Hey guys,

To start things off for explaining, im 21, im getting a 93 Seville STS (190k). With this interesting engine called the Northstar. Im new to Cadillacs, this is my first car, and since im 6'7" its probably the best car for me. However ive been hearing some bad things, and an equal amount of good things about it.

A few of the guys i talked to told me that because its a performance engine, if you push it, it will last longer than if you drove it conservatively, as well if i push it supposedly ill come accross the various oil burning problems alot less. And i heard about some problems with the tranny as well, when i drove it and went into reverse it kicked . . . . thats the best word i can use to describe what happened but when i put it in neutral and back it didnt do it again, i hear thats a problem with the shift solonoid how often to problems like these occur and are they erratic? or permanent? and whats the price on repairs for crap like that?

Umm the other thing im wondering about are sound wise, the system in the caddie is . . . . . nice, however its not up to par with the newer systems ive heard, being young sound to me is rather important, how easy is it to say pull out the stock deck & throw in an Alpine with an amp and some subs. It doesnt have the steering wheel audio controls i heard are in the later models so with a 3rd party deck i wont have those in the way. But hookup wise, and power how is the caddie for allowances.

Umm yea i think those are the questions that are on my mind right now, if you guys know some things about the 93 that i should know id be more than happy to hear them so i know what im getting into.

Thx

I've been pleased with my 93 through the years. Still idles smooth as glass, steering is smooth, chassis is solid, and it's noticeably quicker than my 2001.

A couple things I can think of offhand.

-my TCC solenoid (trans) went bad which is like a $25 part, but the dealer wouldn't repair it, they replaced the whole trans. I'm sure a trans shop would have been able to just replace the bad part.

-speaking of which, the TCC is a staged-lockup on that car and it can "studder" at 40-60 mph. There's a TSB for it (computer reflash) and the fix worked for me.

-AC worked great for years, past 2 years it's been weak at 85 deg plus. Need to get that looked at this spring.

-the 93 has excellent diagnostics using the climate control pad and dash alpha display. Much better than my 2001 and has prevented me from being stranded when most cars would have.

-3rd brakelight is guaranteed to fail but can be fixed

-In 105K miles, I've replaced: MAP sensor, alternator, cat converter, CD player, O2 sensors, plugs, wires...

Not sure what your beef is with the Bose Gold. I think mine still sounds better than most OEM stereos today.

If you're a shadetree mechanic, I highly recommend the factory service manuals.

Mike

Hey thx Boost,

Thats alot of useful info, i was worried about the tranny thing but youve cleared up my worries on that.

I didnt even know it had a Bose system in it, my buddy has a Bose Component system in his car, and W7 Sub and it sounds nothing like this one, unless i was listening to a source that was less than good. Ill try it out and see. Maybe i can save some cash.

But thx for the primo info dude

Oh btw there was a recall on the 93-94 AC that might be your AC problem . . . or not thought id mention it tho, anyway the problem involved was the ac hose coming in contact with the engine oil cooler and wearing down

No problem! I didn't say the tranny was bulletproof, but it is GM's strongest FWD transmission. Also, I do recall it "lurches" every once in awhile when I put it in gear.

Another "every once in awhile" noise is, about 10 seconds after I start it, I hear some kinda clutch engage loudly. Maybe once a week. Been doing it for like 8 years and so far it hasn't broke :hmm:

Finally, yes the Northstar is known to leak/consume oil but I've never had a drop under the car where it's parked.


Good luck!

Mike

Koo Thx Mike.

What about mods?

Do they have a Turbo out for the NorthStar or any other performance enhancements, im gunna rip out the cat so that should gain me a few horses.

The only chip enhancements ive found so far just get rid of the governor, does anyone know any ones to raise performance?