2006 Lucerne CXS - Head Gasket replacement advice/ direction requested!

[Smiley-EL]

Hello everyone!
Just ordered a head gasket set and head bolts. I am unhappy with the quotes I've been receiving from shops and individuals to fix my leaking head gasket, so I'm going to do it myself. Will someone help with this? The guy who was supposed to help me with this must have thought I was just talking when I said I'd do it myself. He told me he'd help me but when I went to his house to tell him all of the parts were on the way he said he didn't have time to mess with it...
Is there anyone willing to offer me some guidance here? I can follow instructions and will rent the tools.

Thanks men and ladies.

 

[polarzak]

Go get yourself a Lucerne shop manual or even a Haynes manual and follow the instructions. You will have instant instructions and not have to wait for replies, or get bad information. It is a big job, time consuming, and not for the timid. If you have to rent the tools, than I would suggest you are not terribly handy, and perhaps this might be a tad over your head. If my observation is inaccurate, then buy the Haynes and give it a whirl. If you get stuck or need some clarification, come back here and I am sure someone will offer some help.

 

[MelsRegal]

have you considered using a product called Steel Seal
https://www.steelseal.com/

 

[Kildysartkid]

With a Northstar engine it's not as simple as just replacing the head gaskets you will have to drill and tap the block and install Time-sert inserts or use studs. If you attempt to just torque new bolts into the original holes in the block the threads will give way. Early model year Northstar up to 2004 were a disaster for head gaskets and then they made a design change which helped improve the problem. I had a Cadillac Deville in which I replaced the head gaskets with the engine still in the car, (no easy task) most take the motor right out of the car. I used Time-serts because you cannot use the studs method with the engine still in the car. It is a hell of a job and you need to have the skills and patience. I work as a maintenance machinist and do a lot of my own auto repairs and it was a challenge. If you go to this site www.cadillacforums.com and do a search for head gasket replacement you will get a feel for what you are getting into and lots of helpful tips if you are game. I have a post on there outlining my experience under the same user name as above but couldn't find it today All the best Jim

 

[polarzak]

With a Northstar engine

There is no mention that it is a NorthStar engine. It could be a 3.8

 

[Kildysartkid]

Its a CXS so therefore a 4.6 Northstar, I am of the opinion all CXS are 4.6, am I mistaken.

 

[polarzak]

Apparently not. The V8 was an option in the CXL, which I did not choose when I bought mine in 06. I wanted a CXS, but it came standard with the V8. Long time ago, and I didn't read the header.

 

[Keith Hansen]

If it's the rear head you've got problems. It is extremely difficult to remove with the engine in the car. There's just no room between the head and the firewall. So now you're removing motor mounts, transmission mounts, exhaust system, etc., in order to rock the engine forward to get the head out of there. You do all that you might as well pull the engine so you can do the bolt work (the inserts or studs) more easily. Removing the engine is difficult too. Some mechanics lower the whole front cradle (which holds the engine/transmission/front suspension) or raise the body off of the cradle to get the engine out or the heads off. Either way, lots of work. That's why the quotes you got are so high. Tons of labor. Then there's the whole insert thing to make the bolts hold. The heads are aluminum, so is the block, so they are weaker than steel, so that's why you have to do the studs or the inserts.

Those are the facts: The following is my opinion based on experience and common sense: Quite often the head gasket doesn't fail so much as the head loosens up because the bolts can't hold anymore. The result is the same (loss of compression, water and oil mixing etc.) and so it's called a head gasket leak.
Head gasket repair stuff mostly won't work with this problem for three reasons: One, because it just doesn't work if the leak is from the combustion chamber. Combustion causes huge amounts of pressure that push any sealant AWAY from the leak. Yes, vacuum will suck it in as the piston draws down, but compression and combustion will blow it right back out. And 2) if it's not really the head gasket but the bolts losing their grip, the gasket repair stuff can't possibly seal it up. Too much surface area is leaking. If these kits are going to work at all, the leaks have to be pretty small and something (water pressure, vacuum etc.) has to be forcing the sealant into the leak. Not to mention that 3) most of the time these head gasket seal and/or block repair kits just don't work anyway. I had a 1995 Cadillac SLS with a Northstar V8 and it never gave me any problems with the head gaskets--but when I tried to trade it in, no dealer would touch it. They all said that 9 out of 10 Northstar engines would develop headgasket problems eventually. So, yeah, I now own a Buick with a Northstar V8--mostly because the V6 made the car WAY underpowered. But I also have no illusions and an extended warranty, which I will extend again (if I can) when it gets to 100,000 miles. When that warranty is getting close to its expiration date I will sell the car. The Northstar is a great little engine... until it breaks. Then it's junk and the car usually costs more to fix than it's worth. Just sayin'.

 

[Kildysartkid]

One of the discussion threads from Cadillac forum on replacing head gaskets on Northstar.
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forum...hnical-discussion/160216-hg-timesert-car.html

 

[pcmos]

How did you determine that the heads are leaking??? I'm on my third Northstar with "supposedly" leaking head gaskets that just needed other cooling system R&R. Head Gasket failure on the Northstar is wayyy over-hyped. Mechanics declare these things dead left and right without following a proper diagnostic approach. I've yet to encounter one that actually has blown head gaskets but don't tell anyone because I sort of enjoy buying 1200 buck Cadillacs.

My 2006 is at 156k with no signs of head gasket failure but I spent six months tracing various tiny problems that were causing it to overheat frequently. The Northstar cooling system is VERY sensitive to even the slightest malfunction and the engine will overheat if the cooling system isn't working absolutely perfectly. Now that I've got everything sorted out in the cooling system my 2006 runs cool as a cucumber. Same story on my 2000 DTS... former owner insisted it was a blown gasket and I paid 1k for the car... 2 years / 30k down the road there's no sign of any head gasket problem. It needed 700 bucks in cooling system parts but the work was relatively easy and it runs just fine.

 

[Keith Hansen]

Good point. Is there steam coming out of the exhaust? Is there coolant in the oil? Is power down? Is the car running bad? Blown head gaskets do a lot more than just cause overheating problems. Do a compression check, and check the coolant for exhaust (auto parts stores have the stuff to do this one--they rent you the equipment and sell you the liquid, with instructions. It's cheap).