[ben72227]

As requested by one of our members, this weeks history addition (December 20, 2005) is another engine article. This weeks engine is the GM Premium V engine, better known to us as the:

Northstar!

The engine was introduced in 1992 in the Allante and continues to be used in the STS, SRX, and XLR. It was sold exclusively by Cadillac for over a decade before being introduced in the Bonneville for 2004, though the L47 V8 variant was used in the Aurora and the 3500 LX5 V6 in the Olds Intrigue. All engines of this family share the same Northstar Bellhousing pattern. Cadillac is planning to introduce a V12 Northstar this decade.
The original Northstar Allante also introduced the Northstar System which included traction control, adaptive suspension, and antilock brakes.
The all-aluminum Northstar features Dual-Overhead Cams, Variable Valve Timing, and other modern technologies. The VVT system can vary intake by up to 40° and the exhaust by up to 50°. Most Northstar engines produce 275 to 315 hp (205 to 235 kW). The engine displaces 279 in³ (4645 cc) from a 3.66 in (93 mm) bore and 3.31 in (84 mm) stroke. The engine got a forged steel crankshaft in 2003. The block can be expanded up to 5.4 L though no such engine has been produced.
The Northstar was on the Ward's Ten Best Engines list for 1995 and 1996.

L37

The L37 was the original Northstar. It is tuned for responsiveness and power, while the later LD8 is designed for more sedate use. The L37 topped out at 300 hp (224 kW) in 2002 on the STS and ETC models, making these the most powerful front wheel drive cars ever built, until the inception of the 2006 Chevy Impala SS, Monte Carlo SS, as well as the Pontiac Grand Prix GXP.
Vehicles using the L37 include:

• 1993 Allante
• Deville Concours
• Seville STS
• Eldorado ETC

A new high-performance L37 will be used in the '06 DTS Performance version. It produces 291 hp (217 kW).

LD8

The LD8 is a transverse V8 for FWD cars. Introduced in 1994, it is designed to provide more torque than the high-revving L37. The 1998 revision is quieter (thanks to hydraulic engine mounts) and performs better (thanks to a tuned intake system) than previous Northstars. It produces 275 hp and 300 ft.lbf.
Vehicles using the LD8 include:

Deville
Eldorado
SLS
Bonneville GXP
and the NEW Buick Lucerne CXS


LH2

The Northstar was designed originally for transverse front wheel drivelongitudinal rear and AWD use in the SRX and XLR. The RWD (LH2) Northstar is good for 315 hp (235 kW) and 310 ft·lbf (420 Nm). applications. It was modified substantially in 2004 for
Vehicles using the LH2 include:

• SRX
  
• XLR
• new STS

Supercharged

A 4.4 L supercharged Northstar is used in the 2005 STS-V. The bore was reduced for increased strength. VVT is used on both the intake and exhaust sides.
Applications:

• 2005 STS-V

L47

The L47 Aurora engine was a special V8 designed for the Oldsmobile Aurora, based on the Northstar engine. It is a DOHC 4.0 L (3995 cc) V8 which produced 250 HP (186 kW) and 260 ft.lbf (353 Nm) of torque. The bore is 87 mm and the stroke is 84 mm.
A special version of this engine was used as one of the two engines available to Indy Racig League competitors at the inception of that automobile racing promotion (the other engine was a modified Infiniti Q45 V8 from Nissan).
The Aurora engine was introduced in 1994 for the 1995 model year, and GM has not used this engine since the demise of the marque in 2004.

LX5


The 3500 LX5 V6 is a DOHC engine from Oldsmobile, introduced in '99 Oldsmobile Intrigue. It was produced by the Premium engine group at GM and was thus called the Premium V6, or PV6, while it was being developed. It is based on the L47 Aurora V8, which is itself based on the Northstar engine, so engineers called it the Short North, though Oldsmobile fans have taken to calling it the Shortstar. with the
It is not a simple cut-down V8. Although it has a 90° vee-angle like the Northstar and Aurora, the engine block was engineered from scratch, so bore centers are different. It has chain-driven DOHC and 4 valves per cylinder, but is an even-firing design with a split-pin crankshaft similar to the modern GM 3800 engines. The LX5 displaced 3.5 L (3473 cc) and produced 215 hp (160 kW) and 230 ft.lbf (312 Nm). Bore is 89.5 mm and stroke is 92 mm.
The cost of building this engine was high, and it was not used in many vehicles. It was said at the time that a family of premium V6s would follow, with displacements ranging from 3.3 L to 3.7 L, but only the LX5 was ever produced. It was entirely different from any other V6 in the GM inventory, and as with the Aurora V8, production stopped with the demise of Oldsmobile.
This engine was used in the following:

• 1999-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue
  
• 2001-2002 Oldsmobile Aurora
  

The 3500 LX5 was on the Ward's 10 Best Engines list for 1999 and 2000.


One day soon...: