The three 10mm bolts are around the timing chain. You can see the holes for them in this pic:

The plugs on the side of the head are to access the chain guide bolts.

 

thanks for the great pictures and quick response. I'm sure I'll be back with other questions.

 

If you plan to do the in-car HG job, oddly enough someone has tried it with studs- and it does work. It's tricky though.

But very important - tape up the block - the pic above shows some chips in the oil drain-back passages. That could lead to engine failure quickly.

 

To be honest, that's what I'm looking at. When I removed the front cradle bolts and removed the front motor mount, the block really tilts forward. How many inches does stud stick out the block? When I remove head, I could see how much clearance I have? I have noticed though the bottom of the engine is a little wet with oil, not soaked. Where do these Northstar's leak oil the most? What size is the harmonic balancer bolt? is it a 24mm? if so, I want to buy a 6 point socket so I won't strip the head of the bolt. I would love to install the studs. I'm up for the challenge! Luckily I'm in no rush to complete job. My HVAC plastic housing has some piece pieces missing from the heat back there. I might look for a good one and replace it. If I remove that housing, I probably will even have more room(any idea who might have an intact HVAC housing). Let me know Jake. Thanks.

 

what is your plan? timeserts or norms? accessing the timing chains/tensioners is a pain with the motor in car but it is possible.

 

The studs, on a 93-99 car stand up about 4.06 inches above the deck surface. Take the height of your cylinder head (around what, 4"?) and you will need about 8" total clearance at the lowest point of the block. One of my customers laid the head gasket on top of an upside-down head, put the studs through, started the nuts on the back-side and put the whole set-up into place. This requires the head to be 2" off the block surface. Carefully this can be done. Pete, I like your idea about tilting the engine forward. Not a bad plan at all.

 

I am removing the harmonic balancer and taking the timing cover off so holding the tensioners will be easy. when you drop the front cradle, there is plenty of room to remove the balancer. I was going to use Norms however it looks like I may go the stud route if it's feasible.
Jake, got a question for you- after the holes are drilled and tapped, can the studs be screwed into the block with the heads and head gaskets in place. if so, I could have the studs placed into the head holes with the nuts in place holding the end of the stud just above the bottom surface of the head. The dowels can hold the head in place while I remove the nuts and screw down each stud into the block. Would this procedure work? What tool do you use to screw down the stud?

 

Pete - this would work. I'm going to have to make an installation tool for you. It would be tricky because all studs would have to be screwed in at the same time.

If you're not in a terrible rush, could you please hold off for a short time on your repair? Maybe a day or two?

 

I have weeks if needed. no rush at all.

 

Let me get to work on an installation tool that will assist in driving the studs in place with the engine in the car. Pete you're going to have to be my test guy here. With 2" of clearance still needed it might be tricky but it has been done. I've got a 94 ETC in the shop right now that's having the engine removed- eyekandyboats.inc's old ride (still a real beauty) - I can have a bit of a look to see what I can help you with. You sir are receiving a small discount on your stud kit for being the first to document using studs in-the-car. I hope you'll post some info on the job as you're going through it. Thank you in advance!

 

best part is I have been recording entire job (of course there is editing or CD would be 30 hours long) with my new flip camera. I've recorded where every sensor goes, what wrenches/sockets to use, the locations of the bolts and the # of bolts to remove parts. I figure with 100,000 members on this site, if I sell the CD for lets say $12, I should clear 1 MILLION DOLLARS. Maybe even an Academy Award.

ps-not sure what you mean about the 2" clearance but I'm sure you will explain. thanks.

 

LOL good luck with the mil..... The academy award might be feasible! :thumbsup:

2" clearance - the height the head must be raised over the deck surface in order to position the head/stud assembly above the block for reinstallation..

 

Job is coming along. I work on it an hour or two a day. Surprising, no real headaches yet. Just about to pull the harmonic balancer, then the heads. I believe at least the rear head has been off car already. The 2 rear heater pipes brackets were not secured to the pipes. The heater pipe bracket on the passenger side of right head was broken off(might need a new bracket). I noticed the lower bolt on the brace that goes from tranny to right head drivers side was only half way in(it is in a tight spot but someone was lazy). Finally, someone drew a line on both camshaft gears on the right head. No marks on the left head. I wonder if this car had a timesert job already! I removed 2 headbolts from the left head to see how tight they were. Man were they tight. I'm hoping to find some not as tight. According to the FSM, I don't have to remove the power steering pump to remove the heads. Is that correct?

 

I believe the PS pump can stay, but you may want to remove it just to get it out of your way. Yeah - the bolts that are still good REALLY snap when they come loose, and you can very easily tell once you get to the bad ones.

 

All of my studs snapped when removed but I drilled and studded anyways. Was never an option not to!
I went with CarrollsCustomCadillacs stud kit. He shipped the very next day! USPS Priority.

jimsbox, are you thinking using an impact gun will lessen the chances of block thread damage? i have heard of folks who say they had no aluminum stuck to the headbolts and assumed the block threads were ok. did they than thread new headbolts into the stock block? i wonder if a stud kit, like ARP has would work ok in this setup? since the clamping is done on top of the head with a nut now?

I too had no alum on my threads, but almost all of the bolts had coolant residue and corrosion formation at the top of the threads. Some so bad that I had to use pliers to pull them up through the head! I studded every hole anyways.

Spin, any advise or wisdom is greatly appreciated. I'm guessing the studs just can't be tightened down until they bottom out? I really would love to read the instructions on the installation of the studs. Jake, maybe you could send me the instructions and your tips on pulling the engine out the top. Since the heads will be off soon, looks like it is not so much more work to pull engine out top if the studs can't be installed with the engine rocked forward.
If I want to remove power steering pump to make more room, do I have to pull the pulley off? looks like the bolts that secure pump to block are hidden behind the pump.

I pulled the whole subframe. I think it was easier than to try and pull the engine out the top. I've done many engine pulls, but the Northstar was the first one. I'm very glad I dropped it rather than pulled it.
The studs don't get tightened down. They go in at a certain depth and that's it. The torque of the top nut is what will hold everything in place.
As far as the power steering pump...There is one 1/2" bolt resting on the backside against the head(difficult to see). Remove that one bolt and the PS pump will come out in one piece. Those bolts behind the pulley will only remove the PS pump from the block bracket.

 

Jake,

How would he check to make sure the stud shoulder was below the deck of the block if he installs the studs with the head as a unit? I would hate to see him go through all this work only not to have the gasket seal because the stud wasn't fully seated. I suppose he could run the studs in seperatly before the install to make sure they go all the way down, but that's no guaranty they would be seated the next time.

Pete,

Jakes studs are definately the way to go! I don't want it to sound like I don't want you to use them, I just want them to work right. If Jake says it will work, I would trust him. I used the studs on my car when I did the head gaskets and I'm a believer in the studs and Jakes work.

 

Spin, any advise or wisdom is greatly appreciated. I'm guessing the studs just can't be tightened down until they bottom out? I really would love to read the instructions on the installation of the studs. Jake, maybe you could send me the instructions and your tips on pulling the engine out the top. Since the heads will be off soon, looks like it is not so much more work to pull engine out top if the studs can't be installed with the engine rocked forward.
If I want to remove power steering pump to make more room, do I have to pull the pulley off? looks like the bolts that secure pump to block are hidden behind the pump.

 

just 1 bolt on pump. tucked down low between pump and head. takes about 30sec to remove it.

 

thanks. could not believe pump held on with one bolt when I read it.

 

Yep - disconnecting those lines and the one bolt and get it out of the heck out of your way

 

I am doing a Stud job on a engine on an engine stand. Can I use an impact wrench to remove the head bolts without damaging the block or heads?

 

jimsbox, are you thinking using an impact gun will lessen the chances of block thread damage? i have heard of folks who say they had no aluminum stuck to the headbolts and assumed the block threads were ok. did they than thread new headbolts into the stock block? i wonder if a stud kit, like ARP has would work ok in this setup? since the clamping is done on top of the head with a nut now?

 

ARP does not make a stud kit for the Northstar. The studs and installation kit come from www.northstarperformance.com.

I would be leery of using an impact wrench to break free the Northstar head bolts - they use a thread sealer/locker compound so things will be tight if the bolt hole threads are not compromised. Even GM does not recommend simply replacing head bolts with new treated ones during top overhaul - they recommend inserts.

In the order of things, least desirable to best, it's Timeserts, Norm's Inserts, and Jake's studs.

 

Submariner,
I am going through this junkyard engine and am going to be installing Jakes stud kit. I am not particularly worried about damaging the factory threads in the block as they will be drilled out and retapped. I was more concerned about snapping one of the stretch bolts. If you still feel it may not be wise then I will go with the 1/2" breaker bar.

Thanks

 

Lol !!! I'm an iron block man, primarily. I seriously doubt that popping out the bolts with an impact would hurt anything - just that PPPPPP (Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.)

 

the studs for a VW 4cyl inline motor will work on a stock unaltered block. maybe a new block? you can timesert the block and use these ARP studs. just a FYI

 

I apologize for reviving this old thread but I think it's better than starting a new one. Were you able to successfully use studs on your engine while leaving it in your car? If I decide to do this project it'll be a few months from now when it gets a little warmer, I'm just trying to decide if this is something I might be able to do myself or if I should give up on the Caddy. Thanks for the help.

 

If you have decided to do it with the engine in the car, why not just use the Norm's inserts? I used them once and timeserts once, both with the engine in the car. There actually is plenty of room to drill and install inserts. I have never heard of a problem after installing Norm's, their track record is impeccable. I stick to my opinion that studs are overkill for a 15 year old car with 100k miles that will be used on the street for daily transportation.