I've never had anything to do with a Northstar, but mechanics all say if GM had just put in some decent head bolts it would be known as a quality engine.

I have a 2007 Caddilac dts! Zero issues and beautiful sounding motor when taking off

The critics often never have driven a Northstar V8 (only tell stories about the brother of a cousin of a friend of their sister). How you said in the video: A few years had troubles with the studs (thanks to GM costcutters) The later models and especially the LH2 and LC3 are bulletproof engines with some oil changes (regular maintenance). I absolutely love my LH2 Northstar in the 2007 STS4. Friend of mine drives the StS-V with the Supercharged 4.4 Northstar. He had clogged catalytic converter and high oil temperatures but no damage or head gasket problems at the engine. It loves (and needs to rev) and produces a neat sound that o adore. A sports engine

At one time, The northstar was regarded as a good engine. It didn't come out until much time had passed about the problems it had. In 2003 we were still being trained on them at automotive school, and they were well regarded. In my time, the HT4100 was the engine to hate. That one was 100 times worse than the northstar lol.

I absolutely love the northstar, I plan on swapping them in a lot of cars. If it wasn’t for GM using too small of a head bolt from the get go it probably would have gone down as one of the best engines ever produced.

I'm 39, when I was about 11 or 12, our neighbor Doug was a Cadillac car salesman, I remember him taking me to the store in his new STS, dark green tan leather.. very nice.. we went down this curvy road on our way to the store and it was a blast! Also, in the early 2000s my Dad picked up a used SLS, violet with white leather, it ran really good. I borrowed it once or twice, fast and comfortable, very similar to an STS. Today though, I prefer RWD vehicles... nothing but fond memories of the Northstar V8 for me 👍

The 3800 was the best motor made GM should have kept producing it

It didn't help anything when Cadillac also buried their reputation with the HT4100 and the 8-6-4 engines.

My neighbour has a Oldsmobile Aurora with the L47 variant of the Northstar engine. Car is in excellent shape and never sees winter!

Thanks for your NorthStar video ! I've had a 2006 Cadillac DTS , since 2013 . What is needed , with the NorthStar , is a few videos , on " How to maintain & DRIVE a NorthStar engine car! " , W.O.T. "wide open throttle " is a " maintenance procedure " ! Note : ONLY for 100mph PLUS roads !

I was a GM tech for 16 years. Besides head sealing, the Northstar was an oil burner. We used to say they hold 8 quarts because they burn 2 between oil changes.

2005 Cadillac Deville northstar engine, this channel made me more confident about fixing the bolts, I absolutely love the car and the amount of power it has. Left several of my friends in the dust. 🤪 I am very aggressive with my cars tho so there's that!

The late Pat Goss used to talk about this all of the time, he said it went from one of the most unreliable to one of the most reliable GM engines.

Had a 2000 Seville STS that was crimson pearl red with the rare black leather.. Miss that car like hell. Totaled it in a bad wreck. Only cooling issue I've ever had was a radiator that blew. Usually only issues that any 20 year old car would get was that left me stranded which wasnt really that many times

Northstar was a good engine design that suffered the indignity of problems as they aged. Popular engine swap into Fieros now that someone rewrote the Northstar codes so you can get it to run without the STS anchored to it. Good video and good that you actually bothered to address some griping about your choice of words. I doubt Wards ever took back their best engine designation tho.

I bought a an '03 DTS with 123k miles that I recently junked with 168k on it. Not because of the engine itself. It would still run if the ignition system hadn't failed and the immobilizer locked me out. And the suspension system was just too fragile for our "moonscape" roads here in NW-IN. I was looking at a repair bill several times what the car was worth. But I was overall pleased with the engine. It only overheated once, when the idler pulley for the water pump seized. This didn't cause any coolant loss/head gasket issues. I was always afraid one of those timing chains was going to break. Too bad I had to dump a car with a decent engine and transmission, but everything wrapped around it was too much of a mess.

The Oldsmobile Aurora engine was raced at Indianapolis with several different sponsors. For a few years this engine was the winningest engine at Indy. You should a video about when “Oldsmobile went racing”.

I had a Buick Lucerne with a Northstar V8 and it had 150000 miles. No issues, no oil leaks, no nothing. Only the alternator had to be replaced that was a mess but otherwise no issues!!

Excellent engine no doubt. I'd describe its performance to Dr. Jekyl and Mr.Hyde. Its smooth and tame when soft peddling around town, but turns to a ferocious monster when its punched. They get great fuel mileage for what they are and if the cooling system is maintained according to schedule, the head gasket issue may never show up.

They are not unreliable engines, until either the head gaskets go, or a head bolt pulls out. On my 97 Aurora, the original head gaskets rotted out but the bolts hadn't pulled. Regardless, it now has 3 layer stainless steel/composite head gaskets and Northstar Performance head studs (manufactured in Canada), because the original bolts are a time bomb waiting to happen. The engine was in perfect shape otherwise after 25 years of use and 150,000km. No wear ridge in the cylinders and no cam lobe wear either. I expect that engine will run flawlessly for another 300,000 km without issues. The Northstar (at least the 4 litre Olds version) is absolutely the most refined engine I have ever had in any car. Yes, the repair cost me over $5000 Canadian and took months to find a shop willing to do the work where I live, but what a car! I have no regrets. As Jake Wiebe, the owner of Northstar Performance told me, they are beautifully engineered except for the head bolt design. I would argue that the original head gaskets could have been better too, but they did last 25 years, so I suppose not that bad.

oil leaks, gasket issues, studs pulling out of the block, hard to work on, (12 hours to do a oil pan?) nope, Caddy deserves the rep it got

I currently got a 2008 Cadillac DTS and it’s going really great, so the northstar engine is pretty good to me so far

I have been driving a 2001 Olds Aurora with the 4.0 Northstar V8 since 2000. I am not an easy driver. I pay attention to oil changes and cooling system maintenance. Head gasket problems in that time? ZERO!!!!!!!

The Northstar engine is one of the best ever.. alot of cars have head gasket failure the Northstar is a supreme engine for multiple reasons that I won't go into detail on

I am a mechanic, I have a 96 sets and a 97 sold. True the 96 blew the head gasket, but I can tell the truth. It was my heavy foot and my wifes dull driving. She overheated it, then I finished it. Stick to your guns, it is a great car

Did you know that the Northstar Engines was designed by the Oldsmobile Division. It was only made from 1993- 2011. It a high performance engine.

I have a 2005 Cadillac Deville with a 4.6 Northstar engine I’ve been driving this car for two years now not had one problem with it. I’m pleased I had a GMC terrain before this car. The electrical system went out in the GMC. This Cadillac has been a pretty good car. I do change the oil regularly.

I am a mechanic and I have always liked them and owned several caddys, However as you stated but 05 or newer. and be sure to do a coolant pressure test. They run smooth as silk.

STS-V: - Under 10 grand - super luxury of early 2000s ('04 rich) - great satnav - REALish wood - REAL leather - 13 speaker sound system (2 in the seats) - blisteringly fast. With mere supercharger cooling mods, 550-600hp

Great videos so far. I think you should do a video on Ford's Fox platform and how this humble car platform became the basis for many RWD Fords, Lincolns, and Mercurys in the 80's and 90's including the now legendary Fox Mustang(aka 5.0).

I cruise the used car sites regularly, and see 'Northstar' equipped cars [Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Pontiac - only Chevrolet never used the engine] with one, two, occasionally three hundred thousand miles for sale. Puzzling. Perhaps those high mileage cars were carefully maintained.

i've actually owned two northstars my first i had for two months and the engine blew up shot two pistons out but i liked the car so much i bought my second one a 1997 Cadillac eldorado i bought it with 165,000mi on it and she ended with 215,000 mi on her before the head bolts let loose i'm also a mechanic and unlike most i agree the northstar isn't a bad engine just has detrimental issues that it's prone too i loved working on mine, what i like to do is ask people list something that consistently went wrong that wasn't due to the head bolts, most cant answer it.

I agree with your presentation. I have a 1995 Cadillac El Dorado and have 0 problems 120k miles. However it has always has had all service recommendations done according to what factory recommends. It is not hot rodded but I do get on it a time or two to pass someone. I think the motor is great. However I have heard some motors have been proned to head gasket issues. I would say if you can find one cheap enough because they are beautiful cars find a trusted place to repair the head gasket and you will be happy. There are companies I can't say off the top of my head, I do know one was in Canada just over the US boarder that guarantees you will not ever have a head gasket issue after they fix it. There are other places as well here in America that works with this engine but do your research. Now the engines are getting older there is less and less working on them.

I think 90s/early 2000s Cadillac’s interiors had the potential to be some of the most beautiful ever put into an automobile from a design standpoint but the fit and finish just killed any chance of that.

The northstar had revisions in 2000. they recived longer headbolts and reduced compression/timming going from 300hp to 275hp and no longer requiring premium fuel. Sometime In 2004 gm started using ls6 headbolts, all 2005-2011 northstar engines are no more likely to develop headgasket issues than any other car. They ALL will still have the common oil leaks with valve cover gaskets, oil pressure sensor, and pan gaskets those are the only real downfall for the later year motors. Not a big issue for me. This is a good motor with good fuel efficiency 27+ highway in good running order

I think your still right on NorthStar. Sure, like the 3400 v6 Gm made, the NorthStar engine itself suffered from some of the same weaknesses and frankly over complexities but I would argue neither of them had been any worse then that of the 2.7 Chrysler V6, being a Chrysler guy I find it gut wrenching (no pun intended) to admit what hunk of junks these engines are. I hear 2.7 v6 and I just walk away. But most of the problems that the NorthStar had in its engine had been from weak head bolts, and sometimes castings. It wasn't a guarantee that engine was going to go at a rather low mileage and if GM had their stuff together right from the start most issues on the NorthStar could have been easily avoided. Unfortunately often times these failures simply made the car a worthless investment. It's the same for the 2.7 v6 too. I mean once that water pump goes if you didn't manage to ruin the engine your still looking at a $2,400 repair bill if a shop will touch it. Or you could do it yourself for $600- $700 bucks but your only living on a prayer with that engine because it will happen again. Dumb, dumb design. But when I think about the NorthStar, I think about the Oldsmobile Aurora, the car it was made for and how revolutionary that car really was. I remember looking at the brochure, I couldn't believe that was a GM much less an Oldsmobile. Imagine that car next to a Delta 88 or *gup* the 98. beautiful cars, but bland. The Aurora and it's engine simply was anything but bland. It was an impressive design language GM foolishly watered down then thrown away once it didn't catch on fast enough like they did Saturn. I remember sitting in one. The only indication it was even an olds was the radio. Everything was fresh and unique and vaguely felt GM. There was just one problem.. this fresh and unique car was also stupidly expensive. If they would have brought down the refinements and improved upon them Gm might even have gotten an extra skin out of the stale H platform. But, typical GM.

I've never owned a Northstar engine but I've been reading and researching everything I can find about this engine.... From everything I've read the Rear Wheel Drive LH2 and LC3 versions built after mid May of 2004 are the ones that got the LS6 headbolts, completely eliminating the blown gasket problem. And I'm planning out the build-up of a hot rod using the LH2 version with twin turbos, a A518/46RH trans, and a Ford 9" rear, in something small and light, like a Nova, or Maverick/Comet, or my favorite, a Chrysler A-body, preferably a 71' Demon.

I had the head gasket issue with my car. I got several estimates on repairs, and was looking at over $4,000. For $6,000 I put a rebuilt engine in the car instead. I got a 3 year, 100,000 mile warranty on the new engine. Fixing the head gaskets is a terrible option. I am happy with the choice I made. The other good choice would have been to junk the car.

My wife's grandfather just gave us his 1999 DeVille D'elegance. It was his late wife's car and she loved it. It looks like Saul Goodman's Caddy from Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul. It is a wonderful riding and driving car. I c all it a "living room on wheels." It has 114,500 miles on it. They really took care of it. If it ever needs the big repair, I'm going to pull the engine out of the car and carry it to an experienced tech.

For someone looking for cheap transportation or a first car, you may still be able to find the 03s or older with low mileage and almost like new quality for very cheap (I've seen some for less than a 1,000 idk now however). It'd definitely be worth doing the notorious head gasket job and proper studs as well as add a heavy-duty water pump radiator and fans. I'd recommend the Deville over the Seville (newer model, more efficient design, and a lot of the quality issues and defects of the Seville were resolved).

I have removed my engine and taken it apart. One head bolt thread were stripped out. I’ve replaced this thread and I won’t have anymore problems.

I don't own a car with one of these engines, neither am I a mechanic but what I have seen then these engines seem to develope this major problem in one specific sequence. Coolant hoses get clogged, engine overheats, head warps, pulls the headbolts out of the engine block stripping the threads and blows a headgasket.

The 1993 Cadillac Allante was the first car to get this 4.6 liter V8(295hp). It then went into the Eldorado and the Seville. A 270hp version was available as well. Eventually the engines were rated at 275hp and 300hp, respectively. The Deville eventually got these engines as well. Eventually, there was a 4.0 liter V8(used by Oldsmobile), a 3.5 liter V6 version(used in the Oldsmobile Intrigue), and finally RWD variants(both naturally aspirated and supercharged). There were even plans for a 7.5 liter V12 version. Where did it all go wrong?

Any other Northstar owners in here? 1999 Cadillac DeVille owner here

Oh man,in the beginning of video KZfaq wouldn't let me subscribe,have too many subscriptions for no subscribers. Ugh .just bought a 97 Cadillac DeVille,I'm now worried but only in the beginning of video. Liked. Hopefully I'll feel better at the end of video.

Head bolts too small and changing the coolant is a nightmare. So coolant was neglected. Both hurt the Northstar mechanically

8 years to develop, 12 years to fix the head bolt problem; does anyone else see a problem here? When the S TS was fairly new, and the head bolt problem becoming common knowledge, I mentioned it to a Cadillac rep at an auto show. His response? "we don't sell used cars"

Good talk, took a lot from it. Thanks

You are right! The North Star engine was a fantastic engine. Typical GM they never finished the R&D. They shoot themselves in the foot every single time. You would think decades of making the same mistake they would learn. The 4-6-8 engine could have been one of the best selling engines of all time. Again GM could not wait to profit and cheaped out with R&D. If they simply used bigger head bolts and better oil pan gaskets on the North Star they would have had a hit. The first year was 1993 for the North Star in the Allante. They did not even acknowledge a problem until 99' to 2000'. I had enough of Cadillac and GM's arrogance and ordered a 2002 Lincoln LS and still have it to this day with 120K on it. Far superior to Cadillac. I will never go back to GM or Cadillac. Sadly Cadillac died in the late 70's and was never to return again.

Cadillac has a bad habit of innovative iterative engineering, coming up with great designs, and after coming close to perfecting their designs, abandoning them for something completely new. The HT4100 was a good design with a few problems. I got almost 400k but I had to get rid of it cause it was rusting out. It would have been great if they'd stuck with it until it was perfected. Same with the NorthStar. They could be making them better today. All Caddies require care and top notch maintenance - which they don't all get.

The 4 liter Lexus V8 was a great engine! It started at 250hp in 1990, then went to 260hp, and then ended at 290hp(300hp in the GS400)! The Northstar V8 could have been that good, maybe even better! Another General Motors failure!!!

I'm still happy with my 1993 Northstar, until now it runs just fine, no blown head gasket, but only around 120k miles on it now. Maybe it will blow someday, but overall this engine is just awesome. And I dont really know what engines can be considered better. Well, there is the 1UZ-FE and the LT1 that everyone speaks off. But there are a thousand engines out there that are just worse than the northstar and there are not a thousand engines that are better than the northstar. Or am I wrong?

Thank you, this was super super helpful!

It was good when they finally figured out the coolant issues, but it was too late to save its reputation. Ford's 4.6 mod motor was smooth and reliable from the start.

I had a Northstar V8 that ate 2 quarts of oil every 900 miles. Didn’t smoke or anything. It finally blew the head gaskets and got hot

The design was phenomenal but the execution wasn't. My first experience with one was in a 94 Eldorado and compared to a friend's 91 with the old 4.9, it was way faster and a lot more fun to drive. That said then I ended up working for an Oldsmobile dealership and met the Aurora. Excellent power and a great looking car. Unfortunately the engine had its problems and the transmissions were terrible as the service department had been 15 to 20 of them in for replacements on fairly new cars. Customers would regularly freak out when they were informed that they had to pay extra for oil changes due to the eight quart oil capacities which basically doubled the cost of the oil change. The reason for the problems with the 97 up reporting more issues is that they had the dexicool antifreeze which is the worst coolant ever. Really enjoy your videos and keep up the great work.

I have an 03 deville with 115k. had it since 70 k. Am not a mechanic but am the son of a 50 year retired mechanic. cousin of a mechanic, and have 2 friends whom own repair shops. From what I was told, don't drive like a little old lady, but baby the crap outtta cooling system. Flush coolant and change to oem thermostat every other year. Been an excellent car but gonna be putting it up for sale so i can get the last year the engine was made.

The Northstar cylinder head bolt problem causing head gasket failure and coolant loss was a huge ticking time bomb that financially burned thousands of owners, me included. There ain’t no way to call the fiasco engine good.

I remember Tyler from Tyler's Forgotten Car Rescue channel talking about those headbolts. He's not a fan of that engine.

I like the idea of the Northstar engine, but I got bit by the head bolt problem. Cost $4500 to fix.

i found a year 2000 sts l37 4.6 engine on cl and im desperately searching for info on the transmission bolt pattern. if i could bolt say an e40D behind it for my hotrod build

If they get hot.. what happened to Limp Home? When they blow the gasket are theyt Limping Home? Ford had the similar but not as compact DOHC 4.6 in the Lincoln Mark 8, then Continental FWD, then Mustang Cobra..

All true! Great information.

How come General Motors did not fix the engine under a recall for all purchasers?

I've been working on cars for over 45 years, and we bought one of my Saturns brand new in 1992 and yes, I still own it along with another one. When I had to replace the radiator in the Mid 2000's I recalled that those engines came from the factory with leak stop or rather head gasket resealant in the cooling system. By the mid 2000's that fact had pretty much been forgotten (even by non-Saturn trained mechanics). But Saturn still sold the sealing tablets. (And GM still sells them today.) Naturally I replaced the tablets in my Saturns and they have no head gasket issues. A friend had his cooling system serviced in his Saturn SC 2 and his head gaskets blew out two weeks later... Northstar engines tended to blow head gaskets at around the same time that they got cooling system services or had their radiators replaced... Notrhstar engines were aluminum blocks with aluminum cylinder heads with steel gaskets, just like the Saturn engines... I strongly suspect that Northstar engines are also self-resealing designs. I believe that the myth that the factory sealant was a one time treatment is wrong and that Northstar engines need the sealing tablets to ran at all... In fact, I strongly suspect that there's no reason that Northstar engines should ever blow their head gaskets, if the sealing pellets are used whenever the coolant is changed... Again, I've always used the pellets and I own a 1992 and a 1994 Saturn with hundreds of thousands of miles on both and never had any head gasket issues and they're both nearing 30 years old.

My uncle has a 2004 and at 40,000 miles it blew a head gasket and coolant got in the cylinder and broke a rod on start up. $10,000 was the price to put another engine in that car, A majority of the cost was labor not the engine.

Well said!

i'm always leery when I hear people say "this or that is junk" especially when I look at how they treat or maintain it. I just sent my 09 Saturn Aura to the bone yard because the TCM failed after 302K miles. The engine used in my car was the 3.6L w/variable valve timing. Most people on the internet say this is a junk engine that is good for less than half the miles I put on mine. I didn't do anything special to my engine. I drove it hard and often pulled a utility trailer with it. I did change the oil every 5K miles but that was about it. I replaced the plugs twice and the serpentine belt and coil packs once. Same timing chains, same starter, water pump, etc. It was still running strong the day they put it on the flat bed so when I hear it is a junk engine I laugh. Many times the issue isn't the product but the user

I'd be curious to know how many actually developed the problem.. what percentage of them? And by what milage.. I also think it has to do with how they were taken care of and where they were driven.

I have a 2001 Deville I bought at a police impound 4 years ago for $375. I had to get transmission rebuilt for $2900 before I could drive it. I have 30 plus youtube videos about this car. I can’t drive it anymore because it run hot.

dont know if manufacturers have noticed but all the "new" high feature engines with long timing chains, phazers, vvt, direct injection are 80k mile or less in most cases BOMBS. Buy old push rod simple cam in block engines if you want to get where your going

I've built a few engines over my years. Heavy truck, car , motorcycle and utility. I currently have a '95 STS Northstar that I will build. A strong engine starts with its core mechanicals and fuel supply technology. To spend $6000 on a dependable engine build does not phase me. I spent $4000 on a Chev 2.8 rebuild that was worth every penny, and that was in '93. All the necessary parts are now here to build an extremely strong engine.If you do not understand what it takes to build a durable high output engine, then leave it to someone who knows. Don't waste your money on building that engine, buy one in a vechile that suits your fancy.Enjoy it while it lasts.

Just to be safe avoid any car with the deathstar engine if it is a 05 or older.

No problems so far with my '07 XLR. She pushes well when I want her to.

Here's the good result - they are all so maligned because of the older Northstars that ANY Northstar-powered car - even the improved ones - can be had for pennies on the dollar to the buyer today.

Keeping them competitive They also saw that Ford went to a 4.6 L modular V8 overhead cam and their Lincoln in 1991 You know it's crazy that they still use pushrods in the truck in the Camaros The new Corvette though has a dual overhead cam flat plane crank 5.5 L V8 most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever built and that's the 6th generation small block so it is very well possible overhead cams could trickle into the trucks eventually but then again they use flat tapets all the way to 96

Great motor... personally seen several at the 300k mile mark.

Are you saying that ounce the northstar is repaired it “WILL NOT” have that bolt issue?

When everyone says overheating. Are you talking a few bars or in the red?

Considering how much BMW and Mercedes get praised constantly for their engine designs despite how incredibly unreliable they are and what throwaways they've become I see no problem with praising the North Star for the things that got right. I honestly think this is a good discussion. It's good to highlight how something can be excellent from a refinement, high-tech, and innovative arena that fits the image of luxury but from a standpoint of reliability is simply lacking. I think sometimes the big three get a hit a little bit harder when they screw up then the European brands do when they constantly are turning out problems. I find it interesting as well how GM just seems to struggle to make four valve per cylinder overhead cam engines reliable. Even after this the high feature engine has had a lot of problems at least with the first 10-years of its production. As a person that wants to root for the big three it blows my mind how GM of the three is just the worst four valve per cylinder overhead came engines. They can do a great push rod engine they just can't seem to get the four valve per cylinder engine right.

Late to this party a bit... There isn't anything wrong with the head bolts. If a user neglected the water pump or let the 4.6L Northstar package v8 overheat and the bolts would be pulled out of the aluminum block. At that point pulling the engine, drilling, machining and tapping for a mere $5k is a bargain. If a user stuck to GMs maintenance schedule the car never has the issue. I have worked on and maintained 97-99 Caddys with the package for well into the 300k miles. Equally all torque to yield headbolt engines with aluminum blocks if overheated will do the exact same thing regardless of brand. Having said all that the 97-99 had the overlapping issue with Dex-cool where it wasn't quite formulated right and would destroy cooling components and head gaskets if the system got low and mixed with air. But instead of replacing the Dex-cool in a 1-2 year span and keeping it topped up people replaced it with standard green coolant... Killing the water pump as it relies on a specific lubricant in Dex-cool. Cascading that into the other heat related issues.

I like the sound of the engine. And it name: Northstar ❤ Even fits in a Fiero. 😎

People always hate on the northstar, but it's a great engine if it's working right. Aluminum, overhead cams, smooth running, powerful. People seem to forget about the 4100 HT engines. They also had unbelievably horrible reliability issues and were guaranteed to fail. But if they ran right, you got like 150 hp in a 5000 pound car with questionable 80s emissions and computer tech. I guess because it was only used for a few years people forgot about them quickly.

The Northstar is the predecessor of the LS engine. That's what GM claims. I love the 4.6 Northstar. You have to have plenty patients to work on one. But it a power plant that can be unstoppable. And it can be adapted to be a RWD car

yes it is a great engine with some problems as well

I currently have a 2001 Cadillac Deville DHS don’t buy a deville if you don’t have a hell of a lot money or patience to get the problems fixed. The crazy part is I have no major motor problems but the transmission is being rebuilt. The only reason why I’m getting it fixed is because I have a relative who is fixing it. My #1 problem is the front end suspension that goes to shit way faster if you ignore your under the hood problems. Or If you just didn’t know Questions? (keep up with your oil changes) please ask this car has given me every problem under the sun.

Nearly EVERY one i look under has the curse...blowing oil! We've had three and that was three too many.

I just thrown a rod on my 03 Cadillac Deville with the . 4.6 liter Northstar

I have no problem spending $5,600 for ALL the upgrade work needed on my 2002 Cadillac Eldorado ETC with 65,000 miles that I bought for $225. Family Auto Care in Vacaville, California and the Northstar Performance head bolt kit!

So I got a 05 DeVille with the Northstar I got it with 74k miles think I'ma run into head problems?

The head gasgets are more prone to damage when people do not let the engine reach operating temperature ! Which is min 115° to 195° ! or exceed operating temperature ! the correct repair is a cylinder head stud modification ! buy them caddies up !

I love these engines. I love how smooth they are and they sound great. They're pretty easy to work on, if you know what you're doing, other than a few things. A shame that all they had to do was put the correct material and size head bolts in it to make this thing great. And for the seals and gaskets, that's just typical GM. Cheap out on the little stuff to save as much as possible.

how is the 2010.dts

Caddilac should developed a version of the 3800. Who cares if it's got pushrods?

So do 2005 devilles have a head gasket problem

I had two northstar failures traded for camry

Wish mine was running right just did all the cupling intake and plenum gaskets pcv line tps and iav valce. Still has p0507 code idle speed high it's getting pretty dangerous to drive all that stopping at stop signs while revving so high has my brakes squeaking now don't want to dump it but 🤬!!

I want one!

My 1999 Cadi made it 88k before it went all "Northstar" on me. I still own a Cadillac, But would never buy a Cadi with a Northstar again.

The unreliability of the NorthStar engine is what caused Cadillac to lose its “premium” market share in the US. You can buy a very nice used 90’s Cadillac with a NorthStar. Unfortunately, you buy the car for $2,000, but it’ll cost $4,000 to fix just the engine.