NORTHSTAR ENGINE PROBLEM - THE HEAD BOLTS PULLED LOOSE CAUSING ENGINE COOLANT TO LEAK INTO THE EXHAUST. HAD INSERTS PUT IN BY LOCAL MECHANIC WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY DONE TWO SUCH REPAIRS (CADILLAC ADVISED THAT IT ONLY HAD A 60% CHANCE OF FIXING THE PROBLEM IF THEY DID THE WORK AND THE COST WOULD BE $3,000 - $4,000). CAR HAD ABOUT 70,000 MILES ON IT AT TIME OF FAILURE. CAR RAN WELL UNTIL OCTOBER 2008 WHEN COOLANT LOSS STARTED AGAIN. HAVE TRIED VARIOUS SEALANT BUT IT IS LIKELY THE HEAD BOLTS AGAIN. AN ALUMINUM BLOCK WITH ALUMINUM HEADS AND HIGH COMPRESSION APPEARS TO BE COMBINE WITH A WEAK DESIGN OF THE HEAD BOLTS. FROM WHAT I HEAR ALL NORTHSTAR'S OF THIS ERA WILL HAVE THIS PROBLEM AT SOME POINT AND THE PROBLEM WAS NOT FIXED UNTIL 2001 OR SO. IT IS SAID THAT A JEG'S MOTOR HAS ADDRESSED THIS PROBLEM BUT AT A COST OF WHAT, $3,000 PLUS INSTALLATION? I LIKE THE CAR BUT IT IS HARD TO WORK ON AND HAS ITS SHARE OF ISSUES. *TR
WHILE DRIVING THE CONSUMER SMELLED FUEL. THE FUEL RAIL DEVELOPED A LEAK, AND FUEL LEAKED ALL OVER THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. *AK THE FUEL RAIL CROSS OVER PIPE BETWEEN THE FUEL INJECTORS, DEVELOPED A PRESSURE FUEL LEAK, AS A RESULT THE FUEL SPRAYED ONTO THE ENGINE. GM CLAIMED TO HAVE NO RECORD OF THE PROBLEM. WHEN THE CONSUMER PICKED UP THE VEHICLE FROM THE DEALER, HE NOTICED THE DEALER HADN'T INSTALLED THE IDENTICAL PART. THE DEALER STATED GM CHANGED THE PART DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH THE FUEL RAIL. THERE WAS A NOISE IN THE ENGINE AREA DUE TO A FAILED WATER PUMP. THE TAIL LAMP BULBS FAILED ALSO. *SCC *JB