Agreed. This guy needs to get his facts straight. After 2004 they fixed all the reliability issues in these engines and remained all the way till 2011.
This man has shown us the way to make more power, and the way to not fuck up tryna make more power. This the type of good role model we need for the children.
He’s not even accurate he said the 6.1 hemi is not for boost and that the cylinder walls too thin 🤣 and what he doesn’t know it has the same bore size as the 5.7 hemi the only thing that change is the stroke
It kicked ass in racing it beat and still holds a ridiculous amount of records. Many of which were in endurance which I think is hilariously ironic considering the stark contrast to the production motors we see on the roads.
@TeeroyHammermill because so many of these were bought by people who just went to church...the store...and home. Most were retired. When they died...they sat in garages anywhere from 5 to 20 years. When you see them on the road...most of them are months, weeks, are days for dying. You will se a lot of them at tax time
There's different types of Northstar engines: L37(4.6) FWD LD8(4.6) FWD L47(4.0) FWD and RWD LH2(4.6) RWD LC3(4.4) RWD LX5(V6) aka Shortstar The L37 and LD8 were installed in the Allante, Deville/DTS, Seville, Eldorado. Late 90's models of the FWD Northstar had problems with the head bolts, then later installed head bolts from the LS6, which solved the problem. There's a kit that is sold from Cadillac dealers to change out the old head bolts. The mechanic from Wizard on UA-cam did one on a Deville, once installed they were working just fine no more problems. The L47, LH2, and LC3 did NOT carry the flaws of the L37 and LD8. Carroll Shelby used the L47 in the Shelby Series 1, beefing it up to 400 hp. The LC3 in the STS-V and XLR-V were the best of all, and yes, they can reach over 700 hp with no problems. You don't hear any complaints about those. The Northstar was the most advanced engine during its time, but it was the thin threaded head bolts in the L37 and LD8 that tarnished the name entirely, resulting in people not wanting to deal with it. Also, it came from people not going accordingly based on the booklets on how to keep them maintained. You can not treat a Northstar like other GM engines. It requires special care.
I was a mechanic and I’ve owned a Northstar. It’s not that bad of an engine. Cadillac just messed up on how they placed it in the car. You have a cylinder head placed right up against the firewall. It gets heat soaked so the head gasket fails. I had my STS till 100k miles, never had sludge, no starter replacement, or head bolt failure. It is easy to strip them when changing the head gasket. I did used ARP studs when I did my gaskets as a preventative measure. As for the starter location, I did a few of these and I could replace one in under a hour without picking the car up. The Northstar was designed for the LMP car, it was originally a race engine.
I honestly never understood the hate for the starter location. I get it's in an odd place and normally you don't have to remove an intake manifold to replace a starter, but starters are not usually maintenance items and usually last far longer than most people will ever keep a car so it's not like it's a massive inconvenience that has to be dealt with frequently. The factory starter on my car lasted 23 years...most cars don't even exist for 23 years. Pulling the manifold isn't difficult either so I just personally fail to see why people make such a big fuss about it.
The 2005 - 2011 NorthStar were fixed and are very reliable , only the first NorthStar's that were released in the 90s had issues . I personally own a STS NorthStar V8 producing 320hp and can tell you it is very reliable ,sounds amazing , and is very fast stock . I cant imagine what a straight pipe , cold air intake , and turbo would do 😅
As much as we like to rip on the North Star, I think we can all agree it was atleast a good wake up car for gm to get serious for its performance division
I've had a couple Northstars and I love em. Change to green coolant and find a reputable shop to stud the heads and reseal the engine. Get the tune/cams and hold on.. I'll take em anytime I can get em.
One of the better cars I had was a 99 Seville STS. I ran it up to 200k, with no issues I ended up trading it in. But I had upgraded my radiator ran a 140 thermostat and had the fans programmed to stay on. Now the starter location was pure bs thank God I never had to change it smh
I had the 2nd Gen L37 In a DeVille Concours, 3rd gen LD8 and the final 4th gen vin 8 (08 DTS perf III) Cars and I never had any issues with them other than costs of maintenance. Now the 4.1 thru 4.9 engines were complete boat anchors. oil pump drive keys would shear off.. That's much worse Than anything the northstar had going for it.
@theerakankayee7693 I don't know why people complain about the starter. the intake manifold is a easy job, and there's numerous engines out there that have that design. (Lookin at you Toyota) but then the same people go out and buy cars 4-5x more to repair in labor costs than these Cadillacs and believe they bought excellence that they can't afford to maintain at all anyway.
@scotteric8711 people complain because they have never done the job. It easy to do. Plus it last 2 to 3 times longer than starters mounted externally.
@@tankdawg32 Right. Because its not soaking up exhaust heat or road debris. I would say the same for the batteries under the seat. Almost no corrosion. Yes, it does suck in the rain though.
They actually fixed the head stud issue post 2005. But......mine still had the infamous rear main seal leak lol. Doesn't sound too bad until you realize most of these engines were in a fwd platform.
Man, the STS-V was and still is one of my favorite cars! Not all Northstars were made the same, but it had great numbers. I never knew about that starter issue though. Everyone had that classic 4.6, I just never knew why they went FWD in the ugly DTS that the old folks drove, same as the XTS later.
The Dts was a couch on wheels when my GTO was in the shop the local pontiac dealer gave me one as a rental for about a month it floated on the road was. Kinda swift for a car it’s size at the time
I miss my DHS.... I think they redid those studs from the factory in like 04-05. I did have a coolant system leak but other than that it started up fine in Michigan's winters. It had massaging heated seats in 2004!!!!
I have been driving a 2001 Olds Aurora with the 4.0 Northstar V8 since 2000. I am not an easy driver. I pay attention to oil changes and cooling system maintenance. Head gasket problems in that time? ZERO!!!!!!!
Northstar performance has solved the head stud and main issues and has success with them. The one that takes the cake imo is the 2.8L V6 from the Citations, Fieros and Skylarks they spin rod bearings like crazy. No wonder the 3T40 trans makes this thing scream at 3300 RPM at just 65mph. Then there's the shortstar 3.5L V6 from the Olds Aurora a Northstar with 2 less cylinders with worse cooling than the 4.6.
The STS-V had a different Northstar engine than the front wheel drive models. Matter of fact the STS-V have a 4.4 Northstar, while the regular STS have the updated 4.6 (which is 100x better than on the Deville/DTS, and older Seville models).
Everyone says it’s terrible but my first car was a 2003 Cadillac sls and I am still driving it, bought it for 2500$ with 137,000 on it and I have had not one problem , and all I’ve done is oil changes and filters , I love it, and I added 2 12s of course
The CT6-V was a beast that was gone too soon. It’s mega sad to see NOBODY has done anything with these, not even exhaust. Imagine the fun you could have if you could make just 100 more hp
Yes, Northstar was a great engine when it came to performance, besides head gasket and oil leaks their actually quite decent reliable engines. Not the best, but also not the worst that GM built. The worst goes to either the Oldsmobile diesel V8 or the 2.3 Aluminum based 4cyl that came in the Chevy Vega.
man, i remember my moms boyfriend at the time had an cadillac STS, he raced a mustang then BOOM...there was a loud pop, he blew a head gasket that was the funniest shit ever
probably the only person with the North Star that nearly has a million miles My 99 Cadillac DeVille mileage is currently at 798k was my grandpappies and he was the one that replaced the head studs didn't suffer. The famous North Star head gasket issue cuz he nipped that shit in the butt as soon as he got the car
I have a 2003 Cadillac Seville with the L37 Northstar. 210,000 all original, no leaks and it’s proven to be the best car I had altogether. No issues with suspension and everything works as normal. May not be all Cadillacs but mine has for sure been taken care of sense I’m the second owner.
Great reliable engines when maintained properly and respected. I owned a fleet of 24 of them that went well over 400,000 miles and not a single one had an issue.
I have my fwd sts for 12 years. Never had one engine problem. Beat the balls off it everyday. 160k miles. Original starter. Original head gaskets, original a/c compressor, original alternator. Just changed the struts and abs module, and water pump. Did a few ignition coils.
The starter was located in the intake manifold because it made it easier to replace it without having to lift the car up. So you can replace it standing up
Had a 98 Aurora. Loved that car. Surprised people with how quick it was. Sounded great with some Flowmasters and intake. Buuuuuut when the cooling issues started it was a nightmare.
The Cadillac Northstar engine is an amazing engine with fantastic performance. Unfortunately that's not what they put into the production cars with the "Northstar" badge. The actual Northstar was a 600+ HP twin turbo V8 developed by McLaren that was used in Cadillac LMP cars only.
The Northstar engine wasn't the worst engine. The V4,6,8 engine was the worst. It came out in the early 80's and was very unreliable. It was so bad you don't even hear of its existence ...
The Head gasket and the oil leaks on these engines where terrible. I had friend of mine tht had a caddy Eldorado Super Clean. Tht joint smoked like 3 alarm fire. Needless to say he sent to the auction cause he didn't want spend anymore money
I was in automotive class in high school I actually met the guy that designed this engine and the sad thing is he was actually the 1st black man to design an engine at GM and this was the engine he designed and he even said himself it wasn't his fault it turned out the way it did it was a bunch of red tape and executives adding s*** in and he did what he could with what they wanted... But it's sad that the 1st engine designed at the company by a black man had to turn out like this because of their own ignorance and incompetence
Most guys who ever own these Northstar engines and have extensive knowledge will last least point out the good and the bad. Yes, the engine had its share of problems, the starter location, the water pump replacement, oil leaks and valve seal issues, but I will say after owning 3 different Cadillacs from 2005-2008, those cars were the truth. Name an affordable domestic luxury car from years 93-00 that came with 275-300hp that was stylish, popular and fast. There wasn't alot out there. That engine in the early 90's was the benchmark of engines. Would I own a caddy with one now? No, but back then... maybe a STS-V but for what it's worth, that engine wasn't bad compared to other engines from other makers.
I’d say the worst engine GM ever made was that 2.3 4cyl that came in the Chevy Vega from 1971-77 . Those 4cyl engine were aluminum based blocks and were notorious for cracking themselves and blowing up. As for the Northstar, despite the head gasket failures and oil leaks they were actually quite decent engines and had very good performance. I wouldn’t say they are the worst but wouldn’t say they are the best either, I think they GM cleaned up those head gasket problems in the early 2000s. You could also mention 305/350 cross-fire injection systems, The HT4100, early iron duke 4cyl engines and let’s not for get the Oldsmobile Diesel engines.
@@TBCG off track but I got a grand national turbo 3.8 paint shop I had it at messed up engine but thts another convo for another day Wht I am asking I just left repair shop they telling me they cn fix tht engine but he has a ls aluminum crammed 5.3 and it will be much better so what’s your opinion on it or cn u do a video on the pros and cons of the 2 for me before I make a choice or help with my decision p.s. sorry for long message just don’t want to throw away any money or if I need to let them rebuild old engine (ps I knw everyone says ls is the way of the world 🌍 now
@Scott B no ironically tht Maaco paint shop was sold within few days after I went bck and whole staff was replaced bew owner said he didn't wnt the old staff for poor work reason and complained so this is out of my pocket expense
@@dzpracing4938 I like the 3.8s but if you want more power then LS. If I had one I’d leave the 3.8 in. Love me an LS swap but that car with the turbo 3.8 is legendary
My dad has a 98 eldorado and he likes tellin people where his starter is and showing them his water pump setup he needed a special tool for the water pump when it went but it didn't barley work so he had to twist it out with a hammer and a long ass flathead it was all mangled but he brought it to the part store and the guy called em crazy then got him his part lol
Back in 2004 a guy in Birmingham AL, did a Northstar motor swap on a 2000 Chevy Malibu. That thing sounded so good. Was not fast but it sounded good. Wonder if he still has it or that dropped a 5.3 in his BM Chevy Caviler
Luv ya videos, the Northstar was built by Oldsmobile for indy car racing, they didn't get the contract...so passenger car it went...remember indy car engines are rebuild after every race..hence the weird design and placement of the starter 🤔
This engine is a great engine. I created the Suregrip Head Studs (US Pat 8,740,532) to fix the one big issue it has. Everything else is basic maintenance and repair.
04 deville dhs. Hear me out, Starter location does suck but it doesn't take but a hour to remove the intake. After 03-04 they fixed the head issue from factory with upgraded studs. Cooling issues stem from a little iron nipple bolt on the thermostat housing little bitty hole stops up from flakes of rust coming off the pressure return line attached to it. I've had my northie for 6 years and dogged the shit out of it. Still runs like a top after I learned the shit to watch out for. At 5000 lbs. This things a fucking rocketship going from 0-112 in less that 13 seconds. Yall go take granny's caddie for a lap with traction control off and keep her in second. Boil the tires to 60. Cool fact. Gm states you can drive a northstar up to 50 miles without coolant. I've done it a few times and she just eats it up. I write this sitting in the front seat of it. I love my caddie😁
It sucks because I always wanted a DTS or a Seville from that era but I never trusted those engines. I really want the Fleetwood and at least that has the LT1 but they're hard to come by since everyone makes them a fucking lowrider🤣
Harold Martin designed the Northstar engine while employed at Ford manufacturer, GM purchased the 32 valve engine and the engineer as well, Harold Martin.
GM has made pretty bad engines. Not exactly V8 engines but I can name some. 1.5L Turbo, 2.2L, 2.4L, 3.0L V6, 3.6L V6. The 3.6 is okay, but it makes the 3.0L look like a fiat V6 being compared to a Toyota V6. Most of these engines all were known to have excessive oil consumption. Some of these things have been known to burn oil by the quart every couple hundred miles. I’m not saying these engines had the same problems as the North Star. I’m just pointing out some others that were problematic.
Technically it wasn't originally Cadillac's, but instead Oldsmobile's for their Aurora project. GM made Oldsmobile hand their V8 project over after Cadillac threw a fit. Cadillac then reengineered the design of the heads, higher displacement, and viola you have the NorthStar.
Never put ARP head studs in only by the Northstar sure grip kit from Northstar performance it's around $1,500 for the bullet proof kit that fixes the head gasket and The bottom end it will then make your car reliable.
I have a 98 Deville by-passed the heater core, over heating problem solved. If anyone else wants to know the magic trick, Keep in mind you will not have heat. Other than that buy the toughest starter you can afford.215k miles so far.
I own a 2000 eldorado with this engine. Owned it since 2018, and its been the most reliable car Ive owned (its my 5th car) The engine is fine if you dont drive like a maniac.
Yeah, personally lived with a 98(?) Cadillac sts. Was a really nice car until it started overheating. Like fr, I'd be interested in one if the Northstar wasn't destined to die. I know the Northstar improved in 2005 and it makes me want a dts, but definitely not a risk I feel like dealing with.
I might be extremely lucky but I own a northstar buick lucerne with 300k miles. Not rebuilt or anything just well maintained. Haven't had any big issues.
I have to run a contrast to your opinion of the Northstar 4.6ltr V8. First ,the quad overhead cam set up was ingenious. They were alloy sprocket,double chain drive units with self tentioning hard nylon adjusting guides. They lasted forever,took a beating and were a new concept in that perticular tech. BUT!!!... The one thing is that for the year 1996 when the Northstar was introduced ,hemispherical heads with 4 valves per cyl. made of alluminum bolting down to an alluminum block was going to be tuogh.. When BMW 535-45 series V8's were along the same lines but didnot have the maintance free chaindrive assy for the 4cam system but just a belt system. So be it ,both BMW and Cadillac used the then standard procedure to bolt allum heads to allum blocks,the method was the headbolt INSERTS in the block. After 80to100thousand miles,the inserts would weaken and pull up ,causing the head gasket to leak. the differnce between BMW V8s and the Northstar V8s is that the Cadillac could be either healy-coiled or several co's invented a new type of insert with bigger bolts and special gasket but when a headbolt insert pulls out of a BMW block,it's junk and has to be scrapped. As for that starter,put a quality one in and take time to put it in right,wiring,insolation pad a d it should last 125kmiles,Baby.That motor rippes. and it's essentially the same as the 4.4ltr 2006-7 STSV supercharged motors that advertized 440hp 430lbtq for 06' cool stuff😁✌️
They also threw this engine in the ‘97 Deville Concourse. The same car my mom had that caught on fire after she started it in Xmas eve 2004. RIP Moms 🕊️🖕🇰🇵⭐️
All true, at least it gave way to the LS motor ! I would never own a north star motor. The black wing was a winner, just the production cost. On my list to maybe own one day.
I know someone that has this engine in thier car it runs quite well. He takes very good care of it. These high performance engines requires little more TLC cause amount power they produce.
I'm not sure if this info is mentioned in the comment section already, but Northstar was also crammed into the 04-05 Pontiac Bonneville GXP and the 06-07 V8 Buick Lucerne. The Northstar NHP was also standard in the 08-11 Buick Lucerne Super, and of course....The Cadillac DTS in that same time frame. I am open for correction on this info.
I had a 98 Cadillac Deville, 32 valve. head gasket, went bad oil, pan gasket bad valve cover gaskets. Felt like you were driving on a waterbed. It had a little heat
Cadillac Northstar 4.4 V8 2004-2010 parts from GM 4200 Vortec the same parts are basically interchangeable a cheap budget 5.0 Coyote engine, also Texas Speed has parts for Cadillac North 4.4 V8 engines.
I'll take a Northstar over an HT4100 any day. Starter under the intake isn't that bad since the intake comes off in a few minutes and I'd take that over going under the car. Head bolt factory fix was never studs. Tap the holes, put threadlocked inserts in and use factory fine thread head bolts. Just clarifying the misinformation this video is full of.
You Must Have Newer Heard Of The HT 4100 From The Early 1980's It Was HT AKA HOT Trash & High Temperature, It Always Leaked Antifreeze, BARS Stop Leak Was Factory Installed...It Was So Bad Nobody Will Make An Engine That Size!!!
I had owned two cadillacs, with this engine, they had to be the worst engine in a car that I had ever owned. The first one I gave away to my sister in law, I didn’t have the heart to charge her for the car. This way, when she had problems with it, she would think, I did get the car for free. The second one, I gave to my sister, and I didn’t charge her neither. To this day I have never owned a Cadillac or never will, but, I will lease one, that way I will give it back to them.
The 4.1 would always blow head gaskets with its aluminum block and iron heads, just like like the old Vega 4cyl. And, they made very little power so they weren't even fun to drive.
People get mad because these cars are cheap to get into but expensive to repair and maintain. That's when it's a 45/50k car to fix not the 3/5k you bought it for. If you want cheap repairs get a Buick. If you want something that rides like a tank with decent V8 power get the Caddy. If you get a flashed PCM with stage 4 camshafts you will have 360/380hp which really wakes these cars up
Finally a video that expresses my frustration with these beautiful big body cars. I want to add a 06-11 with updated n* to my fleet but don’t want the bs that come with them
05 and newer does not have these problems. Have had my dts around the country purchased with 111k now has 276k still my daily driver and I’m the only one that has put a wrench on it since 111k miles. Solid all around other then rear main seal has slowly been leaking for over 100k miles and no I’m not replacing it. Run mobile one very 5k miles Keep tranny fluid flushed every 25k Actually, arguably one of the most reliable engines I’ve ever driven If you get 05 and newer. I have had a few 90s nightmare northstars though in my day
I feel some slandering going on here on this engine that everyone loves to hate. Hold up, he said this engine sludges up? First time i've ever heard of that. The earlier Northstar are kind of tragic because it's actually a pretty bulletproof engine besides GM's extremely poor choice in headbolts and the oil leak issue. They fixed these by 2006 though, and i've seen multiple early 2000 Devilles with no oil leak issues. And everyone likes to complain about the starter, but any dumb ass with a socket set can change it out in like 2 hours or less. Way over exaggeration on having to change them every 2 weeks. There's an 04 and an 02 Deville parked outside right now over 140k miles with the original starters.
i got over 200k miles on mine your tripping only had to change my starter twice in 20 years you only had to change them alot if there was a leakage the head studs was changed in 2004 in may actually this motor is a variant from the same motor ran in the indi 500 from 1992 to 1995 it was a dope ass motor that put out work
Blackcargura if u and anybody else didn't know new corvette has a Northstar stroked out engine 5.5 engine is a stroked out Northstar and what chevy v8 had two upper camshaft 👀 ?besides nascar chevy racing engine
It's a must to up graded with the thicker head studs and metal coolant hose connectors, that Dex (death) cool eats up everything hoses, gaskets, reservoirs
GM has done a lot of stupid shit but one of the worst decisions was putting this engine in large luxury cars and making them front wheel drive. My dad had one and the torque steer was awful.
GM redesigned and updated the head stud issue way back in 2005, the Northstar is It's extremely reliable and it's an outstanding engine
Agreed. This guy needs to get his facts straight. After 2004 they fixed all the reliability issues in these engines and remained all the way till 2011.
Reputation was ruined by then@@raym7441
My 08 DTS runs like a clock. I can't even tell it is running when I am sitting in it.
@raym7441 that means there's more than 10 years worth of northstars that are failing on the roads. Don't get an Eldorado...
@@bryfunkensteinmy 03 got 150k runs like a mfin dream 🤷🏽 but hey most people don’t take care of their vehicles
This man has shown us the way to make more power, and the way to not fuck up tryna make more power. This the type of good role model we need for the children.
He’s not even accurate he said the 6.1 hemi is not for boost and that the cylinder walls too thin 🤣 and what he doesn’t know it has the same bore size as the 5.7 hemi the only thing that change is the stroke
@@Supercharged287SOHCyou sound like a dumbah bruh
It kicked ass in racing it beat and still holds a ridiculous amount of records. Many of which were in endurance which I think is hilariously ironic considering the stark contrast to the production motors we see on the roads.
Records like what?
Fake news
Lots of these still on the road. I see plenty everyday
@TeeroyHammermill because so many of these were bought by people who just went to church...the store...and home. Most were retired. When they died...they sat in garages anywhere from 5 to 20 years. When you see them on the road...most of them are months, weeks, are days for dying.
You will se a lot of them at tax time
There's different types of Northstar engines:
L37(4.6) FWD
LD8(4.6) FWD
L47(4.0) FWD and RWD
LH2(4.6) RWD
LC3(4.4) RWD
LX5(V6) aka Shortstar
The L37 and LD8 were installed in the Allante, Deville/DTS, Seville, Eldorado. Late 90's models of the FWD Northstar had problems with the head bolts, then later installed head bolts from the LS6, which solved the problem. There's a kit that is sold from Cadillac dealers to change out the old head bolts. The mechanic from Wizard on UA-cam did one on a Deville, once installed they were working just fine no more problems.
The L47, LH2, and LC3 did NOT carry the flaws of the L37 and LD8. Carroll Shelby used the L47 in the Shelby Series 1, beefing it up to 400 hp. The LC3 in the STS-V and XLR-V were the best of all, and yes, they can reach over 700 hp with no problems. You don't hear any complaints about those.
The Northstar was the most advanced engine during its time, but it was the thin threaded head bolts in the L37 and LD8 that tarnished the name entirely, resulting in people not wanting to deal with it. Also, it came from people not going accordingly based on the booklets on how to keep them maintained.
You can not treat a Northstar like other GM engines. It requires special care.
Most advanced *"GM"* engine at the time*
- fixed.
Wow you just convinced me to get a sts-v 😄
I was a mechanic and I’ve owned a Northstar. It’s not that bad of an engine. Cadillac just messed up on how they placed it in the car. You have a cylinder head placed right up against the firewall. It gets heat soaked so the head gasket fails. I had my STS till 100k miles, never had sludge, no starter replacement, or head bolt failure. It is easy to strip them when changing the head gasket. I did used ARP studs when I did my gaskets as a preventative measure. As for the starter location, I did a few of these and I could replace one in under a hour without picking the car up. The Northstar was designed for the LMP car, it was originally a race engine.
I honestly never understood the hate for the starter location. I get it's in an odd place and normally you don't have to remove an intake manifold to replace a starter, but starters are not usually maintenance items and usually last far longer than most people will ever keep a car so it's not like it's a massive inconvenience that has to be dealt with frequently. The factory starter on my car lasted 23 years...most cars don't even exist for 23 years. Pulling the manifold isn't difficult either so I just personally fail to see why people make such a big fuss about it.
Didn't know it was a race engine originally...no wonder that v8 could get up!
Putting a starter under a manifold is diabolical...
All that had to do was make the motor a rear wheel drive
@@VictorWormley that would’ve definitely fixed the heat soak problem/ head gasket problem.
The 2005 - 2011 NorthStar were fixed and are very reliable , only the first NorthStar's that were released in the 90s had issues . I personally own a STS NorthStar V8 producing 320hp and can tell you it is very reliable ,sounds amazing , and is very fast stock . I cant imagine what a straight pipe , cold air intake , and turbo would do 😅
You have the LH2. Much better than the early L37 and LD8
What yr do you own, I have a 02
@@TrevorHarris-hb5ii I got a 2005
I agree.. I own an 08 STS myself and I enjoy my car
@@MLLove-wm5urI’ve got an 09 XLR got 100,O00 on it runs good leaks a lil oil.
There is no such thing as a bad Northstar just bad Northstar owners. I've built lots of them.
As much as we like to rip on the North Star, I think we can all agree it was atleast a good wake up car for gm to get serious for its performance division
I've had a couple Northstars and I love em. Change to green coolant and find a reputable shop to stud the heads and reseal the engine. Get the tune/cams and hold on..
I'll take em anytime I can get em.
I only use dexcool in mine. Been great so far.
I have a 2000 sts for sale
That engine is a beast if you take care of it.
I never knew the starter was there that’s crazy I knew the rest info though taught me something new
The first gen Lexus LS400 v8 engine had the same starter location and the Northstar.
Toyota Tundras had the starter there too
It’s really not that bad to do. It takes like an hour max if it’s your first time.
One of the better cars I had was a 99 Seville STS. I ran it up to 200k, with no issues I ended up trading it in. But I had upgraded my radiator ran a 140 thermostat and had the fans programmed to stay on. Now the starter location was pure bs thank God I never had to change it smh
I had the 2nd Gen L37 In a DeVille Concours, 3rd gen LD8 and the final 4th gen vin 8 (08 DTS perf III) Cars and I never had any issues with them other than costs of maintenance. Now the 4.1 thru 4.9 engines were complete boat anchors. oil pump drive keys would shear off.. That's much worse Than anything the northstar had going for it.
@theerakankayee7693 I don't know why people complain about the starter. the intake manifold is a easy job, and there's numerous engines out there that have that design. (Lookin at you Toyota) but then the same people go out and buy cars 4-5x more to repair in labor costs than these Cadillacs and believe they bought excellence that they can't afford to maintain at all anyway.
@scotteric8711 people complain because they have never done the job. It easy to do. Plus it last 2 to 3 times longer than starters mounted externally.
@@tankdawg32 Right. Because its not soaking up exhaust heat or road debris. I would say the same for the batteries under the seat. Almost no corrosion. Yes, it does suck in the rain though.
They actually fixed the head stud issue post 2005. But......mine still had the infamous rear main seal leak lol. Doesn't sound too bad until you realize most of these engines were in a fwd platform.
I'm not a fan of traverse mounted v8s. Its a nightmare under the hood no matter how simple the engine is.
@@JasonLuther1 I agree. I even stay away from the v6 ones.
Man, the STS-V was and still is one of my favorite cars! Not all Northstars were made the same, but it had great numbers. I never knew about that starter issue though. Everyone had that classic 4.6, I just never knew why they went FWD in the ugly DTS that the old folks drove, same as the XTS later.
you think the sts v looks good not the dts 💀 the sts looks like a fucking toy car
Cause I had none of those issues wit my STS-V
The Dts was a couch on wheels when my GTO was in the shop the local pontiac dealer gave me one as a rental for about a month it floated on the road was. Kinda swift for a car it’s size at the time
DTS Is definitely not ugly. The STS on the other hand....
I bought a DTS from an old person. My best purchase to date, got it for a great price. it has been issue free for about 2 years 🤞🏻
I miss my DHS.... I think they redid those studs from the factory in like 04-05. I did have a coolant system leak but other than that it started up fine in Michigan's winters. It had massaging heated seats in 2004!!!!
The 98 Lincoln Mark 8 and the Cadillac STS were sleepers, they surprise the hell out of me the first time I drove both of them.
I have been driving a 2001 Olds Aurora with the 4.0 Northstar V8 since 2000. I am not an easy driver. I pay attention to oil changes and cooling system maintenance. Head gasket problems in that time? ZERO!!!!!!!
The Aurora doesn’t have a Northstar. It’s based on the Northstar iirc, and shares a lot with it.
Just a correction!
The L47. This engine is also in the Shelby Series 1
Northstar performance has solved the head stud and main issues and has success with them. The one that takes the cake imo is the 2.8L V6 from the Citations, Fieros and Skylarks they spin rod bearings like crazy. No wonder the 3T40 trans makes this thing scream at 3300 RPM at just 65mph. Then there's the shortstar 3.5L V6 from the Olds Aurora a Northstar with 2 less cylinders with worse cooling than the 4.6.
Shortstar was in the Intrigue as well awful motor lol
@@garrettferry8266 it sure was lol
Took an Aurora on a test drive once gorgeous green color overheated at the light smh
The STS-V had a different Northstar engine than the front wheel drive models. Matter of fact the STS-V have a 4.4 Northstar, while the regular STS have the updated 4.6 (which is 100x better than on the Deville/DTS, and older Seville models).
Absolutely false
Everyone says it’s terrible but my first car was a 2003 Cadillac sls and I am still driving it, bought it for 2500$ with 137,000 on it and I have had not one problem , and all I’ve done is oil changes and filters , I love it, and I added 2 12s of course
The CT6-V was a beast that was gone too soon. It’s mega sad to see NOBODY has done anything with these, not even exhaust. Imagine the fun you could have if you could make just 100 more hp
Those caddys back then where sleepers.. had no idea that had that many issues. Shame tho.
Yes, Northstar was a great engine when it came to performance, besides head gasket and oil leaks their actually quite decent reliable engines. Not the best, but also not the worst that GM built. The worst goes to either the Oldsmobile diesel V8 or the 2.3 Aluminum based 4cyl that came in the Chevy Vega.
@@user-ll3gh6yp8d oh I just saw a you tube video on the olds Diesel 😂
man, i remember my moms boyfriend at the time had an cadillac STS, he raced a mustang then BOOM...there was a loud pop, he blew a head gasket that was the funniest shit ever
😂😂😂
This Guy is wrong. With some stud upgrades. You have a reliable daily driver. I've seen new ls engines with lifter problems.
I think the worst was the Cadi 4100, especially the 8-6-4
probably the only person with the North Star that nearly has a million miles
My 99 Cadillac DeVille mileage is currently at 798k was my grandpappies and he was the one that replaced the head studs didn't suffer. The famous North Star head gasket issue cuz he nipped that shit in the butt as soon as he got the car
Post a video on the car
My father has a Pontiac Bonneville with the Northstar, such a weird "fwd muscle" car.
I have a 2003 Cadillac Seville with the L37 Northstar. 210,000 all original, no leaks and it’s proven to be the best car I had altogether. No issues with suspension and everything works as normal.
May not be all Cadillacs but mine has for sure been taken care of sense I’m the second owner.
Can't forget to mention the valve cover leaks 😮💨
Great reliable engines when maintained properly and respected. I owned a fleet of 24 of them that went well over 400,000 miles and not a single one had an issue.
I have my fwd sts for 12 years. Never had one engine problem. Beat the balls off it everyday. 160k miles. Original starter. Original head gaskets, original a/c compressor, original alternator. Just changed the struts and abs module, and water pump. Did a few ignition coils.
On GOD you are tooooo correct
Haaaa yupp if u no u no lol dem Northstars were breakin down every millisecond in da 90s
The starter was located in the intake manifold because it made it easier to replace it without having to lift the car up. So you can replace it standing up
Well it's a nightmare
Had a 98 Aurora. Loved that car. Surprised people with how quick it was. Sounded great with some Flowmasters and intake. Buuuuuut when the cooling issues started it was a nightmare.
The Cadillac Northstar engine is an amazing engine with fantastic performance. Unfortunately that's not what they put into the production cars with the "Northstar" badge. The actual Northstar was a 600+ HP twin turbo V8 developed by McLaren that was used in Cadillac LMP cars only.
The Northstar engine wasn't the worst engine. The V4,6,8 engine was the worst. It came out in the early 80's and was very unreliable. It was so bad you don't even hear of its existence ...
The Head gasket and the oil leaks on these engines where terrible. I had friend of mine tht had a caddy Eldorado Super Clean. Tht joint smoked like 3 alarm fire. Needless to say he sent to the auction cause he didn't want spend anymore money
I was in automotive class in high school I actually met the guy that designed this engine and the sad thing is he was actually the 1st black man to design an engine at GM and this was the engine he designed and he even said himself it wasn't his fault it turned out the way it did it was a bunch of red tape and executives adding s*** in and he did what he could with what they wanted... But it's sad that the 1st engine designed at the company by a black man had to turn out like this because of their own ignorance and incompetence
It was terrible, but the sts was a nice sleeper.
Upgraded pcm, straight pipe, very mild cam upgrade you will be sitting at healthy 420 hp 415 ish ft lbs power to the wheels
@@alexroberts6206 who has videos on this car .
@@jrdewees fr there's nothing online about the sts
Bruh it looked like a cts how if that a sleeper😂😂
@@invalidusername_5101 my dad had 2. This was a 98 and 99. They were new then before the cts even came out. It just looked like a a old persons caddy.
Most guys who ever own these Northstar engines and have extensive knowledge will last least point out the good and the bad. Yes, the engine had its share of problems, the starter location, the water pump replacement, oil leaks and valve seal issues, but I will say after owning 3 different Cadillacs from 2005-2008, those cars were the truth. Name an affordable domestic luxury car from years 93-00 that came with 275-300hp that was stylish, popular and fast. There wasn't alot out there. That engine in the early 90's was the benchmark of engines. Would I own a caddy with one now? No, but back then... maybe a STS-V but for what it's worth, that engine wasn't bad compared to other engines from other makers.
I’d say the worst engine GM ever made was that 2.3 4cyl that came in the Chevy Vega from 1971-77 . Those 4cyl engine were aluminum based blocks and were notorious for cracking themselves and blowing up. As for the Northstar, despite the head gasket failures and oil leaks they were actually quite decent engines and had very good performance. I wouldn’t say they are the worst but wouldn’t say they are the best either, I think they GM cleaned up those head gasket problems in the early 2000s. You could also mention 305/350 cross-fire injection systems, The HT4100, early iron duke 4cyl engines and let’s not for get the Oldsmobile Diesel engines.
Oh my Lord🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️the olds diesels are probably the worst
@@TBCG off track but I got a grand national turbo 3.8 paint shop I had it at messed up engine but thts another convo for another day
Wht I am asking I just left repair shop they telling me they cn fix tht engine but he has a ls aluminum crammed 5.3 and it will be much better so what’s your opinion on it or cn u do a video on the pros and cons of the 2 for me before I make a choice or help with my decision p.s. sorry for long message just don’t want to throw away any money or if I need to let them rebuild old engine (ps I knw everyone says ls is the way of the world 🌍 now
@@dzpracing4938 If resale value is a concern id say rebuild the 3.8, are they doing all the work for free either way?
@Scott B no ironically tht Maaco paint shop was sold within few days after I went bck and whole staff was replaced bew owner said he didn't wnt the old staff for poor work reason and complained so this is out of my pocket expense
@@dzpracing4938 I like the 3.8s but if you want more power then LS. If I had one I’d leave the 3.8 in. Love me an LS swap but that car with the turbo 3.8 is legendary
They can be good engines if they are taken care of and maintained well
My dad has a 98 eldorado and he likes tellin people where his starter is and showing them his water pump setup he needed a special tool for the water pump when it went but it didn't barley work so he had to twist it out with a hammer and a long ass flathead it was all mangled but he brought it to the part store and the guy called em crazy then got him his part lol
Back in 2004 a guy in Birmingham AL, did a Northstar motor swap on a 2000 Chevy Malibu. That thing sounded so good. Was not fast but it sounded good. Wonder if he still has it or that dropped a 5.3 in his BM Chevy Caviler
The first thing that came to mind was when I had to change the starter when I had my Cadillac 😂
Luv ya videos, the Northstar was built by Oldsmobile for indy car racing, they didn't get the contract...so passenger car it went...remember indy car engines are rebuild after every race..hence the weird design and placement of the starter 🤔
Thank you!!! I hate when people call it a Cadillac motor. People need to check out the Oldsmobile Aerotech and understand why AJ Foyt was driving it.
This engine is a great engine. I created the Suregrip Head Studs (US Pat 8,740,532) to fix the one big issue it has. Everything else is basic maintenance and repair.
04 deville dhs. Hear me out,
Starter location does suck but it doesn't take but a hour to remove the intake.
After 03-04 they fixed the head issue from factory with upgraded studs.
Cooling issues stem from a little iron nipple bolt on the thermostat housing little bitty hole stops up from flakes of rust coming off the pressure return line attached to it. I've had my northie for 6 years and dogged the shit out of it. Still runs like a top after I learned the shit to watch out for. At 5000 lbs. This things a fucking rocketship going from 0-112 in less that 13 seconds. Yall go take granny's caddie for a lap with traction control off and keep her in second. Boil the tires to 60. Cool fact. Gm states you can drive a northstar up to 50 miles without coolant. I've done it a few times and she just eats it up. I write this sitting in the front seat of it. I love my caddie😁
It sucks because I always wanted a DTS or a Seville from that era but I never trusted those engines. I really want the Fleetwood and at least that has the LT1 but they're hard to come by since everyone makes them a fucking lowrider🤣
Harold Martin designed the Northstar engine while employed at Ford manufacturer, GM purchased the 32 valve engine and the engineer as well, Harold Martin.
2005 GXP Bonneville had this engine too
HT4100 enters chat: hold my beer and intake manifold gasket
And my headgasket, waterpump, and rod bearings
GM has made pretty bad engines. Not exactly V8 engines but I can name some. 1.5L Turbo, 2.2L, 2.4L, 3.0L V6, 3.6L V6. The 3.6 is okay, but it makes the 3.0L look like a fiat V6 being compared to a Toyota V6. Most of these engines all were known to have excessive oil consumption. Some of these things have been known to burn oil by the quart every couple hundred miles. I’m not saying these engines had the same problems as the North Star. I’m just pointing out some others that were problematic.
Technically it wasn't originally Cadillac's, but instead Oldsmobile's for their Aurora project. GM made Oldsmobile hand their V8 project over after Cadillac threw a fit. Cadillac then reengineered the design of the heads, higher displacement, and viola you have the NorthStar.
Dont forget, replacing the water pump was a pain in the neck. You had to buy a special tool to replace a water pump.
It's 30
Never put ARP head studs in only by the Northstar sure grip kit from Northstar performance it's around $1,500 for the bullet proof kit that fixes the head gasket and The bottom end it will then make your car reliable.
I have a 98 Deville by-passed the heater core, over heating problem solved. If anyone else wants to know the magic trick, Keep in mind you will not have heat. Other than that buy the toughest starter you can afford.215k miles so far.
I own a 2000 eldorado with this engine. Owned it since 2018, and its been the most reliable car Ive owned (its my 5th car) The engine is fine if you dont drive like a maniac.
Yeah, personally lived with a 98(?) Cadillac sts. Was a really nice car until it started overheating. Like fr, I'd be interested in one if the Northstar wasn't destined to die. I know the Northstar improved in 2005 and it makes me want a dts, but definitely not a risk I feel like dealing with.
I went through 2 starters and replaced head gaskets 2 within a year and a half of owning an 04 dts
I might be extremely lucky but I own a northstar buick lucerne with 300k miles. Not rebuilt or anything just well maintained. Haven't had any big issues.
as long as its a 2006 and up its a great motor
I thought the STS V's are decent when it comes to reliability.
They are....they built different than the 4.6 an 4.9
They are very reliable. The LC3 is bullet-proof
I have to run a contrast to your opinion of the Northstar 4.6ltr V8. First ,the quad overhead cam set up was ingenious. They were alloy sprocket,double chain drive units with self tentioning hard nylon adjusting guides. They lasted forever,took a beating and were a new concept in that perticular tech. BUT!!!... The one thing is that for the year 1996 when the Northstar was introduced ,hemispherical heads with 4 valves per cyl. made of alluminum bolting down to an alluminum block was going to be tuogh.. When BMW 535-45 series V8's were along the same lines but didnot have the maintance free chaindrive assy for the 4cam system but just a belt system. So be it ,both BMW and Cadillac used the then standard procedure to bolt allum heads to allum blocks,the method was the headbolt INSERTS in the block. After 80to100thousand miles,the inserts would weaken and pull up ,causing the head gasket to leak. the differnce between BMW V8s and the Northstar V8s is that the Cadillac could be either healy-coiled or several co's invented a new type of insert with bigger bolts and special gasket but when a headbolt insert pulls out of a BMW block,it's junk and has to be scrapped. As for that starter,put a quality one in and take time to put it in right,wiring,insolation pad a d it should last 125kmiles,Baby.That motor rippes. and it's essentially the same as the 4.4ltr 2006-7 STSV supercharged motors that advertized 440hp 430lbtq for 06' cool stuff😁✌️
I got a Northstar in my 2005 Bonneville and the only issue I've had with it was a failed water pump but other than that it's been great
They improved the L37 and LD8 around that time
They also threw this engine in the ‘97 Deville Concourse. The same car my mom had that caught on fire after she started it in Xmas eve 2004. RIP Moms
🕊️🖕🇰🇵⭐️
Tell us about the first gen ctsv Cadillac
All true, at least it gave way to the LS motor ! I would never own a north star motor. The black wing was a winner, just the production cost. On my list to maybe own one day.
LS was around before the northstar. It just cancelled any plans gm had if DOHC V8s.
I know someone that has this engine in thier car it runs quite well. He takes very good care of it. These high performance engines requires little more TLC cause amount power they produce.
I'm not sure if this info is mentioned in the comment section already, but Northstar was also crammed into the 04-05 Pontiac Bonneville GXP and the 06-07 V8 Buick Lucerne. The Northstar NHP was also standard in the 08-11 Buick Lucerne Super, and of course....The Cadillac DTS in that same time frame. I am open for correction on this info.
Had an 09 DTS. Absolutely hated it every second I owned it. Bravo GM
I had a 98 Cadillac Deville, 32 valve. head gasket, went bad oil, pan gasket bad valve cover gaskets. Felt like you were driving on a waterbed. It had a little heat
Cadillac Northstar 4.4 V8 2004-2010 parts from GM 4200 Vortec the same parts are basically interchangeable a cheap budget 5.0 Coyote engine, also Texas Speed has parts for Cadillac North 4.4 V8 engines.
I'll take a Northstar over an HT4100 any day. Starter under the intake isn't that bad since the intake comes off in a few minutes and I'd take that over going under the car. Head bolt factory fix was never studs. Tap the holes, put threadlocked inserts in and use factory fine thread head bolts. Just clarifying the misinformation this video is full of.
It’s a lot northstars still on the road 🤷🏿♂️
You Must Have Newer Heard Of The HT 4100 From The Early 1980's It Was HT AKA HOT Trash & High Temperature, It Always Leaked Antifreeze, BARS Stop Leak Was Factory Installed...It Was So Bad Nobody Will Make An Engine That Size!!!
I had owned two cadillacs, with this engine, they had to be the worst engine in a car that I had ever owned. The first one I gave away to my sister in law, I didn’t have the heart to charge her for the car. This way, when she had problems with it, she would think, I did get the car for free. The second one, I gave to my sister, and I didn’t charge her neither. To this day I have never owned a Cadillac or never will, but, I will lease one, that way I will give it back to them.
The XLR was a luxury C5 Corvette, at a time when the C6 was already out.
People blew the heads right off those garbage engines. You are on point brother!
This young man knows his shit....My hat goes off to U bruh
I had a DTS
Had one got rid of it in 6 months
Not to mention..the 4100 c'mon now let's talk bout it all lol
Now That's The Worst Engine...Hands Down!!!
The 4.1 would always blow head gaskets with its aluminum block and iron heads, just like like the old Vega 4cyl. And, they made very little power so they weren't even fun to drive.
People get mad because these cars are cheap to get into but expensive to repair and maintain. That's when it's a 45/50k car to fix not the 3/5k you bought it for. If you want cheap repairs get a Buick. If you want something that rides like a tank with decent V8 power get the Caddy. If you get a flashed PCM with stage 4 camshafts you will have 360/380hp which really wakes these cars up
I bet you have never driven a Northstar before
Working on this engine was nightmare and it was over heating like crazy
Finally a video that expresses my frustration with these beautiful big body cars. I want to add a 06-11 with updated n* to my fleet but don’t want the bs that come with them
Northstar the worst GM engine ever made? I guess you never heard of the Vega.
05 and newer does not have these problems.
Have had my dts around the country purchased with 111k now has 276k still my daily driver and I’m the only one that has put a wrench on it since 111k miles. Solid all around other then rear main seal has slowly been leaking for over 100k miles and no I’m not replacing it.
Run mobile one very 5k miles
Keep tranny fluid flushed every 25k
Actually, arguably one of the most reliable engines I’ve ever driven If you get 05 and newer. I have had a few 90s nightmare northstars though in my day
I feel some slandering going on here on this engine that everyone loves to hate. Hold up, he said this engine sludges up? First time i've ever heard of that. The earlier Northstar are kind of tragic because it's actually a pretty bulletproof engine besides GM's extremely poor choice in headbolts and the oil leak issue. They fixed these by 2006 though, and i've seen multiple early 2000 Devilles with no oil leak issues. And everyone likes to complain about the starter, but any dumb ass with a socket set can change it out in like 2 hours or less. Way over exaggeration on having to change them every 2 weeks. There's an 04 and an 02 Deville parked outside right now over 140k miles with the original starters.
Only person with a STS-V makin 800hp is Timmy C. Ain't too many got it like dat
I had an 04 eldorado and first thing i thought of was it running hot. Great car other than no one wanted to touch that problem
i got over 200k miles on mine your tripping only had to change my starter twice in 20 years you only had to change them alot if there was a leakage the head studs was changed in 2004 in may actually this motor is a variant from the same motor ran in the indi 500 from 1992 to 1995 it was a dope ass motor that put out work
There's nothing wrong with OHC engines. It's all in the design, configuration and specs.
After headstud upgrade this engine is still worlds better than a 3 valve triton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 the 5.4 3V just CANNOT be fixed
I should add they are notorious for oil leaks, but im vine with keeping rust away 😂
Blackcargura if u and anybody else didn't know new corvette has a Northstar stroked out engine 5.5 engine is a stroked out Northstar and what chevy v8 had two upper camshaft 👀 ?besides nascar chevy racing engine
I got a 97 Seville and if I go and start the bitch and it doesn’t ima blame this video
The operating temp on those engines never made sense to me 220 degrees.
It's a must to up graded with the thicker head studs and metal coolant hose connectors, that Dex (death) cool eats up everything hoses, gaskets, reservoirs
GM has done a lot of stupid shit but one of the worst decisions was putting this engine in large luxury cars and making them front wheel drive. My dad had one and the torque steer was awful.