I owed an XLR for 6 years, and just sold it to a local GM dealer for almost exactly what I paid for it. It is an ABSOLUTELY superb car, and with the magnetic ride, it's almost impossibly smooth on any road. I always receive comments, because these cars are so rare, and I'd often have an audience watch the top fold down-- it's an amazing piece of engineering. Now at age 77, it's time for a younger person to drive and enjoy the XLR.
@@ClassCraZeTV ALWAYS max out your 401k contributions that your company matches. It’s free money. At 20 you don’t think about that but at 65 you will be set. Also don’t be like me and think you’ll die before you get that old like I did. I’m 69!
We rebuilt a 4.6 Northstar Engine . My friend was a Machinist. And he showed me how to make the head stud inserts, and all the work that it required so this engine would never loose its thread tightening ability in this engine. That was about 12 years ago. And the engine is still going strong. The GM kit has 2 flaws in the head kit. Talk to anybody that has used the GM it. Two or three months later the head bolts loose its grip again. Just because a kit has a patent does it mean it's good.
The fact that one salvage yard has 39 XLRs in their inventory just makes me sad. What a unique and beautiful car the XLRs are. It's sad that so many have been permanently taken off the road.
About 32 of them just got totaled in florida. About half sill get washed and resold. The rest will part out and anything mechanical or ekectrical will bevtrash. Jand J are great sellers avoid anything coming out of NC east coast. Trash, junk
Ikr!! It's sad Cadillac didn't put the time in on this car that they should have and discontinued it!! I read about this car back in the 90's!! They were originally gone to call it Evoq!! They were supposed to put the Corvette engine in it!! I wish they would revamp and bring it back!
I'm glad you're doing this job Car Wizard. There's so many of these cars out there with a Northstar and some are certainly worth saving. Too bad GM didn't do it right the first time.
Hey Wizard I just bought a tuned ECU for my L37 Northstar from Jake at Northstar Performance for an 06 DTS Performance - the last of the big FWD ones and without the variable valve timing. He does a really nice conservative tune for these engines and claims it gives them like 40 plus HP & TQ at the crank and removes the speed limiter and torque management while also increasing MPG and improving the powerband. Since you have undertaken the motor pull, Jake also recommends the replacement of the primary timing chain tensioner aswell as the intermediate sprocket along with it's bushing. They're as you well know, critical components for the engine's timing (and not blowing up) and these particular parts just exposed to the most amount of wear during it's life and replacing them now would be a breeze. Also, from personal experience, it really would do some good to change out the valve stem seals now to since its out and easily accessible and shouldn't be that big of a deal to address and will insure less oil consumption for the years to come.
@Rexer did you miss the heart icon he put on it? What do you want, a PARADE?? I can see all the comments this video got, unless your agent happens to be Stevie Wonder.
Yeah you would think if this was a promotion for Northstar performance, why not throw a set of cams and a tune into it? No clue what’s out there for headers but those cast manifolds look like trash and Northstars sound amazing if you let them breathe.
That's crazy you actually got a PCM from Jake. I ordered mine months before this video came out. I had to fight the dude via email to get mine. Only for it to damage my car. I wouldn't trust the guy again.
That mindset of just wanting to get it done has saved my a** so many times working on my own vehicles. When i found out that the damn radiator had to come out of my Nissan Murano to replace the alternator I almost flipped out, but in the end although a bit time consuming, it was less than a days worth of work (albeit ridiculous when i can change an alternator on the side of the road in 15 minutes on a GM Smallblock). I've also learned that shortcuts usually will take more time in messing around. Sometimes it's easier to just pull it all apart and put it all back together.
Never had these kinds of problems with the real 472" / 502" Cadillac engines from back in the day of a real full size Cadillac. Those engines were smooth as silk and ran trouble free if properly maintained, and parts were easy to get. I used to work as a mechanic then and I loved tuning those engines, once tuned they idled like glass and had torque for days.
So damn irritating that GM went cheap and that's on the sorry axxed CEO's who have run it into the ground. GM used to make heavy duty machines. Now it's as cheap as possible.
I agree.... I cringe every time I hear one of these "TV Car Builders" say something to the effect of " we're scrapping this caddy engine to put in the much more reliable LS"..... they don't even have a clue of what they are talking about with regards to the "Old School" engines.... it was not unusual to see these go 200k miles... with the exception of an alternator, starter or thermostat, not a single repair!
@@ABeans07 Yeah and thank the world for that. Those old cast iron underwhelming boat anchors only impress people that live in the past and the last time they worked on anything was 1975 lol. Like old cringer there would be mind blown when a basic cam and headers 5.3 skull drags his 500 cube boat anchor and get double the mileage doing it lol. The only guys bitching about LS swaps are people that have never done one, drive bone stock late model stuff and never modify anything... and somehow think automotive engineering peaked 50 years ago when they still used gross horsepower numbers lol
@@ABeans07 Ok, but these engines were built on a different set of engineering values....torque was #1 hp was #2 and engineers produced the power as low in the rpm range as was feasible. Where the opposite is true today...wind it up tight (8k rpm), produce your tq at 3500 and your peak hp at 7k rpm. In all reality, in a stoplight to stoplight race, just swapping out the engines in the same vehicle, the old school engines would easily hold their own. Kinda like the flatheads, when beefed up, they really run but most people today don't have a clue of how to drive one....they are tq monsters..... I had a built datusn 620 p/u back in the 70's.... bored/stroked to 2000 cc, holley bug-spray carb on an offy intake, isky cam, 180 degree header, 510 gears in the diff, etc....produced about 140 hp (RWHP) and ran 0-40 in about 5.5 secs (which back in the day was pretty good)... my dad's 1932 Ford with a 1948 Merc Flathead (which was built), produced less hp, 250+lbs tq, turned less rpm could blow my doors off without even half trying. He liked demonstrating this to our neighbor who had a 1969 corvette.... and yes, he could blow his doors off as well.
Had an '02 Seville STS with a Northstar. Loved the engine for what it was. Great power, loved to rev, and amazing economy (better than my current Merc 230K). It was helicoiled, but leaked a bit, and drank 1L of oil every week. Didn't fix it and sold it because the car itself was ratty. Still miss that car every day.
it is good to see you working on engines that aren't necessarily your favs - being a mechanic is a rough job - lots of swearing and busted knuckles are not optional - I know!
Compared to when I started wrenching in the 1970's, cars gradually became more and more impossible to fix. I worked 30 years for a fleet that had over a thousand, mostly American cars and trucks. I'd like to own Detroit iron but after everything I saw on how badly they are all built, I just can't anymore, it's a fool's errand now.. nothing but Toyota for me
About 15 years ago there were a lot of mechanics that only did northstars, they had a system to complete the repair with the engine in the car in about 3-4 hours and charged $700
@Really empty Pockets Interesting... many years ago I had a 2005 Cadillac STS I used to see the 90's cars come through the Cadillac dealer with overheating issues The dealer I went do didnt even do head bolt fixes. They just did rebuilt engine swaps.....$4-5K is what they charged if I remember correctly
@@turnne My 98 STS overheated constantly, eventually threw a rod and destroyed the engine. Cost $1500 for a used Northstar and $1700 to have it replaced. Huge waste of money.
You should look into how many engines Ford shells out under warranty. Ford is really good at just fixing their cars with the same shit parts until they finally revise the failure. Somehow they find it cheaper to replace an entire engine assembly than a single part.
I want to own a 7th gen deville (93-99) it'll be nice to see a very in depth video by the wizard on doing the head studs. Looking forward to this series!!!
I had 2 early 2000s Eldorados, I absolutely loved them and never had problems with them over heating but repairs where always a pain. Having to take the radiator out to change the alternator and the starter was under the upper intake which involved removing fuel and coolant lines. It did have 300hp with Cadillac style and got almost 30 mpg.
Coolant lines? The intake job is dead simple - it was my first car repair on a parking lot when i was in my early 20s, just a couple screws and disconnecting the fuel rail... all gaskets were reusable - only need two tools (socket/ratchet and a fuel line tool)
You don’t have to take the radiator out. There’s a small port underneath the alternator meant to slide it out. Rip all the $$ wasted on coolant and time you spend doing that.
@somersetlax lol I'm not a mechanic and struggled for hours trying to get it to slide out underneath. I gave up and went with the sure thing, sounds like it wasn't the most efficient way, but I got it done myself!
I was amazed by the size of the XLR’s brake system. Before becoming a teacher, I used to manage an auto parts store. In the store we turned rotors/drums and flywheels. A customer brought in some XLR rotors; they were HUGE! I had a small struggle getting them on the machine properly.
I had a 1998 Concours from 2005-08. It was my daily with a few long trips out of state. The only big maintenance I ever performed were the magnet ride struts. I replaced those with standard struts and resistors to fool the computer. It was a great performer, great ride, fabulous interior and if my dad hadn't given me his '06 Azera, I'd kept on driving it until it failed to the point it wasn't affordable. Mine seeped oil like they all seemed to do, but according to the forum's at the time, if you didn't add the extra 1/2 quart of oil, the leaks would be less and they were absolutely correct!
Other than the problems you list, the Northstar is a good motor, the Caddy Seville STS's were pretty amazing and fun to drive. Even my Deville went plenty well until the damn head gaskets went to crap.
Same engine was in the STS (most of them had the N* v8, others have the v6). Little known fact, there were XLR-V & STS-V's that came with a re-tooled, re-spec'd, re-tuned supercharged 4.4L N*.They're extremely rare. I owned an STS-V up until 2019. Amazing car/engine!
I would say your experience was the average. Only the folks that had problems keep talking about it, I feel these engines got a bad rap! I have owned plenty with no issues, no my LS is the one with problems. 💯
I like how you decided the car drives so well you are willing to fix all its major problems (SOO many designed in problems) even more amazing is after wrenching all day you have the energy left for a pet project. A handsome car sure, not sure I could do all that re-engineering and rebuilding when there are so many Lexus around.
I have a 2004 DeVille with 64K miles. I got it 6 years ago with 42K miles. No oil leaks yet (small seeping). I want to keep this car until the wheels fall off, it's in like-new condition and I get compliments on it all the time. I used to be a Cadillac Tech 30 years ago and saw many Northstar engine-outs under warranty. If I ever need head/main bolt work done, I would purchase an engine and request the Car Wizard to do the work. I'm no longer able to work on my cars like I used to and trust the CW. He reminds me of me when I owned my own repair shop in 1990.
Yeah!!! Finally!!! Someone's doing an LH2 Northstar engine video!!! I've been trying to get someone to do an LH2 video for 2 years now, thank you brother man....
I know what you mean!!! My dad wanted me to put some stuff in his 99 Sedan, went with me to the parts store and ALL the head gasket sealers had NorthStar on the labels!! But the stuff he chose actually WORKED, it sealed it up enough to be "town drivable" , his words. Umm, he was cheap....he needed an engine.
Have the Northstar's predecessor, the LT5, in the ZR-1 Corvette. The LT5 is fairly bulletproof though it does suffer some interesting design aspects. The starter underneath the intake plenum is a fun one. The difficulty trying to put hoses on to service the AC system is another. The LT5 also has 2 sets of injectors, with one being activated by a special key for "full power mode". When it runs like it should, it runs SO smooth. It's the same 350CID/5.7L displacement as it's SBC counterpart, but that's about the end of the similarities.
I loved head studding my Northstar in my 1999 Seville STS with Northstar Performance parts. After the repair, I've been driving the car like a teenager. It's been amazing. Once you know how to work on one, you'll want to work on all of them 😂
The head bolt problem all depends on production date. 2004 and up have upgraded heads and have a failure rate on par with any LS engine. The wizard doesn't need to do this upgrade but I'm glad he is showing how the job can be accomplished. Maybe just maybe this will save someone's cadillac from the junk yard.
If you meant ascetically like you wrote, (a life without pleasure) then I agree with you. If you mean aesthetically, I disagree. They remind me of an American Honda Prelude that ate too many double big macs. It's trying to be young and hip when it's really an old man car. That being said, I'm not American and I'm probably not the target market for these cars. I can't criticize too hard.
@@alskjflaksjdflakjdf Ah, thanks I wondered why autocorrect showed me two, I thought I picked the one with the H. D: I did not mean to write ascetically lol
@@alskjflaksjdflakjdf It doesn't look like a 5th gen Prelude or any generation Prelude to be honest (big mac fat or not lol, but that's good). The Prelude looks like a short two door accord. The XLR is a Cadillac'd Corvette.
I had a 2001 Seville STS that the head gaskets went at 98000 miles. Got the engine bulletproofed at Midwest Cadillac Repair in Palatine, IL. This was back in 2013 and my brother is still driving the car today with 240000 miles. That Seville would do 155mph all day long on the Autobahn when I was stationed in Germany back on the day
I always assumed they used a LS in these. I had no idea they used a Northstar. That explains the depreciation on them, but kind of makes it cooler too!
I always thought these later motors had a revision to the block and head bolts and rarely have head related failures. I mean, I still get doing the bulletproofing while the motor is out anyway, but there should be some major differences between your blue beast there and a 2000 Deville. In a lot of ways the main issue as I always understood it was that the bolts didn't have enough thread, or a large enough sized thread in the block to hold onto for the life of the vehicle. Eventually the heat cycles would pull one thread at a time until a bolt popped up, and then the rest would follow pretty quick.
LS swap isn't that bad as long as you get the wire harness' and know your way around HPTuners since the ECM in the XLR and C6 are the same part. The main extra step is getting the XLR engine harness out, but I agree it's definitely more work.
I have a DTS with the GEN 2 Northstar and it is an amazing engine. I make sure it is well maintained and issue when they are minor. The most expensive thing I have done is valve cover gaskets engine with. I did have the typical fuel pump burnt the under seat fuse box. That was a pain to get the right part but the labor was minimal given how easy it was to get to the items. My parents had a Gen 1 in their 2000 Seville. Never had a problem but like me, they were addressing issues before they became grenades.
Thanks, I’m looking forward to this one. I’ve read a bunch about the Northstar issues, and seeing the parts and procedures involved in a fix promises to be interesting.
I swear. Sometimes things just work out. I literally just bought a dts with a bad head gasket that I got a dumb cheap price. Thanks for showing me the way!
An LS swap shouldn't be super hard since the chassis is Corvette. The LS engine is lighter and more compact than the Northstar too. A manual swap should also be doable.
Hey car wizard I have a 1997 Oldsmobile aurora with a 4 L Northstar engine so far no problems with head gaskets or anything just have to replace the starter the water pump and a few items but the car runs great.
Cool fun fact about that junk drive train...a manual transmission from a 4cylinder s10 will bolt up behind the Northstar, I recommend this because that stupid 5l50e forces you to literally physically burn yourself on the exhaust in order to do fluid service, also it would be super easy to swap an ls into that car as the platform is extremely similar to the corvette which already housed an ls
It would be so great to have a bulletproof engine in the XLR Wizard. But Wow, $749 just for head stud parts! Plus labor! When an eBay Northstar 4.6 complete is about $1000 shipped! Very good point regarding how it totally makes sense on a $20K XLR but not on a $3000 deVille
Wizard, it would be interesting to watch you pull the old engine. I’ve never done it, so it seems complicated, as does putting the new one in. Good luck to you and Ms. Wizard!
FWIW, I own a 2008 XLR-V with about 25,000 miles. It has been mechanically superb. The interior is comfortable but not at the caliber of its competition (Mercedes SL500). But its a great car and a head-turner when the top is down.
Im so glad they fixed all these problems of the northstar engine after 2006 have not had any major problem with my 2009 sts v and I thought buying one was a big risk a supercharged northstar engine of all things
@@scootypuffjr. that may be true but a well running Northstar is even smoother. my 97 SLS will pass the glass of water test just like the old Lexus LS400
J and J I like because he has alot of parts that many other yards don't. I was in need of a truck bed for my Ram that I used to own and he happened to have three of them at the time but that was like three years ago!
Unwritten rule. Northstars are as good as their owners in terms of reliability and maintenance. I love these cars as it says a lot about the owners personality. (You are your car) Best of luck!
No, these are engineered to fail, that’s on the manufacturer as this is far beyond responsible preventive maintenance expected from a caring owner. Put an LS motor in this and be done with it
@@RA22475 what it wasn't engineered to fail it was a metallurgy issue steel fasteners in aluminum when the fasteners are fine threaded mostly which that issue doesn't effect all model years. Weird how most higher end cars have extremely detailed maintenance schedules that includes bearings gaskets turbos if necessary at varying mileages.
@@RA22475 Brother, you shouldn't talk like that when you know nothing. Please stick to your Chevy or Dodge Charger RTs and let the wise guys hang onto these Caddys. It's for real ones only.
Ironic how Cadillac trumpeted loudly that the Northstar would be the most reliable engine ever designed - that was its main selling point, they even took cars and drained the coolant claiming you could drive up to 50 miles that way for help without overheating or engine damage PFFFTT-!!! Theres even videos of these engines having cracked blocks after installing the new main and head stud upgrade, saw a pic of one that had a long crack under where the upgraded head studs ended in the block. Whether this was due to over torquing during the upgrade or just weak thin block walls from the factory I do not know.
YEAH ! HEAVY DUTY MECHANIC ACTION ! While you're at it, fix and bulletproof the old engine once it's removed and you'll make good money selling the old engine. You'll surely make a buyer happy when the old engine is finally bulletproof. Nothing to lose !
Back in the early 2000's when I worked for gm dealerships and went through gm training, we were told to time sert the head studs as well as the case half studs under warranty. I took a 3 day class just on time serts (time sert is sort of like a helicoil, but an insert)
I have my 2004 Cadillac SRX and I love my V8. AWD and all its a pretty quick truck. I'm currently restoring it and getting all the systems/fluids overhauled and replaced. It's a very comfortable vehicle and I can't wait until Northstar Performance comes out with its final tune for these early years which is getting made and worked on now. They really are beautiful cars if taken care of.
Fun fact! The XLR with the Northstar actually made more power and torque in it's debut than the vette! G.M. wouldn't allow it to out perform the Vette so it was detuned to be slightly slower! NorthStars get a bad rap but they are really good engines once you head and main stud them! I did that to my 98 DeVille back in 2009 as well as ported the heads and intake and ported the exhaust manifolds with clay porting. Added some aftermarket cams and a tune. Was just under 425 hp at the crank which was pretty good for a n/a Northstar! Fwd transmission failed after a couple months but it was fun while it lasted.
From what I understand the LH2 engine has LS6 headbolts installed by the factory, and I also understand that those bolts repaired the blown head gasket problem. These engines are currently my favorite engine....
Porsche did something similar but far better on the M28 V8 engine. Instead of an "oil manifold" that distributes oil to the bearings, Porsche simply machined grooves in the block and crankshaft cradle. Far simpler and fewer surfaces to leak.
Sometimes latest tech does not pass true ownership tests. Aluminum blocks that strip threads, split oil pans that leak, plastic engine parts, interference valve timing. It's wonderful that after market has some fixes and yes Wizard you will have good Northstar engine without Direct Injection issues.
That's the absolute fastest car I've ever driven. Got serviced (while driving 176mph) by the girl who owned it. She weighed 145lb. I weighed 200lb. I fully believe the car could have reached 200 mph (with either one of us NOT in the car). I didn't run out of road but I did run out of motor.
i like the everything wrong with x engine specials/content - some engines are great they just need minor mods to be even better, the shop looks nice - well lit, clean and organized #anal
Thx wizard!!!! I can finally hopefully get mine back on the road. It’s been 6 months I’ve been looking. It’s my dads old car but we just parked it on bags of rice and put car covers on it. LoL
Wizard, I thought this issue was fixed in the early 2000s? I’ve heard the northstars in the V models with the superchargers have been said to be reliable, but I guess that’s a different block and head?
They mediocrely "fixed" it in 01 but it really was just less bad. 2005 is the year when they really fixed the problem by using the thicker bolts from the LS engines.
Wiiiiiiizzzard.. I'm actually looking for a low miles XLR here in the Northeast. Great Sunday top-down cruiser. And since you gave it the thumbs up that makes it good with me.
It's awesome that you show people how to do things. I have no mechanical skills at all...right now my 94 Z28 is sitting because the AC/Heater blows but not hot or cold air lol.
I owed an XLR for 6 years, and just sold it to a local GM dealer for almost exactly what I paid for it. It is an ABSOLUTELY superb car, and with the magnetic ride, it's almost impossibly smooth on any road. I always receive comments, because these cars are so rare, and I'd often have an audience watch the top fold down-- it's an amazing piece of engineering. Now at age 77, it's time for a younger person to drive and enjoy the XLR.
Yes; somebody 70 years old should get it
Any advice for a 20 year old?
@@ClassCraZeTV ALWAYS max out your 401k contributions that your company matches. It’s free money. At 20 you don’t think about that but at 65 you will be set. Also don’t be like me and think you’ll die before you get that old like I did. I’m 69!
@@ClassCraZeTV Fagedabaddit kid. Ya gonna be nudged into an EV by the time ya thirty.🤣🤣j/k
Still gives you ten years to raise hell though.
@@ClassCraZeTV Camry
We rebuilt a 4.6 Northstar Engine .
My friend was a Machinist. And he showed me how to make the head stud inserts, and all the work that it required so this engine would never loose its thread tightening ability in this engine. That was about 12 years ago. And the engine is still going strong. The GM kit has 2 flaws in the head kit. Talk to anybody that has used the GM it. Two or three months later the head bolts loose its grip again.
Just because a kit has a patent does it mean it's good.
The fact that one salvage yard has 39 XLRs in their inventory just makes me sad. What a unique and beautiful car the XLRs are. It's sad that so many have been permanently taken off the road.
Yep and turned into parts cars, but that did make the cars one the road more valuable.
About 32 of them just got totaled in florida. About half sill get washed and resold. The rest will part out and anything mechanical or ekectrical will bevtrash. Jand J are great sellers avoid anything coming out of NC east coast. Trash, junk
Always loved it and I'm a Mopar guy, just can't afford a Viper.
Ikr!! It's sad Cadillac didn't put the time in on this car that they should have and discontinued it!! I read about this car back in the 90's!! They were originally gone to call it Evoq!! They were supposed to put the Corvette engine in it!! I wish they would revamp and bring it back!
Yeah but those wrecked cars will help keep good xlrs on the road for longer
I was expecting him to say “by putting an LS in”
I thought these were just vetts in a fancy body I didn’t realize they gave them a v6
@@Jushwa LS swap it bro do the right thing
Shwa. None of them had 6 cylinders.
That’s what I would’ve done.
That would’ve been sick content too see Wizard build a LS XLR
I'm glad you're doing this job Car Wizard. There's so many of these cars out there with a Northstar and some are certainly worth saving. Too bad GM didn't do it right the first time.
Hey Wizard I just bought a tuned ECU for my L37 Northstar from Jake at Northstar Performance for an 06 DTS Performance - the last of the big FWD ones and without the variable valve timing. He does a really nice conservative tune for these engines and claims it gives them like 40 plus HP & TQ at the crank and removes the speed limiter and torque management while also increasing MPG and improving the powerband. Since you have undertaken the motor pull, Jake also recommends the replacement of the primary timing chain tensioner aswell as the intermediate sprocket along with it's bushing. They're as you well know, critical components for the engine's timing (and not blowing up) and these particular parts just exposed to the most amount of wear during it's life and replacing them now would be a breeze. Also, from personal experience, it really would do some good to change out the valve stem seals now to since its out and easily accessible and shouldn't be that big of a deal to address and will insure less oil consumption for the years to come.
Damn you wroteall that and he doesnt even care
@Rexer did you miss the heart icon he put on it? What do you want, a PARADE?? I can see all the comments this video got, unless your agent happens to be Stevie Wonder.
Yeah you would think if this was a promotion for Northstar performance, why not throw a set of cams and a tune into it? No clue what’s out there for headers but those cast manifolds look like trash and Northstars sound amazing if you let them breathe.
Would that tune apply to my 05 XLR? Also...how much do those parts cost?
That's crazy you actually got a PCM from Jake. I ordered mine months before this video came out. I had to fight the dude via email to get mine. Only for it to damage my car. I wouldn't trust the guy again.
That mindset of just wanting to get it done has saved my a** so many times working on my own vehicles. When i found out that the damn radiator had to come out of my Nissan Murano to replace the alternator I almost flipped out, but in the end although a bit time consuming, it was less than a days worth of work (albeit ridiculous when i can change an alternator on the side of the road in 15 minutes on a GM Smallblock). I've also learned that shortcuts usually will take more time in messing around. Sometimes it's easier to just pull it all apart and put it all back together.
Never had these kinds of problems with the real 472" / 502" Cadillac engines from back in the day of a real full size Cadillac. Those engines were smooth as silk and ran trouble free if properly maintained, and parts were easy to get. I used to work as a mechanic then and I loved tuning those engines, once tuned they idled like glass and had torque for days.
So damn irritating that GM went cheap and that's on the sorry axxed CEO's who have run it into the ground.
GM used to make heavy duty machines.
Now it's as cheap as possible.
I agree.... I cringe every time I hear one of these "TV Car Builders" say something to the effect of " we're scrapping this caddy engine to put in the much more reliable LS"..... they don't even have a clue of what they are talking about with regards to the "Old School" engines.... it was not unusual to see these go 200k miles... with the exception of an alternator, starter or thermostat, not a single repair!
Except you can't a 500 CI engine in the modern days that makes 200 hp and gets 9mpg and has more emissions than a tank
@@ABeans07 Yeah and thank the world for that. Those old cast iron underwhelming boat anchors only impress people that live in the past and the last time they worked on anything was 1975 lol. Like old cringer there would be mind blown when a basic cam and headers 5.3 skull drags his 500 cube boat anchor and get double the mileage doing it lol.
The only guys bitching about LS swaps are people that have never done one, drive bone stock late model stuff and never modify anything... and somehow think automotive engineering peaked 50 years ago when they still used gross horsepower numbers lol
@@ABeans07 Ok, but these engines were built on a different set of engineering values....torque was #1 hp was #2 and engineers produced the power as low in the rpm range as was feasible. Where the opposite is true today...wind it up tight (8k rpm), produce your tq at 3500 and your peak hp at 7k rpm. In all reality, in a stoplight to stoplight race, just swapping out the engines in the same vehicle, the old school engines would easily hold their own. Kinda like the flatheads, when beefed up, they really run but most people today don't have a clue of how to drive one....they are tq monsters..... I had a built datusn 620 p/u back in the 70's.... bored/stroked to 2000 cc, holley bug-spray carb on an offy intake, isky cam, 180 degree header, 510 gears in the diff, etc....produced about 140 hp (RWHP) and ran 0-40 in about 5.5 secs (which back in the day was pretty good)... my dad's 1932 Ford with a 1948 Merc Flathead (which was built), produced less hp, 250+lbs tq, turned less rpm could blow my doors off without even half trying. He liked demonstrating this to our neighbor who had a 1969 corvette.... and yes, he could blow his doors off as well.
Had an '02 Seville STS with a Northstar. Loved the engine for what it was. Great power, loved to rev, and amazing economy (better than my current Merc 230K). It was helicoiled, but leaked a bit, and drank 1L of oil every week. Didn't fix it and sold it because the car itself was ratty. Still miss that car every day.
My dad has the STS-V that has a supercharged Northstar in it. It has almost 200,000 miles and still runs well.
it is good to see you working on engines that aren't necessarily your favs - being a mechanic is a rough job - lots of swearing and busted knuckles are not optional - I know!
A service manager I worked for called swearing technical language. I guess because he heard so much of it.
Compared to when I started wrenching in the 1970's, cars gradually became more and more impossible to fix. I worked 30 years for a fleet that had over a thousand, mostly American cars and trucks. I'd like to own Detroit iron but after everything I saw on how badly they are all built, I just can't anymore, it's a fool's errand now.. nothing but Toyota for me
As someone who's seriously considering an XLR, I'm thrilled that you're doing this XLR Series!
Got one for sale in Colorado Springs 2006 XLR with only 2,800 actual miles clean title
@@rocks-if6uh How much? Color?
About 15 years ago there were a lot of mechanics that only did northstars, they had a system to complete the repair with the engine in the car in about 3-4 hours and charged $700
@Really empty Pockets
Interesting... many years ago I had a 2005 Cadillac STS
I used to see the 90's cars come through the Cadillac dealer with overheating issues
The dealer I went do didnt even do head bolt fixes. They just did rebuilt engine swaps.....$4-5K is what they charged if I remember correctly
It didn’t hold up though. They need new head gaskets and either studs or bolts and thread inserts.
@@turnne My 98 STS overheated constantly, eventually threw a rod and destroyed the engine. Cost $1500 for a used Northstar and $1700 to have it replaced. Huge waste of money.
These were temporary repairs to get you by. The full job with studs cannot be done “in car”. And its way more expensive than $700
@@CarWizard The $700 repair sounds like something that you would do if you were trading it in shortly
Looking forward to this one too. I'm sure there's been lots of shattered dreams for non mechanical types courtesy of "The General".
You should look into how many engines Ford shells out under warranty. Ford is really good at just fixing their cars with the same shit parts until they finally revise the failure. Somehow they find it cheaper to replace an entire engine assembly than a single part.
I want to own a 7th gen deville (93-99) it'll be nice to see a very in depth video by the wizard on doing the head studs. Looking forward to this series!!!
I had 2 early 2000s Eldorados, I absolutely loved them and never had problems with them over heating but repairs where always a pain. Having to take the radiator out to change the alternator and the starter was under the upper intake which involved removing fuel and coolant lines. It did have 300hp with Cadillac style and got almost 30 mpg.
Coolant lines? The intake job is dead simple - it was my first car repair on a parking lot when i was in my early 20s, just a couple screws and disconnecting the fuel rail... all gaskets were reusable - only need two tools (socket/ratchet and a fuel line tool)
You don’t have to take the radiator out. There’s a small port underneath the alternator meant to slide it out. Rip all the $$ wasted on coolant and time you spend doing that.
@somersetlax lol I'm not a mechanic and struggled for hours trying to get it to slide out underneath. I gave up and went with the sure thing, sounds like it wasn't the most efficient way, but I got it done myself!
This is why i love this channel so very much!
I was amazed by the size of the XLR’s brake system. Before becoming a teacher, I used to manage an auto parts store. In the store we turned rotors/drums and flywheels. A customer brought in some XLR rotors; they were HUGE! I had a small struggle getting them on the machine properly.
Man, this series of videos is gonna be awesome!
We all love watching you work on your personal projects.
"If you disregard the bottom end, the top end, and the back end, it's a reliable engine."😂
Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Wizard! ✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦
I had a 1998 Concours from 2005-08. It was my daily with a few long trips out of state. The only big maintenance I ever performed were the magnet ride struts. I replaced those with standard struts and resistors to fool the computer. It was a great performer, great ride, fabulous interior and if my dad hadn't given me his '06 Azera, I'd kept on driving it until it failed to the point it wasn't affordable. Mine seeped oil like they all seemed to do, but according to the forum's at the time, if you didn't add the extra 1/2 quart of oil, the leaks would be less and they were absolutely correct!
Other than the problems you list, the Northstar is a good motor, the Caddy Seville STS's were pretty amazing and fun to drive. Even my Deville went plenty well until the damn head gaskets went to crap.
The STS was definitely fun to drive until it overheated on the freeway
Same engine was in the STS (most of them had the N* v8, others have the v6). Little known fact, there were XLR-V & STS-V's that came with a re-tooled, re-spec'd, re-tuned supercharged 4.4L N*.They're extremely rare. I owned an STS-V up until 2019. Amazing car/engine!
I miss my STS V
I've had remarkable luck with Northstars, really a fun little engine to drive around. I wish Caddy still made a BIG car, not their SUV!
I would say your experience was the average. Only the folks that had problems keep talking about it, I feel these engines got a bad rap! I have owned plenty with no issues, no my LS is the one with problems. 💯
I'm glad you're doing this, it's a fun project only a mechanic can do, it's a bit involved for a diy lol
I like how you decided the car drives so well you are willing to fix all its major problems (SOO many designed in problems) even more amazing is after wrenching all day you have the energy left for a pet project. A handsome car sure, not sure I could do all that re-engineering and rebuilding when there are so many Lexus around.
I have a 2004 DeVille with 64K miles. I got it 6 years ago with 42K miles. No oil leaks yet (small seeping). I want to keep this car until the wheels fall off, it's in like-new condition and I get compliments on it all the time. I used to be a Cadillac Tech 30 years ago and saw many Northstar engine-outs under warranty. If I ever need head/main bolt work done, I would purchase an engine and request the Car Wizard to do the work. I'm no longer able to work on my cars like I used to and trust the CW. He reminds me of me when I owned my own repair shop in 1990.
Noooo trust me do NOT buy an engine. It will cost more than the car is worth and have the same issues. Oh and 17mpg
Yeah!!! Finally!!! Someone's doing an LH2 Northstar engine video!!!
I've been trying to get someone to do an LH2 video for 2 years now, thank you brother man....
That XLR is pretty cool. I was floored the first time that I saw one of those back in the day. Sexy beast!
Dang Wizard! You are looking great. I can tell you have been slimming down! Good for you.
You know an engine has a bad name when it is listed on the very front of a head gasket sealer bottle
😂
I know what you mean!!! My dad wanted me to put some stuff in his 99 Sedan, went with me to the parts store and ALL the head gasket sealers had NorthStar on the labels!! But the stuff he chose actually WORKED, it sealed it up enough to be "town drivable" , his words. Umm, he was cheap....he needed an engine.
Haha pretty sure Land Rover has such a product
The later Northstars are pretty bulletproof.
@@user-tb7rn1il3q Yeah but are you gonna trust a random one you come across?
Have the Northstar's predecessor, the LT5, in the ZR-1 Corvette. The LT5 is fairly bulletproof though it does suffer some interesting design aspects. The starter underneath the intake plenum is a fun one. The difficulty trying to put hoses on to service the AC system is another. The LT5 also has 2 sets of injectors, with one being activated by a special key for "full power mode". When it runs like it should, it runs SO smooth. It's the same 350CID/5.7L displacement as it's SBC counterpart, but that's about the end of the similarities.
I loved head studding my Northstar in my 1999 Seville STS with Northstar Performance parts. After the repair, I've been driving the car like a teenager. It's been amazing.
Once you know how to work on one, you'll want to work on all of them 😂
You’re here too. Been driving the 99 Eldo like crazy too after it’s rebirth 😂.
The head bolt problem all depends on production date. 2004 and up have upgraded heads and have a failure rate on par with any LS engine. The wizard doesn't need to do this upgrade but I'm glad he is showing how the job can be accomplished.
Maybe just maybe this will save someone's cadillac from the junk yard.
XLRs are one of the most aesthetically pleasing to look at vehicles in my opinion.
If you meant ascetically like you wrote, (a life without pleasure) then I agree with you. If you mean aesthetically, I disagree. They remind me of an American Honda Prelude that ate too many double big macs. It's trying to be young and hip when it's really an old man car. That being said, I'm not American and I'm probably not the target market for these cars. I can't criticize too hard.
@@alskjflaksjdflakjdf Ah, thanks I wondered why autocorrect showed me two, I thought I picked the one with the H. D:
I did not mean to write ascetically lol
@@alskjflaksjdflakjdf It doesn't look like a 5th gen Prelude or any generation Prelude to be honest (big mac fat or not lol, but that's good). The Prelude looks like a short two door accord. The XLR is a Cadillac'd Corvette.
I'm glad to hear the Malibu project hasn't been abandoned! Can't for you to get back on that 👍
I’m looking forward to watching this series of videos on the Cadillac XLR they are the most interesting type of video in my opinion 👍🏼
Did you head stud the starter
I had a 2001 Seville STS that the head gaskets went at 98000 miles.
Got the engine bulletproofed at Midwest Cadillac Repair in Palatine, IL. This was back in 2013 and my brother is still driving the car today with 240000 miles.
That Seville would do 155mph all day long on the Autobahn when I was stationed in Germany back on the day
I always assumed they used a LS in these. I had no idea they used a Northstar. That explains the depreciation on them, but kind of makes it cooler too!
Same
Bad engines are good
@Michael Curley insurance money?
I thought they did an LS supercharged one.
@@777jones no, a supercharged northstar
I always thought these later motors had a revision to the block and head bolts and rarely have head related failures. I mean, I still get doing the bulletproofing while the motor is out anyway, but there should be some major differences between your blue beast there and a 2000 Deville. In a lot of ways the main issue as I always understood it was that the bolts didn't have enough thread, or a large enough sized thread in the block to hold onto for the life of the vehicle. Eventually the heat cycles would pull one thread at a time until a bolt popped up, and then the rest would follow pretty quick.
2004.5 was the change
Love J&J! I have a SC430 and they have parts, mainly audio, that I can count on, whenever I need them. Great people with whom to work.
LS swap isn't that bad as long as you get the wire harness' and know your way around HPTuners since the ECM in the XLR and C6 are the same part. The main extra step is getting the XLR engine harness out, but I agree it's definitely more work.
I have a DTS with the GEN 2 Northstar and it is an amazing engine. I make sure it is well maintained and issue when they are minor. The most expensive thing I have done is valve cover gaskets engine with. I did have the typical fuel pump burnt the under seat fuse box. That was a pain to get the right part but the labor was minimal given how easy it was to get to the items.
My parents had a Gen 1 in their 2000 Seville. Never had a problem but like me, they were addressing issues before they became grenades.
Thanks, I’m looking forward to this one. I’ve read a bunch about the Northstar issues, and seeing the parts and procedures involved in a fix promises to be interesting.
I swear. Sometimes things just work out. I literally just bought a dts with a bad head gasket that I got a dumb cheap price. Thanks for showing me the way!
A “bulletproof” Northstar is good, an LS-3 with a performance cam swap is GREAT! Make that Caddie what GM should have done…
It is a C6 Corvette under the body so why not LS it?
I’m 32 and I remember the first time I saw an xlr. It blew my mind. Such a gorgeous thing. That and the first gen CTs V oh man so good
I hope you have no headaches with this, and you will have a really fun car to drive around in at the end.
You got the Northstar, we got the HT4100s in our shop. Thank you Caddy.
An LS swap shouldn't be super hard since the chassis is Corvette. The LS engine is lighter and more compact than the Northstar too. A manual swap should also be doable.
Yeah sometimes sounds like the car wizard has no clue what his talking about. A corvette drivetrain of the era would most likely bolt right in
The XLR is a head-turner. I'm happy to see the Wizard help keep this one on the road for years to come.
This is the first time I have heard someone say “it rides like a Camry” and it be a good thing…
When he said that the first thing I thought was "sooo you can't stop it?”
Hey car wizard I have a 1997 Oldsmobile aurora with a 4 L Northstar engine so far no problems with head gaskets or anything just have to replace the starter the water pump and a few items but the car runs great.
I had an 09’ STS with a NorthStar and it was a great car I miss that thing so much. Got t boned by some 16 year old in a golf R 😭
Cool fun fact about that junk drive train...a manual transmission from a 4cylinder s10 will bolt up behind the Northstar, I recommend this because that stupid 5l50e forces you to literally physically burn yourself on the exhaust in order to do fluid service, also it would be super easy to swap an ls into that car as the platform is extremely similar to the corvette which already housed an ls
It would be so great to have a bulletproof engine in the XLR Wizard. But Wow, $749 just for head stud parts! Plus labor! When an eBay Northstar 4.6 complete is about $1000 shipped!
Very good point regarding how it totally makes sense on a $20K XLR but not on a $3000 deVille
Is that rebuilt?
It still makes sense if you intend to hold on to the car. New cars are very expensive.
I'm interest in what part of it was patentable with no prior art.
(car wizard says patent and copyright but those are different things)
@@lasskinn474 The design is patented and the name is copyrighted, so Wizard is correct in calling the product both.
@@toothrestorer6588 product(an item) name would be trademarked not copyrighted. Still doesn't explain whats in the patent thats not prior invented.
That cars design is timeless
Wizard, it would be interesting to watch you pull the old engine. I’ve never done it, so it seems complicated, as does putting the new one in.
Good luck to you and Ms. Wizard!
This series is going to accumulate countless views as long as Northstar's exist.
FWIW, I own a 2008 XLR-V with about 25,000 miles. It has been mechanically superb. The interior is comfortable but not at the caliber of its competition (Mercedes SL500). But its a great car and a head-turner when the top is down.
These repair videos are awesome. Thanks
Im so glad they fixed all these problems of the northstar engine after 2006 have not had any major problem with my 2009 sts v and I thought buying one was a big risk a supercharged northstar engine of all things
"We're putting a caddy on a vette chassis!"
"OH good those LS engines are really reliable"
"About that...."
LS engines are loud and vibrate like crazy. Wouldn’t have been appropriate for this car despite the fact that Caddy eventually did use them
@@thelastmemphian the one in my pickup is quiet and glassy smooth at 237k
@@scootypuffjr. Correct. An LS can run just as quiet and glassy smooth as anything else if set up that way.
@@scootypuffjr. that may be true but a well running Northstar is even smoother. my 97 SLS will pass the glass of water test just like the old Lexus LS400
@@thelastmemphian too bad it won't pass the repair shop like a Lexus.
🇺🇸👍 I wish all mechanics had your honesty and integrity especially here in Southern California.
I have an 07 XLR love the car. Any issues I should be aware of? Thanks Wizard looking forward to watching this series
2004 on engines have already had new improved head bolts which pretty much fixed the head gasket problem
This looks fun! I love it when the Wizard gets to wrenching. Looking forward to the upcoming videos on this project.
39 !?!?
Okay, genuinely impressed. 👍👍
Good luck your gonna need it!
Whoa!
J and J I like because he has alot of parts that many other yards don't. I was in need of a truck bed for my Ram that I used to own and he happened to have three of them at the time but that was like three years ago!
Unwritten rule. Northstars are as good as their owners in terms of reliability and maintenance. I love these cars as it says a lot about the owners personality. (You are your car) Best of luck!
No, these are engineered to fail, that’s on the manufacturer as this is far beyond responsible preventive maintenance expected from a caring owner. Put an LS motor in this and be done with it
@@RA22475 what it wasn't engineered to fail it was a metallurgy issue steel fasteners in aluminum when the fasteners are fine threaded mostly which that issue doesn't effect all model years. Weird how most higher end cars have extremely detailed maintenance schedules that includes bearings gaskets turbos if necessary at varying mileages.
@@RA22475 literally it was a metallurgy problem as the engines really don't catastrophically fail outside of one failure mode which was later fixed
@@RA22475 Brother, you shouldn't talk like that when you know nothing. Please stick to your Chevy or Dodge Charger RTs and let the wise guys hang onto these Caddys. It's for real ones only.
@@EuroSpecJDM you can have em all brother lol
What's funny is as soon as I heard you say the word patent I hit the like button, I just knew this episode was going to be good
Ironic how Cadillac trumpeted loudly that the Northstar would be the most reliable engine ever designed - that was its main selling point, they even took cars and drained the coolant claiming you could drive up to 50 miles that way for help without overheating or engine damage PFFFTT-!!! Theres even videos of these engines having cracked blocks after installing the new main and head stud upgrade, saw a pic of one that had a long crack under where the upgraded head studs ended in the block. Whether this was due to over torquing during the upgrade or just weak thin block walls from the factory I do not know.
YEAH ! HEAVY DUTY MECHANIC ACTION !
While you're at it, fix and bulletproof the old engine once it's removed and you'll make good money selling the old engine. You'll surely make a buyer happy when the old engine is finally bulletproof. Nothing to lose !
Bullet proof Northstar?That sounds just weird, Car wizard 😁
Back in the early 2000's when I worked for gm dealerships and went through gm training, we were told to time sert the head studs as well as the case half studs under warranty. I took a 3 day class just on time serts (time sert is sort of like a helicoil, but an insert)
Beautiful car.
I have my 2004 Cadillac SRX and I love my V8. AWD and all its a pretty quick truck. I'm currently restoring it and getting all the systems/fluids overhauled and replaced. It's a very comfortable vehicle and I can't wait until Northstar Performance comes out with its final tune for these early years which is getting made and worked on now. They really are beautiful cars if taken care of.
This will be cool to see! I like seeing some of your wrenching!
Fun fact! The XLR with the Northstar actually made more power and torque in it's debut than the vette! G.M. wouldn't allow it to out perform the Vette so it was detuned to be slightly slower!
NorthStars get a bad rap but they are really good engines once you head and main stud them! I did that to my 98 DeVille back in 2009 as well as ported the heads and intake and ported the exhaust manifolds with clay porting. Added some aftermarket cams and a tune. Was just under 425 hp at the crank which was pretty good for a n/a Northstar!
Fwd transmission failed after a couple months but it was fun while it lasted.
From what I understand the LH2 engine has LS6 headbolts installed by the factory, and I also understand that those bolts repaired the blown head gasket problem. These engines are currently my favorite engine....
Porsche did something similar but far better on the M28 V8 engine. Instead of an "oil manifold" that distributes oil to the bearings, Porsche simply machined grooves in the block and crankshaft cradle. Far simpler and fewer surfaces to leak.
Sometimes latest tech does not pass true ownership tests. Aluminum blocks that strip threads, split oil pans that leak, plastic engine parts, interference valve timing. It's wonderful that after market has some fixes and yes Wizard you will have good Northstar engine without Direct Injection issues.
Would swapping in an LS2 be more reliable and an easy swap?
I *loved* the Northstar in my ‘06 STS. It was exactly what you wanted ina Cadillac, smooth and powerful.
0:20 - Joke’s on you CarWizz, I’m already in the bathroom.
This car really grows on you and I can’t wait to see how you progress on this
It is far easier to replace your studs while the engine is out than after you drop it in.
That Northstar reminds me of the LT5 in my C4 ZR-1, a true bulletproof engine and a blast to drive.
That's the absolute fastest car I've ever driven. Got serviced (while driving 176mph) by the girl who owned it.
She weighed 145lb. I weighed 200lb. I fully believe the car could have reached 200 mph (with either one of us NOT in the car). I didn't run out of road but I did run out of motor.
/r/ihadsex
This is an excellent series to do...always liked these cars and there is a lack of resources on them so the info will be appreaciated...
Great to know about J&J
I'm with you on XLR's. They are magnificent!!
i like the everything wrong with x engine specials/content - some engines are great they just need minor mods to be even better, the shop looks nice - well lit, clean and organized #anal
Thx wizard!!!! I can finally hopefully get mine back on the road. It’s been 6 months I’ve been looking. It’s my dads old car but we just parked it on bags of rice and put car covers on it. LoL
Wizard, I thought this issue was fixed in the early 2000s? I’ve heard the northstars in the V models with the superchargers have been said to be reliable, but I guess that’s a different block and head?
They mediocrely "fixed" it in 01 but it really was just less bad. 2005 is the year when they really fixed the problem by using the thicker bolts from the LS engines.
Wiiiiiiizzzard.. I'm actually looking for a low miles XLR here in the Northeast. Great Sunday top-down cruiser. And since you gave it the thumbs up that makes it good with me.
Its raining in So cal as im watching this
Raining in nor cal in the Foothills going towards Tahoe Reno 👍
Raining in the foothills of San Gabriel Valley (SoCal) as I'm watching this.
It's awesome that you show people how to do things. I have no mechanical skills at all...right now my 94 Z28 is sitting because the AC/Heater blows but not hot or cold air lol.
Does the xlr v have the same problem?