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!
 
#2 ·
Re: Definitive Northstar Headgasket Thread

1993 ETC-Nothing 126K SOLD
1996 Deville-Nothing 135k SOLD
1997 ETC-HG Failure at 100,026
1998 STS-Nothing 112K
2003 STS-Nothing 52K
2005 STS-Nothing 13K
2006 STS-V-Nothing 17K

rolled the dice one too many times but the engine was replaced previously so they split the cost and ended up paying 2020.26 for the HG repair...
 
#4 ·
Re: Definitive Northstar Headgasket Thread

1993 ETC-Nothing 126K SOLD
1996 Deville-Nothing 135k SOLD
1997 ETC-HG Failure at 100,026
1998 STS-Nothing 112K
2003 STS-Nothing 52K
2005 STS-Nothing 13K
2006 STS-V-Nothing 17K

rolled the dice one too many times but the engine was replaced previously so they split the cost and ended up paying 2020.26 for the HG repair...
thats a gang of lacs that you had there....im impressed :cool2:
 
#5 ·
Re: Definitive Northstar Headgasket Thread

ttt.
 
#10 ·
Re: Definitive Northstar Headgasket Thread

That would be me. 2001 SLS, I traded it before it got real bad for the last 1998 STS I had. Though I still see the car driving around town so they must have fixed it up nice or thrown some goop in it.
If you still see it driving around are you 100% sure it was the HG then?
 
#14 ·
Re: Definitive Northstar Headgasket Thread

My 99 went bad I think due to not changing the coolant on time. Anyway the gaskets went bad and the rings also so the motor was pretty much a total loss. For the eight grand it would have cost to fix I got a much nicer car my current 2000 STS. The deciding factor for me though was not the motor but the lighter interrior on the 2000 and the black interrior of the 99 was burning my A$$ in the summer.
 
#15 ·
Re: Definitive Northstar Headgasket Thread

That would be me. 2001 SLS, I traded it before it got real bad for the last 1998 STS I had. Though I still see the car driving around town so they must have fixed it up nice or thrown some goop in it.
It probably got fixed it's not like the car is not worth fixing. If mine lasts another 60 thousand like my 99 did then I will fork out the 2500 to fix it.
 
#19 ·
#20 ·
Re: Definitive Northstar Headgasket Thread

Done.

Eldo, I changed title of the post to garner more responses from new members.

Urb, if you want to un-sticky this or simply move it to the actual Northstar Technical forum, please be my guest. For now, I'll leave it here.
 
#25 ·
I know of one other member who definitely had an 02 with a HG failure at 40k miles. But it stands to reason the newer motors may just not be showing failure yet because they just arent quite as old. Remember the first coolant change interval isnt even due until 4 years from the in-service date of the car. It seems that the swath of years affected has steadily crept forward as the cars got older. First we saw it on 93-96s, then 97-99s etc, and now every so often, post 2000 motors are beginning to crop up here and there. I dont know of a single solitary report of an 04+ RWD configuration N* failing yet except the isolated case of the STS-V at 500 miles. Keep in mind however that the RWD N* has been significantly revised over the previous generation, not just for the drive gear, but the inner workings of the motor as well. One report published an 80% difference between the "old" Northstar, and the new one.

I am hoping this solves the problem once and for all. I am also hoping and wondering whether it is possible to somehow convert a RWD N* for FWD use.
 
#26 ·
Cool poll

And so far this poll is confirming something that I first observed about 3 years ago...

Still it makes me wonder
1) Is there something wrong with the 97/98 head gaskets
2) Is this just the amount of time it takes the head gaskets to fail with Dexcool issues
3) Are the older cars not worth fixing so the owners aren't here to "vote"...

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...
 
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