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Northstar engine

covetsthesun
Explorer
Explorer
DH & I have been thinking of buying a Caddy DTS. A good friend of ours just got slammed with a $5800.00 repair bill to replace "the seal" in his Caddy.

He was told it wasn't a matter of if the seal would fail... only when. So.. the cream puff we were looking at could have a ticking time bomb. I've heard that the Northstar engines did have a seal issue. But didn't know it was this big of a deal.

I'd like to know more about this. Just what exactly is the problem with the Northstar seals? Should I avoid this engine and find a different vehicle? Those DTS seats are very comfy...

cts
32 REPLIES 32

skidooman93
Explorer
Explorer
4.6 Northstar engines have 3 very expensive common failures. As was stated earlier headgaskets, and the tcc solenoid in the 4t80 transmission, and the upper oil pan gasket (otherwise known as a bed plate) it holds the crank in place. It seals to the engine block, and the regular oil pan bolts to it. The sealer between the upper oil pan is poor and requires engine removal and most of the engine to be disassembled to reseal it.
2015 Ram 2500 SB 6.7 Cummins, 68RFE Rear Air Suspension
2015 Ram 2500 SB 6.4 Hemi 4.10's Rear Coil Springs (Sold)
Anderson UCH
2014 Open Range 367BHS
1 wife, 1 Son, 1 Daughter, 1 Red Lab that wont come in the camper because hes a big baby, so he stays home.

Big_Katuna
Explorer II
Explorer II
Strangely, the water pump was the easiest water pump to replace I have ever done.
15 minutes the first time and
I think I could do it in 5 now.
My Kharma ran over my Dogma.

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Explorer
turbojimmy wrote:
Turtle n Peeps wrote:
And then there was the issue of where the starter was mounted on the Northstar. :R Wooo Hoo!!!

Don't know which would be more fun; jabbing a pencil through my hand, pulling a 6.0 engine or putting a new starter on a Northstar. :B


Eh. It's under the intake manifold. Not too hard to get at. I was happy not to have to get under the car to replace it.


Ya, I always love pulling the intake manifold just to put a starter on. Almost as much fun as pulling a cab just to pull the heads off a motor. :R
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~


"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"

"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."- Abraham Lincoln

turbojimmy
Explorer
Explorer
Turtle n Peeps wrote:
And then there was the issue of where the starter was mounted on the Northstar. :R Wooo Hoo!!!

Don't know which would be more fun; jabbing a pencil through my hand, pulling a 6.0 engine or putting a new starter on a Northstar. :B


Eh. It's under the intake manifold. Not too hard to get at. I was happy not to have to get under the car to replace it.
1984 Allegro M-31 (Dead Metal)

lbrjet
Explorer
Explorer
My 87 year old father has 90K miles on his '99 Deville and never an engine problem. He has never maintained it well either. I can't believe that car is still running but it does. They got rid of their '92 Safari van last year. Again, not maintained well but ran forever.
2010 F250 4X4 5.4L 3.73 LS
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equalizer E4 1200/12000

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Explorer
And then there was the issue of where the starter was mounted on the Northstar. :R Wooo Hoo!!!

Don't know which would be more fun; jabbing a pencil through my hand, pulling a 6.0 engine or putting a new starter on a Northstar. :B
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~


"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"

"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."- Abraham Lincoln

dodge_guy
Explorer II
Explorer II
You may want to look at a Lincoln Towncar or a Grand Marquis? They ride just as nice and have no issues.
Wife Kim
Son Brandon 17yrs
Daughter Marissa 16yrs
Dog Bailey

12 Forest River Georgetown 350TS Hellwig sway bars, BlueOx TrueCenter stabilizer

13 Ford Explorer Roadmaster Stowmaster 5000, VIP Tow>
A bad day camping is
better than a good day at work!

covetsthesun
Explorer
Explorer
Turbo Jimmy, I empathize with your Mom. There really isn't anything out there that compares and believe me we have spent the last two years looking. We are starting to feel like real dinosaurs for wanting a cushy ride. Our 04 Silverado has more amenities than some "luxury" vehicles. Better seats too. We'll keep that truck till it disintegrates.

cts

turbojimmy
Explorer
Explorer
covetsthesun wrote:
Ahh jeeze Turbo Jimmy! All that work and poof. We understand the pain there. We had a 95 Caddy Deville Concourse... g o r g e o u s! Rode like the land yacht it was and great gas mileage. I drove it through the mountains several times and that thing was a beast. Long story short... it met it's end in FL during a staged accident. Some moron in a pick up truck swooped in front of DH causing a rear end collision. We had just had the tranny rebuilt...new tires..etc. Insurance totalled it due to cost to repair and age. It was drivable...but needed a bit of work. After much hassle with the insurance company we got a check and a friend got it for salvage. It was parted out to other Caddy's on a waiting list. I guess it lives on.
FL is ground zero for staged accidents BTW.

We had a 2006 DTS..pale blue with the special paint that shimmers... loved, loved, loved that car. It, however.. was a bit of a drama queen. Every time DH got a bonus check that car just knew... and wanted it. Now. So the "ice queen" was sold. Still... there's just something about those Caddies.


Yeah my '95 was a Concours. It was a great car. The rear subframe rotted out from underneath it so I had to junk it. No mechanical problems though.

That wrecked DTS was White Diamond - the triple coat that changed color depending on how you viewed it. Did I mention it was a flood total that I rebuilt myself after hundreds of hours of labor? I called it the White Zombie. I sold it (wrecked) to a guy that was to take the $1,000 exhaust system off of it and junk it. But no, he never titled it and sold it someone else who rebuilt it. But before he rebuilt it he left it for months in an apartment complex in Fort Lee NJ. The White Zombie returns. Warrant issued for my arrest for failure to appear in court to answer the tickets that were piling up on the car that I didn't know about. I was able to sort that out, but as far as I know that stupid thing is still on the road somewhere.

My mom is still driving her '06 DTS. It's seen better days, but mechanically it's just fine. Since they stopped making big Cadillacs she's not sure what to get next.
1984 Allegro M-31 (Dead Metal)

covetsthesun
Explorer
Explorer
I thought the Northstar was still a problem for the seal leaks, gaskets and bolts even after 2005. Was I mistaken?
cts

covetsthesun
Explorer
Explorer
Ahh jeeze Turbo Jimmy! All that work and poof. We understand the pain there. We had a 95 Caddy Deville Concourse... g o r g e o u s! Rode like the land yacht it was and great gas mileage. I drove it through the mountains several times and that thing was a beast. Long story short... it met it's end in FL during a staged accident. Some moron in a pick up truck swooped in front of DH causing a rear end collision. We had just had the tranny rebuilt...new tires..etc. Insurance totalled it due to cost to repair and age. It was drivable...but needed a bit of work. After much hassle with the insurance company we got a check and a friend got it for salvage. It was parted out to other Caddy's on a waiting list. I guess it lives on.
FL is ground zero for staged accidents BTW.

We had a 2006 DTS..pale blue with the special paint that shimmers... loved, loved, loved that car. It, however.. was a bit of a drama queen. Every time DH got a bonus check that car just knew... and wanted it. Now. So the "ice queen" was sold. Still... there's just something about those Caddies.

covetsthesun
Explorer
Explorer
Dadoffourgirls wrote:
covetsthesun - I know you like the big Cadillac's. You may also want to search for a Buick Lucerne. I drove both a DTS and a Buick Lucerne in the 2008-2010 time frame. The Lucerne had a great ride, and came with the 3.9 engine.

I also love the 2014 CTS Sedan. Not so plush, but a great driving/riding car. (I could give you a great deal if you can convince my wife to drive a 2016 Colorado CC long-box diesel!)


Does the CTS have the same engine issues? And, oh yes, I certainly do love the big Caddies. There is just nothing like them for ride and comfort. And... they are good to look at. Much of the newer lines are not comfortable to me. I might be interested in a Colorado if it had great seats. I'm very partial to 8 way or 10 way power seats with lumbar. Due to some very nasty car accidents, heated seats are a real blessing to me.

We've been looking at older vehicles that are less expensive to use as a daily driver. I'd still like something that is road trip worthy as well.

thanks
cts

dodge_guy
Explorer II
Explorer II
Pass it up. They are a maint Nightmare and expensive at over 80k miles! Same goes for any Euroean car. Stick with a Japanese car or any of the regular big 3 cars.
Wife Kim
Son Brandon 17yrs
Daughter Marissa 16yrs
Dog Bailey

12 Forest River Georgetown 350TS Hellwig sway bars, BlueOx TrueCenter stabilizer

13 Ford Explorer Roadmaster Stowmaster 5000, VIP Tow>
A bad day camping is
better than a good day at work!

turbojimmy
Explorer
Explorer
Winged One wrote:
It probably is just a matter of time, but honestly, didn't expect them to still be driving now. Sure is pretty and comfortable. And the DW parents are thrilled. They only drive it in town. They never thought they would own a Cadillac. ๐Ÿ™‚


Setting the known issues aside, they are really great cars. Very powerful (my '01 was the higher output DTS), very smooth and with every amenity you can imagine. I said it already but I absolutely loved that car. Right after I did all that transmission work my DTS met its maker by way of a cop blowing a YIELD sign in his unmarked Explorer. Shoved that thing out of the way like it wasn't even there. The Deville's size and weight make them pretty safe, too.

1984 Allegro M-31 (Dead Metal)