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Select one if you have had a problem with the headgasket the Northstar V8:

Northstar Headgasket/Cracked Block/Bolt Failure? Please let us know

294K views 546 replies 243 participants last post by  ihc70 
#1 ·
Here is the Definitive Northstar Headgasket Thread. Please choose your year of Cadillac and state if you have had a headgasket problem with your Seville or Eldorado and what mileage it occured at. If you have never had a problem please do not participate in the poll!
 
#346 ·
2001 DTS

Failure started at just under 200,000km with the engine heating up just a bit only on hills. Flushed the rad at 212k...big mistake. The overheating quickly got progressively worse. Took it off the road for repair at 215000km. at 220k now with no problems. I am looking forward to 200k more (fingers crossed)!
 
#348 ·
I bought a '99 Deville in August. Car ran great at low speed and was cosmetically in great shape. It was dirt cheap so I suspected that there was something wrong. It didn't take long for me to find out what it was. Thing overheated on the freeway on the way home. I didn't know about the head bolt problem so I was doing the exact opposite of what I should have on the way home, that is to say that I kept trying to go fast thinking I needed to get more air flowing through the radiator. I swapped out the thermostat(came out in two pieces) and the radiator cap. Didn't work. After much research I learned of the headgasket problem. I couldn't really smell much of the combustion gasses in the coolant, and didn't smell coolant or see any white smoke in the exhaust. I considered some of the "snake-oil" fixes but ended up doing Northstar Performance Stud kit repair. It was a job. Pulling the motor and dropping it back in through the top can be done but it isn't fun. I am pleased to say that after 1000 miles and some lengthy highway runs it is fixed. If anyone has any questions about the repair feel free to message me.

Paul
 
#349 ·
Bought a beautiful used '98 ElDorado in 2004 w/98,000 miles to replace one that I lost in a crash. After a few months it needed the HG repair. I used the $450 timesert kit (and it came with enough (10) inserts for one side, so I had to order more, grrr) and 2 sporatic weeks of labor. That repair lasted 70,000 miles.

Today I just finished the SECOND headbolt repair. Indeed, 4 of the 20 Timeserts had pulled out. This time I used Norms' NSL3000 inserts kit and not only was it cheaper at $320, the inserts are TWICE as big as the Timeserts. Also found a 1/2 dead ignition coil pack. Runs smooth smooth now and I'm confident the engine will now outlast the body. The cylinders still had a good crosshatch on the walls which made me happy. And, since I had the engine apart I went ahead and replaced the valve guide seals. That was a pain!

Go with Norms. The engine would have to explode to pull those inserts out, and maybe not even then. Wish I had used Norms first.

Oh yeah, I dropped the cradle. It's the only way to go! Used a 4 x 6 landscape timber to support the body on two jacks. Dropped the engine onto 2 - 4/wheel car dollys using 3 jacks. The dollys are great for moving the engine around.

GL!
 
#352 ·
G
#355 ·
Re: Definitive Northstar Headgasket Thread

I'd buy it for that price but I'm a bit far away in FL. You should part it out first. You will make much more and you will be helping out people that need parts to keep theirs running.
 
#357 ·
#358 ·
i think in the past year i have read more things about 2000 N's going bad i think when mine went in April the first time there was like 42 failed in the 2000 model year and now we are 10 months latter and totale of 2000's are up to 50 hmm make one think
 
#367 ·
My first STS threw a rod and blew my engine up (three holes in the block and one in the tranny) @ 82,000, it was a '94

My second STS started drinking coolant like kool-aid @ 148,000, died at 152,000 due to HG failure. It was a '93

My third STS was just bought last summer with 62,000. mid to late autumn she started burning oil. It appears to be the rear main seal. So far as we can tell the HG is still holding up. She is an '02 currently at 70,183.
 
#368 ·
if its just the rear main sale that is just a oil leak right ?
so no hg issue do you drive it alot ? do you mind the extra qt of oil every whatr im going to guess 1000 miles with that oil leak maybe 800 in low end if you don't drive that much and intend on keeping the car you could problaby just live with the oil leak i know i couldnt because id riv elik 40k a year so thats enough oil to pay for have a HG job probalby
but if you only go like 10k a year or so
id just wait till the hg's go if they go at all unless you want to fix it to sell it
 
#370 ·
1998 Deville failed after 3k in PA and almost 96k in MD. Put on the a/c for the first time midway through a 40 mile trip round, had to stop twice then limp home with the 4-ways on.
First Cadillac, only had it for 6 months. Got an oil change when i bought it since oil was at 0% (but no coolant change, won't forget that next time!), and was exactly 3k from the oil change when I started out.
 
#373 ·
Purchased my 00' Eldo knowing that the heads were popped. Along with the tranny being out. But I could not pass it up for the price. I work on caddies all day long at work and am very familiar with HG problems they have. Our shop would pump out 2 a week for customers.

Doing the job in a garage through the top. Seems to be going well though.
 
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