4.X engine reliability statistics?

[drewsdeville]

Most members of this forum probably know that the later 4.X series engines were quite reliable. I remember reading a handful of times that the 4.9L was one of the lowest warranty claim engines that GM ever produced. Anyone have any evidence of this or was this just a rumor?

[MrEldo97]

The 4.9 has to be less troublesome than the friggin' POS Northstar I have. Just has to be... I'm at the end of my rope with my Northstar and I see a '90 or '91 4.9 Eldorado in my not too distant future.

[creeker]

Originally Posted by MrEldo97

The 4.9 has to be less troublesome than the friggin' POS Northstar I have. Just has to be... I'm at the end of my rope with my Northstar and I see a '90 or '91 4.9 Eldorado in my not too distant future.

I looked for 2 years to find my 92 eldo. with the 4.9. Fyi the 92 eldo had the 4.9 and the 93 base eldo, also had the 4.9.. I'm on my 4 th. 4.9 in 5 years, their a super reliable engine, I sold my first 92 eldo. about 4 years ago with 180,000 miles on, I still see it going strong around town,I regretted selling it, so I bought another one.

[MrEldo97]

Good to hear. I’m considering dumping my ’97 Eldo for a 4.9 Eldo because the Northstar in mine is a POS.

[creeker]

Originally Posted by MrEldo97

Good to hear. I’m considering dumping my ’97 Eldo for a 4.9 Eldo because the Northstar in mine is a POS.

Touch wood, my N* seems to be running fine.

[gdwriter]

When I first joined the forum after buying my '91 DeVille four years ago, there was a member who said the 4.9 engine had the fewest warranty claims of any Cadillac engine. I don't know if that's true, but my car has 257,500 miles on it, and the 4.9 has been very dependable. I bought it with 200,000 miles on it, and the only things I've had to do with the engine are a tune up when I bought it and replacing some ignition components, EGR valve and the fuel injectors. As far as I know, the engine has never been rebuilt (I had the tranny rebuilt at 216,000 miles). I usually add a quart of oil in between oil changes (at around 4,000 miles with Valvoline MaxLife), but part of that is due to a small leak.

And while it doesn't have the power of the Northstar, it still runs strong, as this back-to-back 0-60 run with my '01 Seville and the DeVille show:

YouTube - Zero to 60 Run--4.6 Cadillac Northstar...