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!
 
#224 ·
So for those of you who have sold or bought a 97-99 Deville with a blown gasket, what is the market bearing?

My mom and dad have a 97 and gaskets are still good, factory installed Dexcool is still in it, and 110K miles. It recently got a little low, but just in the resovoir. That is it. So wondering if they would even get much with a good gasket, but all OEM? Mom wants a newer 2000-up Deville....
 
#225 ·
I have a 2003 DeVille DTS with a bad head gasket at 62000 miles. No warning, just started leaking coolant. It's blowing pressure back into the surge tank. It still runs perfectly fine, but I go through about a gallon of coolant every other day. Unfortunately it's all I have to drive. I was going to sell it, but the value fell so fast I'm about $5000 upside down in it and can't afford the head job.

Sorry to vent. lol
 
#227 · (Edited)
'97 @ 126k, '99 @ 131k. GM should be ashamed of themselves for the CRAP they have put on the market. On the '99, the dealer told me, and this is a quote, that the head gasket problem was "a non-repairable engine failure", so I had to put a reman engine in it that cost around $5k (parts & labor). I'm PISSED!!!!!!! Maybe I should be ashamed of myself for EVER buying another GM product after the fiasco with the '97. I sincerely doubt that I ever will. HELLO JAPAN, WANT TO SELL ME A REAL AUTOMOBILE?
 
#228 ·
You do need to sort out the dealer garbage with the GM manufacture issues. If you put $5k into a 97 car, that is your own fault, you should have sold it for a grand or so and bought something else. Those cars in new shape don't go for $5K. If a dealer quoted you $5K, I would have gone to someone else for a second opinion. Sorry to say it, but you got ripped, you should rip the dealer's owner first.

I will NOT buy a Japanese car, period. I am sorry for your problem, but this crap attitude that US car manf are inferior to Japan is idiotic and honestly WHY we are in such economic straights today. Yes, GM missed testing for this particular situation, no one, no car company is perfect. In most cases much of the problem is the owner of the car who didn't pay attention to maint and following the GM maint schedules. And then they wanna blame GM for them not opening the hood for months on end. How many people have let the coolant run low for whatever reason, even once, is one of the chief reasons for this problem. GM says to check the oil and do a visual inspection every time you fill up with gas, rarely does anyone. Who's fault is it?

Remember the old bumper stickers? Hungry, Eat your Import....

Check the quality of GM and Ford for the cars in 2000-up, they are much better than the Japanese cars. And you put $ in the US, not
Japan. People have this attitude of me me me, and send our USD outside the US and wonder why our economy is in the garbage can.
Yes, GM had some dark periods on the late 80's and early 90's, but honestly, the Japanese cars were not much if any better. When was the last time you saw a 1990 Toyota, or Infinity or Nissan or Lexus or Subaru driving around? Heck, even a 1997? Not near as often as you see a GM car of the same year. Most ricer burners of those years are in the junkyards now.

Get on with it, you dropped a nice chunk of change on it, now, take care of it like GM says to, enjoy driving a Cadillac for the next 10+ years. There is still no equal.
 
#230 ·
It wasn't the '97, but the '99 STS that I invested the $5K into. I love both cars, they are pristine and yes, a cut above what I have seen from any other manufacturer of the time. Fit, finish, features, style and power amaze me for the 10+ year old cars, not to mention 28 MPG on interstate cruising at 80 MPH. I'm just VERY disappointed that the engines are not holding up (I've lost one in two consecutive STS's !!!!) I have been a loyal GM man since I was a teenager. Heck, my daughters initials are GM !! For GM to sell a car with a "NON REPAIRABLE" engine is just WRONG !! Also, I DO follow the maintenance schedules on my Cadillacs and I refuse to use anything but AC/Delco parts on them. I am a working man and I can't afford to have expensive repairs like this, and being an engineer, I am a firm believer in preventative maintenance. And I'm one of the few that DOES lift the hood everytime I gas up. Poor engineering is the problem, not my lack of attention.
I've owned several cars in my life (before the STS's) ... Just a few examples....'72 Volvo -750K with no major repairs / '78 Volvo 240 - 525K, no major repairs, just UGLY / (2) '85 Volvo 740's - 340K on #1, 320K on #2 / '78 Toyota Celica - 330,000 miles. All were bought used and I personally put over 150,000 miles on each of them with the most expensive repair on any of them being a trans for the #1 Volvo ($300 dollars) Both of the 740 Volvo's STILL run and are dependable transportation. The Celica was my one and only Japanese car. And no, none of them compare to the STS, that's why I bought another !
 
#231 ·
I wish I had seen this thread last week. I bought a 2000 STS on Tuesday, its got 96,000 miles and I had hoped it would be fairly trouble free but this thread has got me worried to death. Is there anything I can do to avoid a HG problem ? Should I have a priest or a Rabbi pray over the car or put a Rosary on the rearview mirror ?
 
#232 ·
Good question. Not sure I remember seeing anyone address this specifically (though this thread has been going a long time!) and I'd be interested as well in what preventative (or is it preventive?) precautions can be taken.
Can't imagine it would hurt anything to make sure the coolant is new and to put an additive in that is supposed to seal against small leaks.
I would be cautious however, in deciding whether or not to actually flush the system. It's usually a good idea to clean all the old crap out first, but with this issue you might also be eating away at gasket edges and/or any corrosiong that's keeping things together.
Be interested to hear what the others say about that scenario.

Good luck with yours. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones and won't ever have to deal with it. One can hope...

Paul
 
#233 · (Edited)
1997 Eldorado at 91,459 miles. All of the headbolts pulled out of the rear head, center six I pulled out with my fingers. The front head was fine. I made the repair myself and 2-1/2 years and 25,000 miles later the repair is holding.

I agree with BOB97STS that poor engineering is the cause of this problem and not poor maintenance. My other ride is a '95 Jaguar XJS convertible an absolutely lovely car and far, far less trouble than my Eldorado has been.
 
#236 ·
The car is a blast to drive but I still have nightmares from time to time. It appears to have been very well cared for, its clean enough to eat off of inside the heads but there is something strange. The front valve cover is painted silver but the rear is black, is this common or does it have a more sinister meaning ?
 
#238 ·
94 Concourse, in mint shape, originally a 1 owner AZ car. HG went @ 114k. Just been sitting. Sooner or later some one will come up with an affordable short block replacement predrilled for oversize head bolts. Better yet a long block. Sounds like plenty of demand based on this poll. Any entrepreneur’s out there?:suspense:
 
#241 ·
All,

I've got a sneaking suspicion that the head gasket in my 2001 Deville DHS may be on its way out, i.e. the head bolts are pulling out of the block as has been described. Here's what I'm seeing:

1) I have to add about a quart of oil every 1500 to 2000 miles. I know this because I change the oil every 3000 and I cant make it between oil changes without having to add some. There's no smoke from the exhaust or oil burning smell, and no sign of leakage as would be evidenced by an oil stain after leaving it parked.

2) Every now and then I get the "CHECK COOLANT LEVEL" prompt on the dash. I throw a little DEX-COOl in there and all seems well for a while.

So, with these items in mind, how do I confirm, and possibly preempt a head gasket failure? What can I do now to give myself confidence for those long road trips?

Many thanks!
 
#242 ·
the NorthStar has had its share of leaks, with the age, look for water pump leaks, radiator leaks and intake/thermostat housing leaks.

The low coolant light triggers off the surge tank not the radiator, so keep it full, over the full line and let it pee off what it doesn't want if ever, so you are sure to be full.

Rarely does it leak any off when overfull.
 
#248 ·
:thepan: No! The surge tank is to be considered "full", cold, when the fluid level is halfway up the side as marked on the side of the tank itself. This is not a simple "overflow" tank. The air in the tank is essential for correct operation of the system - pressurized to 16 to 18 lbs (depending on the cap) to raise the boiling point of the coolant to 260 - 265 degrees (~ +3 degrees per +1 psi).
 
#244 ·
$50 for a kit at NAPA ... consider it done! What does "Timeserting a N*" mean?

Also, I had the whole water pump assembly replaced not too long ago, so that should be all set. Again, I dont see any oil or coolant leaks anywhere, but I seem to be adding both on a semi-regular basis.

I'll get the NAPA kit to test for combustion gases and will report back.
 
#246 ·
One quart of oil every 1,000 to 2,000 miles in a Northstar is GM-accepted as normal oil consumption. TSB's on this last year. Posted in Northstar Performance.

An oil change every 3,000 miles is a waste of oil and money. 5,000 to 7,500 is even too early for a 2001 Northstar. Set your OLM and change oil at 25% to 35%. 5W-30 in whatever good brand floats your boat.
 
#247 ·
Aha ... "timeserting" = installing helical inserts (Heli-Coils, etc) ... never heard that one.

Aha ... "N*" = Northstar ... hey, I'm new to the forum. I cant even post web site link or photos I'm so green.

So GM bolted two pieces of aluminum together with steel bolts, but no helical inserts and expected it to hold up to significant cyclical pressure loading? Wow, that was a stretch. The 'checker' must have been out sick!

1 Qt of oil every 1,500 miles is par for the course? Really?

I have no doubt that changing the oil every 3,000 miles is a bit overkill for almost any modern engine. However, I dont have kids to put through college or a rampant drug / alcohol habit, so I dont mind spending the $30 one extra time per year. It makes me feel better and somehow I think it make the Caddy feel better too!

Thanks for the help. I'm still looking forward to this coolant test kit project!
 
#251 ·
The worrying part should be over for most everyone. I and others on here repair these engines on a daily basis with 100% success. The Northstar is a great engine that can last 200k to 300k miles no problem, but it may need a head gasket replaced along the way. Most customers pay about 2000 for a complete repair, that includes a tune up, belts, hoses and even a new motor mount, so it's not that expensive anymore. I will have a new website up in a few weeks with a lot of interesting Northstar information.

Mike
 
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