SLING-BLADE Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 just like to start out by saying im new here and i have alot to say! Im 17 and i have a 2000 caddy with a blown head gasket and it has been setting in front of my house for close to a year. I had it looked at and quoted by a local shop and they said it was leeking coolant into number 6 and 8 cylinders. they quoted me about $3000 to $4000 for parts and labor to fix the head gasket and $7000 to for a new motor, $4000 for the motor and the rest for labor. the reason these are so high is because the shop mechanic said that the block and heads would have to be heli coiled. i need to know if all of this is true and if it is a project i can do my self. i am very knowledgeable of cars for my age so dont let that fool you. also how hard is it to heli coil the heads? i have ppl that can help me also do i have to remove the motor to change the head gasket/helicoil the block? i have heard that blue devil has changed there formula to work on northstar motors? is this a cheap possibility??? this is a beautiful car and i hate to see it sit there, i will do anything to see it go to good use. even if i have to sell it as is of part it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Forget the repairs in a bottle. They may buy you some time, but will not last. You must drop the drivetrain to replace the HG's. DO NOT use Helicoils. That is a guaranteed failure. Use studs http://www.northstarperformance.com or Norm's inserts http://huhnsolutions.com/ If you do the job, get a FSM by Helm Inc, NOT Chiltons or Haynes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 DO NOT let the mechanic in question touch the car. The fact that he mentions Heilicoils for the Northstar indicates he knows nothing about the engine. He will screw it up and then deny responsibility. A Heilicoil will rip out of the block when the heads are torqued down. The factory approved repair method is to Timesert all 20 head bolt holes. There is nothing to do on the heads except remove them from the engine. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike5514 Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Lets start at the beginning I dont trust the mechanic you should not either. Go to autozone and rent a radiator tester and a block tester no.27145 deposit only. You will have to pay for the test fluid no.25739. Now I dont know if your car will start but you can do a system pressure test including the cap. Look for leaks if there are any maybe you can tighten a clamp or bolt etc to stop them. Next if you can start the car do the block test. If the fluid stays blue and the system pressure holds. There would be a good possibility that you do not have a head gasket failure. So far you will be out about 8 bucks and a trip to the store. If the car runs and overheats check the purge line for flow that is the line going into the surge tank. Now if the HG block test comes out negative there are mechanics that can fix it in the car some will come to your house the prices are 2000.00 and up. As mechanics become more familiar with the Northstar they are getting better at fixing it. Start simple it is good you came to this forum the members here can help you immensely knowledge is almost everything.Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Anyone that says to use HELI COILS in a NorthStar... RUN don't walk, as far away from them as you can get. They don't know much, if anything, about a NorthStar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLING-BLADE Posted October 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 well thanks everyone for your input, it has helped me out alot at this point there is only one thing left to do. im ether going to put it on craigslist ( whole car or part out ) for a reasonable price and see if anyone is crazy enough to buy it. Or take it to a local scrap yard. the car was passed down to me by my mother who loved the car and hates to see what happened to it and so do I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 The car can be fixed. Several people on this forum have did it. You just have to take the engine out... pull the heads, then either use Timeserts, or use the studs from Jake... http://www.timesert.com/ http://www.northstarperformance.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLING-BLADE Posted October 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 im afraid that is too much work for me, dont have a lift or the experience. If it can be done with the engine in the car, its fair game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Where is this car located? Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 Some mechanics probably use "helicoil" instead of "timesert" to make it more understandable to the clients. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLING-BLADE Posted October 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 The car is located in northern indiana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 im afraid that is too much work for me, dont have a lift or the experience. If it can be done with the engine in the car, its fair game! You don't need a lift. While a lift would make the job easier, it is not necessary. I gained expierence by repairing my car that I bought with blown head gaskets. 60,000 miles later, it is still running strong. The job can be done with the engine in the car but it is much more work. The exhaust manifold bolts would be very difficult to access. Removing the water pump crossover would be absolutely horrible. It is MUCH easier to remove the engine and mount it to a stand - I started to repair my car with the engine in the car but quickly realized I was better off to remove the engine. Where in Northern Indiana is your car? Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike5514 Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 Why don't you do the test I posted in my earlier post. They are cheap fast and extremely easy.Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 I saw a 99 Sts with bad heads and 74k miles sell for 2200. Little high for my tastes. So your car may be worth similar money. Don't just give it away. In my town, I would get a parking ticket in 1day. You must have lenient cops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilliams Posted October 15, 2011 Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 I just had my heads done last week by northstar performance, this guy knows what hes doing, he doesnt use timeserts or helicoils he has a patended a head bolt for these engines and give a 100000 mile warranty or 5 year, this guy was super fussy and it cost me 2200 bones, well worth the shipping if need be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tysona23 Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 You can pull the engine out of the hood access right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHL2T Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 From what I've read on here, it can be done either way, through the top of drop the whole thing. A daunting task in either case Don't let your first ride be your last ride in a Cadillac! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 I just had my heads done last week by northstar performance, this guy knows what hes doing, he doesnt use timeserts or helicoils he has a patended a head bolt for these engines and give a 100000 mile warranty or 5 year, this guy was super fussy and it cost me 2200 bones, well worth the shipping if need be Has anyone else had exprience with this type of fix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 I just had my heads done last week by northstar performance, this guy knows what hes doing, he doesnt use timeserts or helicoils he has a patended a head bolt for these engines and give a 100000 mile warranty or 5 year, this guy was super fussy and it cost me 2200 bones, well worth the shipping if need be I would like to know more about these patended head bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 Paul this is Northstar Performance's studs (this fellow refers to them as head bolts), we (and you I think) already have knowledge of these studs, no? http://northstarperformance.com/ PS: this is my 20,000th post, Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 I just had my heads done last week by northstar performance, this guy knows what hes doing, he doesnt use timeserts or helicoils he has a patended a head bolt for these engines and give a 100000 mile warranty or 5 year, this guy was super fussy and it cost me 2200 bones, well worth the shipping if need be I would like to know more about these patended head bolts. http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=24002 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 Paul this is Northstar Performance's studs, we and you I think have knowledge of these studs, no? http://northstarperformance.com/ PS: this is my 20,000th post, ..... Congratulations Mike... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 Thanks Jim! Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 Paul this is Northstar Performance's studs (this fellow refers to them as head bolts), we (and you I think) already have knowledge of these studs, no? http://northstarperformance.com/ PS: this is my 20,000th post, Nice! The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 Paul this is Northstar Performance's studs (this fellow refers to them as head bolts), we (and you I think) already have knowledge of these studs, no? http://northstarperformance.com/ PS: this is my 20,000th post, After having read the article attached to the link, I do now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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