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| Any Northstar people? (Page 2/3) |
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Will
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JUL 13, 01:45 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by copperhens:
Northstar Performance makes a a head stud kit that’s not cheap($600), but should do the trick. I ended up buying one since I had the whole engine apart anyway. My engine appeared to have a leaky head gasket by the damage to one of the cylinders. |
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Unless your block is really corroded (IE, you should find another block), TimeSerts are perfectly adequate. All studs do is make it impossible to deck the block.[This message has been edited by Will (edited 07-13-2020).]
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Will
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JUL 13, 01:54 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:
Never did the N* swap but in reading about that engine the early ones had problems with head bolts pulling out and head gasket failures. Apparently that was fixed. Don't know what years to avoid. Will seems to be the N* man here, so I would ask his opinion.
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| quote | Originally posted by sourmash:
Supposedly they rectified the situation by the 2005 model year and by then it had a steel crank too. But the 2006 to 2011 has some other advancements that make tuning more agreeable. |
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Yeah, there have been some hardware updates throughout the years.
'93-'99: 32x wheel, cam sensor on right exhaust, crank sensors on the front side of the block straddling the crank centerline, waste spark ignition with 4-coil pack. The Shelby ECU and '7730 V6 DIS code have run these engines
'00-'05: Unique 24x wheel, cam sensor on right exhaust, coil on plug ignition. Roller valvetrain with followers common to Ecotec and Atlas engines (and later high feature V6's) and improved intake manifold introduced in '00. Other than the factory ECU with 4T80E autotragic, I've only ever known of a Big Stuff 3 ECU used to control this one. There were significant hardware changes, including the forged crank and 11x2.0 head bolts, implemented in '04. The 11x2.0 head bolts eliminated the prior engines' problem with stress corrosion cracking of the 11x1.5 head bolt threads.
'06-'11: 58x wheel with crank & knock sensors in the valley, cam sensor with 4x cam wheel on the right intake. Pretty much any 58x ECU should work.[This message has been edited by Will (edited 07-13-2020).]
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Zac88GT
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JUL 14, 10:49 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Will:
'00-'05: Unique 24x wheel, cam sensor on right exhaust, coil on plug ignition. Roller valvetrain with followers common to Ecotec and Atlas engines (and later high feature V6's) and improved intake manifold introduced in '00. Other than the factory ECU with 4T80E autotragic, I've only ever known of a Big Stuff 3 ECU used to control this one. There were significant hardware changes, including the forged crank and 11x2.0 head bolts, implemented in '04. The 11x2.0 head bolts eliminated the prior engines' problem with stress corrosion cracking of the 11x1.5 head bolt threads.
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We used a megasquirt and ford edis8 ignition system to run the one in my friends Esprit. When we started the project he was supposedly getting a '99 engine, but when it showed up it was a '00. So we had to find something to make it work.
https://youtu.be/LxLN5a5q_Lk
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Will
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JUL 15, 07:36 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by Zac88GT:
We used a megasquirt and ford edis8 ignition system to run the one in my friends Esprit. When we started the project he was supposedly getting a '99 engine, but when it showed up it was a '00. So we had to find something to make it work.
https://youtu.be/LxLN5a5q_Lk |
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What did you do to correctly interpret the crank sensor pulse train?
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Zac88GT
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JUL 15, 11:02 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by Will:
What did you do to correctly interpret the crank sensor pulse train? |
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We cheated a bit because we didn't use the Northstar wheel or sensors. We mounted a new 36-1 ford trigger wheel on the crank pulley.
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Will
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JUL 15, 03:18 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Zac88GT:
We cheated a bit because we didn't use the Northstar wheel or sensors. We mounted a new 36-1 ford trigger wheel on the crank pulley. |
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LOL!
So the count of '00-'05 Northstar run by an aftermarket ECU on the stock wheel still stands at 1.
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sourmash
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JUL 15, 09:54 PM
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Occasionally on the Cadillac Forum someone asks about using the LS4 in place of the problem years of Northstar. It's pretty annoying to read the same replies from the same person who doesn't agree with the proposition. Today my favorite yard placed a gorgeous black 03 STS. No damage. You know it's an engine failure and they just threw the car away for a few hundred dollars.
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Will
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JUL 16, 10:08 AM
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The repair makes the engine bullet proof, but is labor-intensive. With the depreciation of luxury cars, particularly Cadillacs, the economics of repairing frequently don't work out.
These guys rebuild Northstars: https://www.cadillac46northstarengines.com/
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sourmash
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JUL 16, 09:41 PM
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What is the cost of a Northstar head repair job? LS4s are cheap right now and bulletproof on their own. The upside hp is easier to get to. My '09 I pulled with trans, ecu, gas pedal and harness was $500. It doesn't need $600 in head threading repair to get it to just being normal again (before labor). It needs a cam and lifters and will be better than it was.
The Caddie is a throw-away because of the several thousand dollar repair to the Northstar, and you still have less power with no aftermarket support. The N* sound is very nice but I'm a little underwhelmed at the power when I drive my DTS. A 400ish LS in there would be fairly easy and have room for a turbo for 500.
This car made me a little sad. It's pretty nice. For less money in repairs it could walk the Northstar.
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Will
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JUL 17, 10:09 AM
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If that's the direction you want to go, go that direction.
Northstar is still easier to fit in a Fiero.
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