You have to replace the engine with the same compatible Northstar that came with the car. All the wiring and ecm ect.. has to be compatible with the new engine or it won't run.

 

Thanks

I believe that it is probably more economical to change the engine then to fix major engine failure.
Are you going to do this or your dealer?

If you are using a dealer, I would suggest just getting a new car. You can get a used DTS for about $5000.

Thanks for the reply,
This is info for a much later project, my 2007 DTS had 39k original miles on it when I got it some time last year but I've read about the NS being problematic and it just started getting the overheating issue...

 

I believe that it is probably more economical to change the engine then to fix major engine failure.
Are you going to do this or your dealer?

If you are using a dealer, I would suggest just getting a new car. You can get a used DTS for about $5000.

 

That year did not have a head gasket problem, I have a 2007 with 300000 miles on it. Engine and trans still original.

As far as overheating it can run quite cool in the summer. Assuming you stay on top of potential issues.
I have only overheated once, that was when my water pump fail me.

With that said, it is a pain to work on, but it is a solid car.

 

Remember - the entire Northstar series was designed and tested to run over 50 - 50 - miles with NO coolant - Camel Mode.

The 2006 and later Northstar series is very reliable - "overheating" is practically non-existent and if it really happens (as opposed to the temp gauge moving a little bit) it's usually due to lack of cooling system maintenance.

As far as a total DTS engine swap - the same VIN series of Northstar is the ONLY engine that will mate with the transmission, wire up, and run correctly. Better to simply jack up the rearview mirror and run a good DTS under it.

 

If you think its overheating, change the coolant cap. The cap has an o ring that wears out overtime causing the system to lose pressure and overheat.

 

Another Northstar is going to be the only option. It must be the same LD8 or L37 that your car came with. Fun fact as of July 27 of 2021 GM will still sell you a brand new LD8 Northstar engine for $6k GM P/N
19178927

 

I did this on an 06 2 times. The first engine came complete with wire harness so i naturally used the one that came with engine. Well i found out the main harness that connected to the computer was missing a few pins (different and less options). So i had to pull off every connector with engine still in car (after swap) and take my old wire harness that came with my car and use it on the engine i got from junk yard.

PRO TIP
the wire harness has a main tag with I think a 4 digit code. if you get a junk yard engine with a harness, check to see if numbers match, if they do, you wont need to swap the wire harness.

 

PRO TIP
the wire harness has a main tag with I think a 4 digit code. if you get a junk yard engine with a harness, check to see if numbers match, if they do, you wont need to swap the wire harness.

That would be the best case scenario. However, even my ‘06 had its main harness superseded by three other part numbers. The lower optioned model (no stabilitrac) had its harness superseded twice. So, even at that, there are 4 different part numbers of main harness that will work with my car, each with very minor, most likely materials changes.

If you ever run into this, having the part numbers checked, either by a dealership or with an online GM parts inventory service, is crucial to doing the job right.

 

Hey all, here's an update on my overheating issue. took the car to mechanic turns out radiator was bad and had a slow leak in my trans coolant line. well got them and all the fluids replaced, good bye overheating. but it seems like the car has lost some power...WTH...

 

What are the codes?