northstar v8

[savannaz34]

hey guys,what is a northstar caddy engine worth,it has 217000 km on it,i can buy it complete with ecm and everything for $250.00.but i dont know anything about them besides they are quad cam(my fav),and it is like the most buetifull engine ive ever seen,love the intake.
plz let me know what you think,like is the milage too high for these motors

thanx

[geoffinbc]

That is a good price if nothing is wrong with it. The late model DOHC engines are great and are very strong. The bottom half of the main bearings are all one unit basically creating a main bearing halo. Unfortunately there is not a lot of support in the aftermarket for any of the Northstar motors.

[savannaz34]

i also found a 4.9 litre v8 fwd,whats the hp on one of these engines?,would it really wake up my z34?

[robertisaar]

the LATEST caddy 4.9s made like ~210HP... boat anchors.

[96monte+94euro]

what year is the N* out of? you dont want anything older than '00, there were some problems with the aluminum alloy on the blocks prior to that causing the head bolts to pull out the threads and blow the head gaskets, only real fix is to put in head studs ~3-5k+ for the job in a caddy (engine has to be removed)

[95SleeperAcheiva]

I bought the catalog for performance mods on this motor from GM, you can view the performance catalog of GM to find the Aurora catalog and order it from local dealer. The northstar motor is the Olds Aurora mill and uses the same port and intake design thats on the 'vette mills. Yes that means the supercharger and FAST intakes bolt right on. It has a list of suppliers and specifics on how to build the motor. Also check with CHRFAB.com. "Cadillac Hot Rod Fabricators" They have some neat parts for them too. The motor can be re-sleeved, they are o-ringed in, and accept anywhere from 3.5L to 5.4L bore/stroke combo. Aurora all aluminum v-8 has been used in closed circuit testing, road courses, and salt flats. I've seen one of these motor duel super-charged and inter-cooled pushing 6k+ HP. They were very popular and extremely fast during the early-mid '90's in indy cars when they pushed for a max engine size of 3.5L which pushed the motor out of use. 1995 indy 500 had 25 cars in it. 24 ran the Olds Aurora, 1 Infinity; and the infinity broke during time trials, typical ricer. It still holds a few records.

I'm halfway through my Aurora conversion in my 1986 olds 88. I also have future plans for an Aurora conversion in an Achieva, but it will require major mods like moving my brake master cylinder, its 4 inchs too close, and the radiator has to be tipped for clearance.

[95SleeperAcheiva]

few other notes. That mill is one expensive whore to rebuild. But worth it. IMO. Also it should fit right into a W-body no problem. The engine cradles match in the measurements I've taken.

[savannaz34]

few other notes. That mill is one expensive whore to rebuild. But worth it. IMO. Also it should fit right into a W-body no problem. The engine cradles match in the measurements I've taken.

can anyone back this up?will it fit pretty easy in my 92 lumina z34?what about the tranny?will mine bolt up to a caddy engine?

[robertisaar]

i've seen a 95 N* MC, but it's a tight fit, even after relocating the fans and possibly the radiator. and if you're thinking about hooking up a 4T60E to a N*, you should not be surprised after 1 launch when the differential eats pavement. a N* NEEDS the 4T80 or a damn good manual trans behind it.

[95SleeperAcheiva]

it's going to be tight. But yes use the 4t80. You'll need the seperate trans controller and I recommend having the trans built by

http://www.transmissioncenter.net/

They have experience with it, talk to the tech department for details, they can get you a trans controller too.

You'll have to swap the hub bearings to match the 4t80 output stub, they bolt right in. as far as axle length I couldn't tell ya, i'm not that far yet.

BTW, the trans bolt pattern is exact except for the bottom back bolt by the trans, it raises 1" so your stuck with specific transmissions. I considered the 4t65 from an intrigue 3.5L, their pattern matches, but transmisioncenter recommended against it.

To get some more ideas on the HP and toque your going to be dealing with, Shelby made a mean little car called a Series 1, look it up.

[robertisaar]

using a PCM from a 94-95 TBI truck(the 7427) looks to work with any of the -e trans with a PCS, and for MUCH cheaper than a TCI unit and with more customization as well.

[96monte+94euro]

IIRC the northstar monte required quite a bit of modification to the cooling system, ALOT of wiring and circuit board construction (last i knew the trunk floor had pretty much covered with wiring and boards) and about $20k+ in work, it also has never run correctly

[robertisaar]

it's running, just rich as hell since the guy decided to piggyback the 93-95 N* PCM instead of going to a different, tuneable PCM. and last i knew, it was around 20K, with a shop doing all of the work, but he also put quite a bit into the motor and it's up to an estimated 450 crank HP.

[95SleeperAcheiva]

chrfab has a setup using Holley commander 950 with their own base program already installed. I ran into the same problem with trying to use a stock aurora pcm, screw that! go MSII, FAST, or holley. I'm personally waiting on finances for the ecu system, then i'll continue her.

[robertisaar]

much cheaper, at least as versatile and hella easier to find replacement parts for tuneable OBD1 PCMs.

i had/have plans for a 16196401 and 16197427 paired together...