I’d say I got lucky. 2005 Northstar 4.6 VVT. Whilst the head gaskets were fine, I bulletproofed with Northstar Performance studs anyway. I haven’t had any issues at all. All 320hp at full tilt.

My 4.6Northstar is a hard rumning engine I removed the heads and drilled the block and made my own head bolt inserts . Way better than the gm kit. Never had any more problems with the heads. As far as oil leaks ,i have not one oil leak in this engine, or any problems with the piston rings . It does not use any oil at all. These engines are sought after for racing engines , or pull engines in some tractors. I have the early model 4.6Northstar. Thanks for all your information....

The Northstar isn't as bad as all this. I used Norm Huhn products stud kit on mine 9 years ago. 100 k since and no probs or oil leaks or consumption issues. I'd say properly warming this engine and regular use and good maintenance is what has mine doing just fine.

The early Northstars were nightmares, but the TTY nature of the head bolts are not the reason. The fine thread on them, in soft aluminum was. Soft alloys need coarse threaded bolts. This was solved in later engines. If you replace the bolts with coarse threaded studs, it's a heck of a fine motor.

Update; I finally bought an LH2 version Northstar out of a Cadillac XLR, off eBay for $480. dollars total. Complete with everything, exhaust manifolds, motor mounts, all accessories, flexplate, underhood wire harness, ECM, ALL of it... They claimed it had 157k miles on it, but when I got done tearing it down, it was in practically perfect condition. Clean and well taken care of also. The only thing that happened was a main bearing bolt snapped off. So just as an experiment, I took the broken bolt, clamped it in a vice, and hit it with a 7/64 drill bit, and the drill bit cut it just like it was nothing, probably because it's only a grade 9.8. So I'll be able to drill it out no problem. And just as a note, all the head bolt threads were perfectly fine also.

Im researching these rn almost think itd be cool to bulletproof one to swap into my e36 320hp out the box is pretty damn good for a 4.6

Mines going strong just have to change a lot of things most people never think about. A lot of folks don’t even change their own oil anymore let alone know what a pcv valve does 😅

The Northstars were not actually GM's first DOHC design. The first one was the LT5 used in the early 90s Corvette ZR1, but it was designed by Lotus and built by Mercury marine. Literally a boat engine. Cadillac tried to make their own version and ruined it

They'll leak oil but the rest of the problems were normal wear and tear. The headbolt problem was 97-99 and could be mitigated with regular coolant flushes. The waterpump problem was caused by the tensioner wearing out usually by 80,000-90,000mi.The oil burning was cured in the 2000s when they mandated synthetic oil. Not a bad engine at all with regular maintenance. Them Northstars don't tolerate neglect so they're not good beater cars for college kids or anyone on a tight budget.

ACKshauLLY…. The greatest area of oil leaks on these motors are the mid block aluminum gasket.

Funny i have a 2010 DTS with 160k on it and its been troouble free...

All northstars are not bad. She speaking on the early ones. There's plenty on the road still running great with nun of the issues she mentioned. Stop it

The only leaks on my northstar is when I took it jiffy noobs and the certified mechanic of Yale’s industries spilled a lil bit during my $120 oil change then proceeded to tell me how my transmission was leaking fluid took it to another mechanic and they said all my fluids were fine 😅😅maybe the only people that experience issues are the ones who take the cheaper route and go to these bs shops 😂😂

I bought my 2007 DTS new. About 7 years in. The power steering pump locked up with no warnings. 2 1/2 years ago the transmission fluid line came loose at radiator. The lower one. GM's brilliant connector clip rusted out. Fluid went everywhere. 2-3 weeks later the alternator went out. Of course the tranny fluid flush haha caused that. Yes it leaks oil. I was doing 800 miles per quart. The miles are less after I did an oil change. Yet it still starts and goes with 280,000 miles. Just last week an ignition coil went bad. Of course it was on the rear bank by the firewall. YUK. Found another for $10. It was hard to find in my area.

My 4.6 XLR is doing just fine, 150K and still runs perfect.

TTY bolts can be reused, but at a different torque.

But they sound so good lol i love the way the northstar sounds. Hate its unreliability

I was unfortunate to own a 1999 Cadillac Seville and ultimately ended up selling it because of the issues with the Northstar engine. That car sure ran smooth and was a beast, but it finally began to give way when it reached 80K miles. Was nice enjoying it while I could though.

04 Deville, has 200k miles, original engine. It's damp underneath but doesn't drip oil. Doesn't consume oil. Have to top off of the coolant every 10k miles. Daily driver. Either I am very lucky or I just take care of my northstar. Never left me stranded. I've taken it cross country.

I feel fortunate to have 130k on my bonneville gxp and no leaks period. Head gasket began to fail and I used a product called THERMALWELD which believe it or not fixed the coolant consumption in “5” minutes. No more issues! Did that @ 123k and it runs just fine! I paid $500 for it and it’s a dependable daily driver/ backup when one of our other cars are on the shop.

This was by far not gms first Dual overhead cam engine. Chevy had the LT5 v8 in the c4 vette long before the Northstar. A lot of people don't realize it but overhead cam is nothing new. Overhead cam engines came before pushrod car engines in most manufacturers. Chevys had overhead cams in the 1920's. That's also not how the torque to yield bolts fail. The bolts are fine if you want to check the stretch on the used ones they will still be in spec. The head bolts on the Northstar fail because the aluminum used was too soft and the expansion of the block and heads pull on the bolts and then contraction they push on the bolt threads until they start stripping threads. That's the reason you'll find helicoils in a lot of the head bolt holes. It's not the bolts it's the threads. Check the threads on the bolts when you pull them and you'll see the aluminum that's been pulled from the threads in the block all over the bolt. It literally pulls the threads right out of the block until it can't keep enough pressure on the head gasket.

My 93 year old neighbor doesn't drive anymore and because I am retired and avalible and don't mind, I drive her to her appointments. Her late husband and her purchased a 2003 DHS, new, and it currently has 136K. I had her car out this morning and after dropping her off she suggested I use her car to go over and pick up my 97 year old grandmother for one of her appointments. Sorry, I get long winded, anyway when I got out to help my grandmother I noticed a ticking sound and given the issues this engine is notorious for I am concerned that it needs to be looked at. It is not raspy like an exhaust leak. it isn't anything like what I have heard out of lifters, but is very steady with the engine RPM. Some seem to think it could be the oil pump starting to go bad, or the timing gear. My thought went to timing as it sounds a lot like the issues the Pontiac 2.5L vtech engine had with the plastic timing gear. Since beginning to drive for her I have been keeping an eye on it like I would my own personal vehicle. I noticed and fixed a few very minor things, probably the one that was most egregious was the cabin air filter was put in folded in half, so it wasn't really doing anything. lol Oh well, on to reading more about the issues...

I have one in my 2007 DTS. I have had no problem with it. I don't know.

Dude, Northstar engines aren’t that bad if you buy one, pull it out change the head studs change the oil pan baffle in the bottom clean it up re-ring it. It’ll be good for another 150 thousand miles I’ve rebuilt plenty of these. I picked them up for pennies on the dollar in DTS refurbished everything that was wrong on them and I sell my five cars years and I make a mint

I really don't care what anybody says, I like the 2004 and later LH2 versions. So much so that Im going to be buying an LH2 version, head stud and main stud it, forged connecting rod it, custom forged piston it, performance valve spring it, twin turbo it, and put it in my next hot rod build. It seems like to me the 04 & up LH2's are a very under rated engine, just becouse the earlier versions "did" have a head bolt and over heating problem. I have not heard anyone mentoin the LC3 version, I don't really understand why? Maybe i just didn't look at all the comments. Well don't look up all the R&D that went into the LC3 version, or the prices for ALL used Northstar engines will go threw the roof, lol. P.S. If you're going to be using a Northstar engine in a RWD car, you pretty much have to use either the LH2 or LC3 version.

Also the earlier North Stars had longer head bolts. And after 2007 they went back to longer head bolts.

I have a 2005 northstar most reliable car I’ve ever had alternator needs to be replaced about 80,000 miles

The Northstar got a lot better with the updated version for the RWD models that came in 4.6L and 4.4L supercharged fixes many of the issue. Of the early engines, yet everyone acts like all Northstars motors are all built the same with no real refresh for the motor. Which is not true, I currently have an 06 STS with just shy of 300k km on the odo. With amny original parts left. Also 1 quart per 1000km is considered with in spec for all GM engines if the vehicle ks driven hard.

Wow. Impressive host-You go, Girl ! Let’s talk about a reman 6.0 Ford PowerStroke . . . Please?

Looool im so glad my caddy has the 4.5l upgraded ht1000 motor.

o..mg... where have you been my whole life...

For a month old video if this woman knew as much as she thinks she does she at least would've addressed the head bolt issue that was entirely gm higher ups doing and the fact that once propper head bolts were used these are some of the most reliable v8s gm ever sold. Also the oil leak problems are directly connected to how often and thoroughly they've been overheated wich is a non issue in the 3rd generation where ls head bolts are used. The Cadillac northstar was always a victim of gm cost cutters and their insisting on using a warehouse full of quad 4 4cyl head bolts that were left over after the quad 4 was discontinued. A 3rd generation northstar motor is leaps and bounds more powerful efficient and reliable than any other gm motor I've ever owned or driven. I'll be telling KZfaq not to recommend your channel to me. Ms, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. One should never revel in it.

I guess you never heard about the ZL1 motor that started in 1990.

I put 235558 km's on it in my 2003 seville STS. Never once had a problem thankfully

yeesh maybe time to sell mine before it's too late

*My Secret is change the Coolant Once a Year And don't Hop the motor meaning no fast take offs*

97 98 99 2000 years avoid Use Lucas oil stabilizer What you cool level Change the water pump and water pump tensioner pulley and belt at same also run a high quality synthetic oil 10W30 Not 0w20 Bleeds the cooling system properly after doing so Ensure radiator fans are working properly. These are the easy solutions for the 4.6 North Star.

I love listening to you talk about these engines, not a lot of people can deliver such top tier wisdom information and say it in such a professional manner. God Bless You Forever

As Tyrone Biggums would say…. GOD DAMM !! 😧🤣

You got the story wrong with the head bolts but that’s okay I guess 😂

I have a 1999 Cadillac Seville with a north star v8 engine it only has 77k miles. What should I do to prevent it from breaking?

She’s all cap! Not all northstars are built the same! Couple fixable issues that’s all. No doom n gloom.

Is that a crate Northstar, and what is the model, if so?

I think the Iron Duke is far worse. at least the N* makes some power.

Just thrown a rod on my 03 Deville with the 4.6 Northstar

Just do simple maintenance❤

mines fine. for now :)

It's not the worst engine it just has a dumb design.

2007 Dts: I had my Aluminum *Northstar from 2007 still riding good all I have to do now is oil pan gasket & valve cover gasket*

I don't think you ever really worked on one . I have an 05 and I don't see what the Wawa is all about. Most stuff on KZfaq is regurgitated and just copy of a copy of a copy. Of course cars are expensive to fix when you go-to a shop so the public can thank videos like this for making that bill go up. So much crap about the starter it took me 39 min start to finish id say that it was fun.

I have driven a 96 for two years. All those things happen when you drive the sob on codes. Who are we kidding the 90’s industry was made on codes, limp modes that’s destroy your car and keeps the consumer at the brand of choice service center. It’s a 90’s v8 it’s gonna burn some oil no lies told there. Lol

Dont agree

I call bullshit on this channel!, about the Northstar, if you truly know the 4.6L (283 cubic inch) Northstar engine, you will know the correct procedure about tighten down the head bolts (there's a company in Canada that can help you with that), other than that, again if you truly know about the Northstar Engine, you can get 380 horse and 385 torque (advice timing) at the crank! That's not bad for an engine weighing 300 lb more or less. And if you twin turbo it, you can get probably 600 horse & 600 torque at the crank. People do it all the time in Southern California shops, to hit the dunes in Glamis, CA!!

Is the 4.6 there for sale?

GM lost a whole generation of customers that bought vehicles with this engine.

You got a cute 👃

Worst engine ever!!!

Darling, will you marry me ?