightmare to work on given the large, transverse engine being installed into the engine bay like sardines in a can. There is almost no room to do anything. He told me about the ridiculous rotation game to remove the alternator out of a tiny “door” at the bottom of the frame and he had to drop the engine cradle a lot of times to do different jobs, such as accessing the blower motor or just getting to the spark plugs on the side of the engine facing the firewall. It also has a weird extra hidden belt off of the camshaft to run the water pump if I recall correctly. It CAN be a good engine, but it just doesn’t seem worth it given all of the flaws and annoyances. Personally, I’d take a disabled V8-6-4 368 over a Northstar any day. I also was lucky to own a car with a trouble-free HT 4100 years ago, and I would also take that dog of an engine over what my friend has gone through.

Good video Adam your right the Cadillac northstar was light years ahead off what Cadillac was offering in the 80,and early 1990 ie the 4100 ,and too a lesser degree the 4.9 v8 that cross over. Pipe was really a bad design running right up and under the oil pan I had too remove the subframe on a Seville once too change the oil pan .just because off that cross over pipe.if I dropped the subframe about half an inch I was always able too get the alternator removed from those things .and ford had lot off oil leak issues also with that crankshaft support housing gasket leaking .👍✌🏿

Adam, I am curious about the Olds Auroras that you owned. Or anyone else for that matter. How did you like the car and did they have the same engine problems? I heard that Olds took the NorthStar and re-engineered the engine before putting it in their flagship. It had a nice 250 horsepower rating, not a screamer, but nice performance. Did they fix the bolt problem with the heads and block? Still used the pellets in the cooling system? What other problems do they have other than the ground, a great thing to know Adam. I am considering looking for one as I just love the exterior styling and love the instrument panel! I certainly would rethink the car if they are basket cases. Then I would go back to a panther platform from FLM. I had a '92 Town Car but the engine was abused by the previous owner and could not be repaired, even by my brother-in-law at his shop. After we spent near $900 dollars it would not pass emissions testing. It would load up with oil at idle and when you drove off it was like fog had rolled in, just blue. Wasn't worth doing the entire engine. Good car.

@RareClassicCars

2 жыл бұрын

Same Northstar issues and also electrical gremlins in early years

My engine :) 98 Deville

Why do you think they would use fine threads on small head bolts going into an aluminum block? That's right...planned obsolescence. Punishing you for being their crappy product. Meanwhile my Toyota Tacoma has 292,000 miles with no major repair other than a harmonic balancer and even that was after it had been wrecked 4 times. I honestly have no idea how GM stays in business.

Northstars are great......until they aren't! Had an 07 DTS with the performance NHP engine. Was told by dealership that GM had redesigned the engine and it didn't have the oil leak problem anymore... They lied. Around 75k miles it began blowing oil. Entire undercarriage was coated. We decided to go back to Lincoln's and traded it.

Thank you. I bought a used ‘05 SRX with a Northstar several years ago when it had 40,000 miles on it. Got one in great shape, for a ridiculously low price. I’ve driven it a lot. High speed highway cruse cross country for jobs etc. have 175,000 on it now. I’ve had the sliding glass roof jam, and given the labor in taking off interior panels is over $1,000, I’ve never fixed it. I’ve been intended by stupid design tricks, like needing to remove the cars nose rubber to replace the directional bulbs and others. I have a stero lcd display that loses light when it’s cold in the winter. I’ve had brake calipers fracture. But despite folks look of horror when I mention it has a northstar engine. It’s been a trouper. Into starting to drip a little from a lower gasket, and knocks a bit when very cold on start ups in the winter. The former pretty much went away with better oil after a change, the later goes away after a couple minutes. I had more engine work needed on my old Impala SS. My wife had more needed on her CRV. So .I couldn’t figure out what the story was on the fear of Northstars.

@toothrestorer6588

Жыл бұрын

The directional bulbs can de reached by removing part of the wheelwell liner without having to remove the front bumper. It’s still more trouble than it should be, but easier than removing the bumper cover.

I had a '90 Lexus LS400 for 15 years that i bought in 2000 with 165K on the clock. Hands down BEST CAR I ever owned...it was cruising to 400K miles with the original engine and transmission...zero problems and not a drop of oil burned plus endless torque and totally silent...when a millenial twit who was texting rear ended our son at a signal. Mercifully our son was okay. Car was totaled and it broke my heart, I was sooooo mad! Cadillac in that era did not deserve to have customers. Their cars were absolute garbage and clumsy looking to boot. The Lexus was insanely sound and reliable...just loved it and miss it to this day.

@turnne

2 жыл бұрын

@Bill Denton No doubt Toyota changed the luxury car game with the introduction of the LS400 They were the prices of a Cadillac at the time

You are spot on on everything have 2000 deville DTS. Great review. LET'S GO BRANDON 😷 😷 😷 😷

Thanks Adam! I used to have a 94 Seville STS which I got in 96. I got about 155k miles before the dreaded head gasket failure. Wouldn't have hurt as much if I had not just spent a lot for a new starter install. That's when we discovered we now had "magic white smoke". It was fun to drive with that power.

@jamesb8305

Жыл бұрын

I had a 94 STS as well, bought it with 50K miles. No cooling system or oil leak issues, but it threw a rod at 70K under WOT without any pre existing rod knock, or any other indication of bottom end issues. What a shame. It was a beautiful pearl white in perfect cosmetic condition.

@gregarmstrong552

Жыл бұрын

@@jamesb8305 I liked that Pearl White! What color was your interior? When I bought mine, the dealer had another STS, but it sold before I could make up my mind. I think it was Pearl White with a nice Dark Wine colored interior.

@Hi__itsHassan

Жыл бұрын

I still own my 1995 STS. Has 134k miles on it. Still drives great. Mine is diamond white with a dark blue interior

The Toyota 1uz starter is also located under the intake manifold