Cadillac Northstar Engine Burning 1 Qt oil every 750 miles

ciarcjs

Cadillac says its normal.... have 82K miles. The dealer did a ring job at 32K and some special chemical clean out at 65K. but the oil consumption "problem" does not seem to go away. I have also been in touch with Cadillac customer service and they said there is no cure. Has anyone else experienced this out there with there 4.6 liter/300hp North star?

Mr_Shiftright

Well, it's not "normal" for most engines to burn a quart of oil every 750 miles, but it could be normal for an engine with a lot of miles like yours. It really depends on how the car was driven and serviced, and also how they built it in the first place. My car (not a Cadillac) has around 92,000 and that's about what it burns).

Obviously, you have excessive wear somewhere in there. You should have a cylinder leakdown test done to determine which cylinder or cylinders are at fault and then figure out what you want to do from there. I suspect you are well out of warranty even with the repair work at 32K.

If the leakdown test doesn't show terrible drops in compression or a drastic problem in just one cylinder, you may want to live with it--it's bearable, putting in a quart of oil every third fill-up or so.

jukeboxcarl2

The Northstar Engine is one of the best in the world. I have a 93 Eldorado and it doesnt use any oil between changes at 5k miles.Why in the world would you have to have anything done to this engine at 32k miles. Someone must have neglected maintinence at some time or another or abused it or possibly you have a lemon. If you cant have GM correct the problem You should get rid of it.

joe3891

From the posts I have read on the forums is 1200 mi per quart is fairly normal for this engine,something about low friction engine.
Its hard for me to believe that caddy would build an engine that would burn oil.My lowly chevy engine needs no oil between changes.

sonjaab

I too have a 96 northstar. It uses 1 qt. every
1000 miles or so from new. The dealer did the
leakdown , compression tests when new. Said it
was NORMAL !!! Have 77K miles with no major
problems. Still uses the same amount of oil too.
Ihad a 90 with the 4.9 and kept it till 120 k
plus miles and it never used a DROP OF OIL !!!!
Check out the sedans thread or the Eldorado etc
thread in the sports car etc. thread too.
lots of Caddy boys talkin oil usage .
Read thru and good luck.................Geo

alwaysed

I had a '94 Eldo that burned a quart/1000 miles from day 1. It ran just fine and was very well maintained. We(the dealer and myself) checked for leaks, oil burning, etc.-nothing found. I have seen many, many posts on this issue, but, like myself, no one has reported any harm to the engine.

kinley

has started to take on a quart every 1,200 miles, it seems it has finally deteriorated to the Cad level.

gmlover1

I can understand your concern, but oils cheap. If the car runs well I would not worry about it.

Mr_Shiftright

That's true...for the price of an engine rebuild you could buy maybe 600-700 gallons of oil. That should keep you going for quite a while!

brorjace

ciarcj, Have you tried switching brands of oils? What are you using now? What about going from a 5W30 to a 10W30 ... or something even thicker when the weather's warm? Lastly, have you tried synthetic oil? As long as your car's not actually leaking oil externally, you'll probably notice a significant drop in consumption ... although the oil is much more expensive.

kinley, My dad had a 1994 Mercury Grand Marquis with the same engine. I really stellar performer ... for about 80,000 miles ... then the valve seals deteriorate and the thing suddenly started GUZZLING oil like crazy. If you really like the car, consider having them replaced ... I think Fel-Pro makes valve seals which are superior to OEM Motorcraft.

On the 4.6L, have you replaced your PCV valve vacuum hose assembly yet? The one I'm thinking of goes around the back of the motor. You might want to pick one up now (about $25) because when this thing springs a leak, your car won't run worth spit until you get it fixed/plugged/replaced. I fixed one with RTV silicone ... but it only lasted a week. You really gotta replace this thing.

--- Bror Jace

gmlover1

Yea 10w40 could do wonders. I ran my chevy 4.3 liter on it since 100000 miles with no problems.

pommurd

Hello all,

I saw this exact behavior with my 1996 Cadillac Seville STS from the time I picked it up 32K to now 88K. It was going through a quart of oil every 2 gas fillups. Guess what, now I'm looking at a $2000 bill for a broken crank case seal. Spoke with the dealer (Fiermonti Cadillac - Nashua NH) and they said they've seen a number of them like this. Spoke with Cadillac customer service and they are "looking" into it. I highly doubt they will do anything about it but I'm very suspicious of this engine now.

harleybill

I have a 95 Concours that burned 1 qt oil ever 700 miles. I bought an extended warranty and at 68 thousand, my dealer replaced it with a rebuilt.

I now have l56 thousand and it does not burn a drop. Problem fixed.

I also own a 98 with 52 thousand and it does not burn a drop.

I believe the rings in the early northstars were too small and light and some engines did not seat properly. I think my 95 could run rings around my 98. The engine just seems to wind up faster.

I love the 300 hp northstar. It is a blast to drive.

bill hale
knoxville, tennessee