99 Caddy DeVille 4.6

[chevyfever]

I am working on this engine and found out that the

plate that is between the oil pan and the crankshaft

bearing cap bridge is cracked.Is there a place where

I can purchase one cause I have ALLDATA and there is

no ilustration of it and can't find it on the internet.

Can anybody help?

[Cadillac Jim]

There are several layers between the crank and the oil pan. The horizontal seam at the level of the crankshaft is between the block and the lower "case half" which includes the main bearing caps, an oil manifold, and a block of aluminum that is essentially the lower portion of the engine block. The cast aluminum oil pan bolts to this assembly. I assume that this is what is cracked.

Cracking this plate is an interesting find. The construction of the Northstar block in this way gives it an enormous bottom-end strength; this engine in 4.0 liter form was run at Indianapolis in many cars for a few years and currently supports 4.2 liter supercharged versions with nearly 600 horsepower. I would try to find out what cracked this component before I went too far in working with that engine.

The simplest way to get another one is from a salvage yard. If they won't sell you just this part, get the entire engine and use it for parts.

[KHE]

I think he's referring to the oil distribution plate - it is about 1/8" thick and is between the oil pan and the lower crankcase half. The plate can be purchased for about $92.00 at gmotors.com. A local dealer may even match gmotor's price.

Do you have the oil distribution plate off the engine? or is the engine still in the car?

[Ranger]

I think you may be talking about #422

422 **581822 MANIFOLD ENG OIL,(INCLS GSKT) K (L37, LD8) 98-99 $98.59

http://www.gmpartsgiant.com/online/Page_Product/PartDetail.aspx?modelYear=1999&model=Deville&make=Cadillac&catalogCode=66O&modelCode=6KD69&seriesCode=6KD&bodyStyleCode=69&engineCode=L37&transCode=MH1&majorIndexID=00&isBigPicture=False&minorIndexID=6M0003901

[KHE]

I think you may be talking about #422

422 **581822 MANIFOLD ENG OIL,(INCLS GSKT) K (L37, LD8) 98-99 $98.59

http://www.gmpartsgiant.com/online/Page_Product/PartDetail.aspx?modelYear=1999&model=Deville&make=Cadillac&catalogCode=66O&modelCode=6KD69&seriesCode=6KD&bodyStyleCode=69&engineCode=L37&transCode=MH1&majorIndexID=00&isBigPicture=False&minorIndexID=6M0003901

Yes - #422 in the drawing is what I was referring to. That part has numerous pressurized oil passages in it and over time and miles, the silicone breaks down and it begins to leak. Many people blame that leak on the case half.