Northstar removal at wrecking yard

[jfreezn]

Question: I have been reading my 94 shop manual and to remove the engine you must remove the starter. I have never seen the starter but suspect it overlaps the flywheel and may break off at the mounting point. Can any who has BTDT care to comment? Is this a must do?

Also, the manual recommends marking the flywheel to the torque converter so that TC may be reinstalled to the same bolt holes. Balance may/may not be afffected. Does anyone feel this is a must?

I am about to pull a Northstar at the local pick and pull, $99 complete with accessories, and I have a 50% off coupon. I have a choice of a 93 STS or a 94 ETC, both had the Z rated tire option so should be the high horsepower units. Does Cadillac maintain a computerized service history if I get the VIN? Maybe I'll catch one with head serts dealer installed.

Finally, if I install either of the ECUs (computer) in my 94 ETC, will my car display the mileage of the doner units?

Thanks,

Jim in Phoenix

[KHE]

The flexplate (flywheel) comes out with the engine. I would remove the starter prior to engine removal - that way, the nose of the starter won't hang up on the transmission bell housing. You need to remove the intake anyway as part of the engine removal and once the intake is out, two more bolts and the starter is out. I marked the relationship of the flexplate to the torque converter when I removed my engine. On a junkyard engine, it doesn't matter as you're not taking the trans. with you. If you are, I'd mark it. BTW, the flexplate to torque converter bolts were really tight on mine... Plan on a breaker bar and universals.

The coolant crossover pipes at the back of the engine are a PITA to remove too - I had to lower the front of the engine cradle to gain enough room to remove the bolts from the pipe retainers.

You will need to get under the car to disconnect numerous brackets, etc. It is a BIG job - I wouldn't plan on showing up to the junkyard on a Saturday morning and expect to have it out by noon. You might want to pull the engine and trans. together and then separate them once they are out of the car.

[mikeal1892]

Sounds like your getting a deal !

Michael -

[navion]

Question: I have been reading my 94 shop manual and to remove the engine you must remove the starter. I have never seen the starter but suspect it overlaps the flywheel and may break off at the mounting point. Can any who has BTDT care to comment? Is this a must do?

Also, the manual recommends marking the flywheel to the torque converter so that TC may be reinstalled to the same bolt holes. Balance may/may not be afffected. Does anyone feel this is a must?

I am about to pull a Northstar at the local pick and pull, $99 complete with accessories, and I have a 50% off coupon. I have a choice of a 93 STS or a 94 ETC, both had the Z rated tire option so should be the high horsepower units. Does Cadillac maintain a computerized service history if I get the VIN? Maybe I'll catch one with head serts dealer installed.

Finally, if I install either of the ECUs (computer) in my 94 ETC, will my car display the mileage of the doner units?

Thanks,

Jim in Phoenix

If you are pulling the engine alone, the stater Must come off first! At the price you quote, I would buy them both! Caddy may or may not have the service history. As the cars got older, many cars were repaired at places other than the dealers. If you have a 94 ETC, then, all else being equal, that is the engine that I would buy.

I bought an "experienced engine", and it did not have the flex plate. I used my old one with no issues.

As far ast the ECU question, I don't know, but I would suppose that the milage would be contained in the body computer.

$99 is a heck of a deal! If possible, I would like to hear them run first, if I were you.

Britt

[Logan]

Marking the flywheel/ converter relationship is common practice. If the engine is going into another car, it makes no difference.

What you are trying to avoid is creating some new strange vibration issue..

[Logan]

I should add...

The mileage is stored in the IPC/ cluster. It is not stored in the PCM.

[jfreezn]

I should add...

The mileage is stored in the IPC/ cluster. It is not stored in the PCM.

Thanks, Logan and all, for your comments. I saw how the nose of the starter overhangs the flywheel and would require additional movement of the block to clear the transmission. I should be able to power up the cluster and get the mileage, if I want to. I did get the PCM and most of the wire harness.

I got the engine out about 2PM Saturday. The biggest hang up was the rear exhaust header. Next time, I might set up my tilting lift front to rear like one of the listers did. The manual recommended the tilting lift, but did not show a picture of it in use.

I found the nose of the starter was broken off when I removed the intake as per the book. Is this a common occurence? this may well have been the final straw that broke the PO's spirit, or pocketbook. I also found a nest in the intake valley which some vermin had started.

Also, of the 4 main bolts that hold the engine to the transmission, the rear lower one was missing, and front lower one was loose. the bottom plate was tight though. Don't know if the trans could move around enough to break the starter. The torque converter looked fairly new and was painted black.

Sunday was Easter and no work was done.

My brother and his son have a tubing bender and both are building dune buggies. These engines are very popular and lot of accesories exist to mount them in a conventional direction. Even if this engine never gets in a car, it will be fun to run it on a test stand.

More later. PS it is 50 cent day for auto part listings on EBAY tomorrow.

Jim in Phoenix