airmike Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 There are over a million Northstar engines out there. About 15% of them (see survey elsewhere on this site) have head gasket problems. Most head gasket problems follow a period of four to seven years without a cooling system flush, which is required every three to four years with red antifreeze. The North Star is the standard for navigation and has been for thousands of years. I'm sorry you had bad luck with your car. Please come back when we can help you. I don't know if you appreciate this comment Jim, but I have to say: that is a perfect response IMO. It gets the point, (no thanks for negative posts) without being degrading or combative or inviting such! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneDollarSaab Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 I recently discovered the block was cracked on a 2004 XLR with 89k miles. Was doing research and could not find anybody with anything remotely similar happening to their Northstar LH2. Complete service records are unavailable for this vehicle but I suspect past overheating to be the cause. The crack is horizontal and appears to have started on the front passenger side of the top half of the block, behind the A/C + P/S bracket near the bottom of the water jacket. A borescope was necessary to identify the source of leaking coolant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Nunnally Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 Good luck with the engine repair. I see that Speedway has some number of LH2 engines posted inexpensively http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Cadillac-46L-LH2-Northstar-Street-Rod-Crate-Engine,43127.html This engine is being offered to be installed in a street rod or 'non' Cadillac application. Speedway Motors makes no guarantee of fit or application if it is intended to be installed into an o/e make/model Cadillac application. Which I think means they don't want any detailed "will it fit my year / model of Cadillac?" questions? The only application information that we have available is shown bleow. 2004–2009 Cadillac XLR 320 hp (239 kW) @ 6400 rpm 310 lb•ft (420 N•m) @ 4400 rpm Production 2006 Cadillac XLR RWD LH2 4.6 VIN Code Y V-8 Broadcast Code JBA 12577431 Production # 89017549 replaced by 19178925 Goodwrench # 2004 - 2009 Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterset Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 Since joining this site over 10 years ago, this is the 2nd confirmed crack. When i first read this topic i thought it was new, then reading, i recalled the 2013 post - which was the first crack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneDollarSaab Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Here is a link to images of the crack - not highest quality but given the location it's the best that could be done: http://imgur.com/a/pKbIr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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