I hear all the downsides to the N* engine blowing the HG but if it is not blown now what is the best way to keep it from blowing. Are there any maintance issues that you can do to maintain it longer, coolant changes more frequently, dont drive it like a maniac, ect. I just bought mine and it is running great, has 127,000 miles on it though and just want to make it last as long as possible.
Jim
Just keep it maintained. Coolant changes, frequent WOT, along with general maintenance will keep the car healthy. There is no set time for a HG failure. Some people blow them at 150k miles, while others like myself have it happen at 54k miles and then there are those with no failures at all. You have a greater risk of having issues as the '97-'99 models are statistically the worst (not real world, N* poll here in forums) but not everybody fails. It will be a gradual failure not something that happens overnight. Enjoy your Eldorado.
Go way up ^^^ to the top black bar and study the whole Cadillac Technical Archive. Then study the sticky threads on the Engines; Northstar Performance page - particularly those 3 or 4 that speak directly to coolant, cooling systems, temp gauges, and head gasket faults. (A little knowledge is good; hearsay is bad.)
Why not drive it like a maniac ?? The engine LOVES to run - just don't abuse it; there IS a difference.
If an engine - any engine - is going to blow a gasket there's precious little you can do to to predict how, when, where - if you're worried about blowing gaskets, your best bet would be to park the car and look at it.
Hello all,
Just a quick thought since I have already bought mine and it has 127,000 miles. What is the chance the HG issue has already been fixed, Is there anything I could look for to see if it has been done without major disassembly. This is just a thought, maybe I will get lucky.
Jim
Hello all,
Just a quick thought since I have already bought mine and it has 127,000 miles. What is the chance the HG issue has already been fixed, Is there anything I could look for to see if it has been done without major disassembly. This is just a thought, maybe I will get lucky.
Jim
hello everybody,
Well I can tell that the HG issue has never been fixed. I got a report from the original owner with all the maintance that was ever done. I discovered it was a 1 owner vehicle with all the maintance ever done at the dealership out of washington. I mean everything even new tires were bought through the dealership. Oil changes, electrical checks, performance checks, fuel rail replaced, trans flushes, brakes, ect. ect. ect. Even though the head gasket was never fixed it is just good to know at least the vehicle was maintained by the dealer when it was supposed to be done. so with that being said I am not going to worry about it, drive and enjoy it, and if it blows I will just have to get it fixed because I love the look of the vehicle, I personally think it is one of the best looking caddys out there.
Jim
Considering the sheer numbers of (even pre-2000) Northstars on the road, your actual chances of head gasket failure are awfully slim. Remember - people come here with problems, not because they have NO problems - so everything always looks gloom and doom in a "How do I fix it ??" site.
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