Cadillac Owners Forum banner

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!
 
#27 ·
Cool poll

the main issue is that you basically have to take the whole car apart to get to them...
Exactly!
 
#28 ·
What about the Northstar in the 2006+ DTS. Has that been revised? Do you think we will see the same problems with that model?
 
#29 ·
What about the Northstar in the 2006+ DTS. Has that been revised? Do you think we will see the same problems with that model?
I would think it has been revised some. However it is still FWD so it probably has many of the same characteristics of our FWD cars.
 
#30 ·
All interesting stuff... Not sure you will ever see a RWD post about head gaskets... I would bet they are significantly easier to get to.

If they were like the head gaskets in my 1991 F150, I replaced those in my driveway in a week end with basic hand tools for $50... If North* head gaskets could be fixed for $50....or even $500 most people wouldn't mind (so much) the main issue is that you basically have to take the whole car apart to get to them...
Excellent point.

I have asked only one other person that very question you just posed... "Is working on the RWD's substantially easier due to the longitudinal layout". The person I asked was one of our Cadillac techs "Stoneagecaddy" (and as typically happens in the internet world, Stoney's REAL name completely slipped my mind just now) when we had a Tampa meet last year.

His answer was that it was NOT much easier, only that it seemed to be of course much less common.

Except for that, I would tend to agree with you that it SHOULD be easier.
 
#31 ·
What about the Northstar in the 2006+ DTS. Has that been revised? Do you think we will see the same problems with that model?
As far as Im aware, the motor in the 06 DTS does *not* have the revisions the RWD motors do. Any updates since 2005 have merely been running changes to the same N*.

I am sure that GM is only eager to get the DTS, Lucerne and Bonnie GXP off the books once and for all here soon so they can finally close that chapter in the N*'s history and focus solely on the "new" RWD motor from here on out. We'll see how it plays out over the next 2 or 3 years, because the next car on my list is a 2004 XLR. But Im not going to get 30k in debt on a car that's going to be no different than the 4k Deville at the carlot downtown. For now, I have very very optimistic feelings about the new motor.

If I had unlimited money, my dream "Tim Allen/Jay Leno" style project would be to convert a 2003 STS, regardless of cost, to a RWD Smallblock layout, or a RWD Northstar layout. Anything can be done with the right amount of determination and cash.
 
#33 ·
1999 Deville, sold with 99,964 miles, nothing
2001 Eldorado, currently 85,700 miles, nothing
2002 Deville, currently 178,000 miles, nothing.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I have had absolutely zero, naught, none, nothing, zilch go bad with any engine related parts on any of the three Caddys. An alternator on the '99, and the AC compressor on the 02.
 
#35 ·
Mine went at 97k.

It was the classic symptoms. First, it started stalling at stop lights for no reason, no codes. Soon, it started running rough when cold. My mechanic took out the spark plugs and there was the bad (expensive) news: 6 of the 8 were coated in white powder residue.
 
#37 ·
Did you have the check coolant message ever come up?
Technically yes, but really no. When the stalling started, they thought it was sensors (logical) and started replacing them. Then when it started running rough they pulled the spark plugs and found the antifreeze residue. No "check coolant level" message at that point.

Only when I drove it on a 100F day did it finally get bad enough to blow anti-freeze externally, not just into the cylinders. Once I got "Engine Hot," pulled over, turned it off, and heard the "shhhh" of leaking coolant, only then did I get the "check coolant level" message.

In all, I probably went about 300 miles with bad gasket symptoms w/o getting the check coolant message.

Joseph
 
#38 ·
Lots of great info here. I have a 97 Eldorado (purchased 08/07) with 73K and the N*, what should I be concerned with? I do use some oil, maybe two quarts every 3-4K miles. I do notice that the car starts hard when its warm on humid days. I had this same problem with a previous Boneville SSE and it was remedied by replacing the plugs. So what are all the symptoms of the HG failure? How 'bout replacement, is there and "upgrade" one can do to make a replacement more permanent when its finally needed?
 
#39 ·
It may yet be a little too early if this is truly your problem, but the simplest way to put your fears at ease is to have a test done to see if there are any exhaust gases in the coolant. This is really the best way to diagnose the problem if you suspect. N*'s dont put oil in the coolant or vice versa so that is not reliable.

I highly, highly doubt you have an HG issue based on those minor symptoms. For now you need to attack those starting and idling issues from the same perspective as your bonneville.

As far as a permanent replacement, I believe the closest we have come yet is a new crate motor from GM, let me get the link...
 
#41 ·
I think this should be in the Northstar forum don't you Playdrive ?
what about the 93 Allante or the Fiero mods out there they may want to have a look at this.
Or the sandrail builders they may have done things to fix it permanetely beside timeserting.
 
#42 ·
Yea that has been bothering me ever since I stickied this. I dont have Mod abilities in N* though so another Mod would have to move this.

If we want to make this truly accurate, there should be a sticky in the forum of each pre-04 Northstar powered vehicle (Seville, Deville, Allante) with a link pointing to the main thread in the NS Tech forum.
 
#43 ·
Bought my '97 DeVille with 78K miles on it. Pristine shape and ran like a dream. I put 2K on it before it began to smell like burning coolant. Had it towed and I'm still waiting for it to be fixed [warranty company is slow as hell] Head failed and separated.

Is there some kind of class-action going for this? It seems to be a huge problem spanning a long period of time [didn't a VERY similar thing happen in the '80s with Cadillac as well?] and every single Cadillac forum I've been too has many, many, many cases and stories along a similar line. Every repair shop I talked to knew about this issue as if they see it more than once a day.

It seems to me that GM sent out engine after engine knowing full well a decent number of them would end up failing.

Am I wrong in my thinking?
 
#45 ·
Yea that has been bothering me ever since I stickied this. I dont have Mod abilities in N* though so another Mod would have to move this.

If we want to make this truly accurate, there should be a sticky in the forum of each pre-04 Northstar powered vehicle (Seville, Deville, Allante) with a link pointing to the main thread in the NS Tech forum.
Not a big deal the only ones really missing out are the Deville people.
I wonder how many Northstar Allantes there are still on the road ?
Oh and by the way my dad is storing his 89 Allante in my garage I posted a pic in the Allante forum if anyone is interested.
 
#47 ·
I have a 1998 Cadillac Eldorado with a cracked head gasket according to the Orlando Cadillac Service/Repair. About 3 months prior to this situation/diagnosis, we had the radiator flushed and new radiator coolant with tablets put in also done by the same service center. We didn't have a problem prior to the flushing of the radiator. Now the car loses coolant and at high speeds overheats. Too expensive to replace with new engine and from a Northstar mechanic expert what happens is the aluminum engine warps. It will happen again. Sounds to me like we should have a class action lawsuit for defective engines. My Eldorado has 66,000 miles on it. Beautiful Pearl finish, beautiful car. Useless engine.
 
#51 ·
No, just trying to make fun of any trouble I caused. Again sorry guys, and I'm not trying to take this thread off course. If there's any more questions about this you can just PM me.
 
#53 ·
Not sure I understand this question.... Lots of stuff happened after 1995, Clinton got re-elected, then George W... 911 the whole Afghanistan/Iraq thing, lately we have had the sub prime collapse and the devaluation of the US dollar.. etc etc... Fox News and CNN are a great place to start...
:thepan:

If you are referring to head gaskets... Keep in mind that these aren't cheap to fix... so if your 1994 car is worth $3000 you probably aren't going to spend $3500-$4000 on a head gasket job... You sell the car and probably aren't on this forum to vote...

A better question to consider is what the heck happened in 1997? (head-gasket wise that is)
 
#55 · (Edited)
1) If you want YET another debate about premium fuel start a different thread... One thing I think we can all agree on... Fuel quality has nothing to do with Head gaskets.

2) Regarding DexCool... Maybe... Except
Why the spike in 1997 not 1995 when it was first introduced? Zero 1995 failures so far an yet these engines have been soaking in Dex the longest.
Why are some engines like LS1s (and lots of others!) that run Dex and yet seem to be immune to this problem?
Why the dip in numbers after 1998?
Why aren't other aluminum parts failing too?
 
#58 ·
2) Regarding DexCool... Maybe... Except
Why the spike in 1997 not 1995 when it was first introduced? Zero 1995 failures so far an yet these engines have been soaking in Dex the longest.
While GM may have started using dex-cool in "some" models in 95,
Cadillac wasn't one of them. 96 was the first year for dex in our cars.
The decal on the radiator support on my 95 states "use coolant designed for aluminum engine protection".
96 and up cars state "use dex-cool only"
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top