bwdriver23 Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 i was looking at a 1999 deville concours with the northstar 32v motor i was wondering if these motors have alot of trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 I have a 95 with the northstar and it's been a very dependable engine for me. I have 190,800 miles on it now and I've really only had to do the fuel pressure regulator and the idle speed control motor under the hood, along with a few coolant lines. Welcome to Caddyinfo WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 31, 2011 Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 The '97 - '99's seemed to have more head gasket problems than most with the '99 being the worst for some reason. Personally, I'd look for a 2000+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93SixtySpecial Posted October 31, 2011 Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 I have almost 260,000 on my 99 Deville. I'm not the original owner, but I have all maintenance history and nothing has ever been done to the engine except a water pump which I did this spring. I'm with Ranger though, I probably won't buy a pre-2000 again event though this one has been good doesn't mean the next one will. -Dusty- 2006 Cadillac DTS Glacier Gold Tri-Coat with 175,000 miles 1993 Cadillac Sixty Special Gold Mist with 185,000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoupeDTS Posted October 31, 2011 Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 Look around the 97-99 are cheap, for a reason. Alot have the beginnings of very costly problems that can cost more than the car itself. Do your homework and check it over properly for signs of head gasket problems and other things and you will be ok. * 1966 Deville Convertible * 2007 Escalade ESV Black on Black * 1996 Fleetwood Brougham Black on Black V4P -Gone* 1983 Coupe Deville Street/Show Lowrider -Gone* 1970 Calais 4dr Hardtop GONE* 2000 Deville DTS - Silver with Black Leather and SE grille GONE* 1999 Seville STS - Pearl Red GONE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Look for bubbles in the paint on the valve covers, that is a sure sign of overheating. Check the codes to see if there are any "current" codes or check the others to see if it points to a potential problem. Post your findings and someone will explain the codes. Get service records if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 CarFAX -- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data -- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Look for bubbles in the paint on the valve covers, that is a sure sign of overheating. That is not a deal breaker or an indication of an engine problem. My '96 STS had bubbling in the paint on the cam covers and it never had an overheating or headgasket issue. It was more like a paint adhedion issue. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike5514 Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 In my opinion the Northstar is highly dependable my self and others have reported over 100000 trouble free miles on this engine. It would seem the weak point is the Head Gasket issue. Wrong! The weak point is proper maintenance. Long life anti freeze is to long it looses its ability to protect the gasket from corrosion it has to be changed sooner. (Overheating) owners let their cars overheat very bad for aluminum engines can lead to HG failure. Surge tank! Owners putting stop leak or pellets in the surge tank instead of the lower radiator hose can cause overheating and eventual HG failure. Bad diagnosing a member was told by a dealer that they needed head gaskets because they had a rough idle at start up. Not necessarily so Its more likely its just that the engine is in open loop. I had smoke coming out my tale pipe and was told by a friend It was head gaskets. NOT! My 97 overheated,ran rough in open loop and smoked at start up the Fix was a radiator cap. The cap would not hold pressure allowing coolant to escape the surge tank and eventually resulting in over heating. To properly check a Northstar for a bad HG you have to do a block check and a coolant system pressure check both these test kits can be rented from auto zone (deposit only) They are extremely easy to do and fast. Before you go for your test drive take the pressure tester and test the system and the cap go for a test drive stop at auto zone let the engine cool and check for hydrocarbons in the surge tank very simple just follow instructions. Make sure the coolant in the surge tank has had time to collect the gasses (its not fresh). If on your test drive the car starts to over heat stop let it cool and remove the line to the surge tank if there is no flow that is likely your problem (air pockets). This is not a 100% guarantee but its got to be in the upper 90s that at that moment the HGs are not compromised.Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Nearly all Northstar head gasket issues are on cars with over 100,000 miles on them and over seven years old, most of which have never had a coolant change - because the big thing about the OAT "red" anti-freeze introduced in most new cars about 1996 was that it was good for 150,000 miles or five years, whichever came first. Since few private owners drive more than 50,000 miles a year, the time limit always hit first. About two years after the coolant goes acid, head leakage appears. It happened to me, and I got a Jasper remanufactured engine at 116,500 miles and didn't look back. My car is still a no-codes car and I love it. -- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data -- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 In my opinion the Northstar is highly dependable my self and others have reported over 100000 trouble free miles on this engine. It would seem the weak point is the Head Gasket issue. Wrong! The weak point is proper maintenance. Not necessarily true Mike. I've heard of more than one person who has suffered from failed HG's and had done regular coolant changes at 2-3 year intervals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted tcb Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 In my opinion the Northstar is highly dependable my self and others have reported over 100000 trouble free miles on this engine. It would seem the weak point is the Head Gasket issue. Wrong! The weak point is proper maintenance. Not necessarily true Mike. I've heard of more than one person who has suffered from failed HG's and had done regular coolant changes at 2-3 year intervals. Agreed. I don't think anyone will accuse Mike (BBF) of neglected maintenance, and his HG failed on his DeVille. Some have luck with neglected Northstars, some have problems with well maintained cars. Hit or miss. 1989 FWD Fleetwood, Silver 1995 STS Crimson Pearl on Black leather 1997 STS Diamond White 1999 STS Crimson Pearl 2001 STS Silver 2003 STS, Crimson Pearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike5514 Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Ted and ranger I agree there are going to be HG failures no matter how good the maintenance is that's a given the same with ford,chevy bmw, did not mean to imply that all HG failures are maintenance related. My apologies to all. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwdriver23 Posted November 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 thanks everyone for the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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