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Is There Really Such a Thing as a "Lemon"? - READ ONLY

122 messages,  Last post on Aug 25, 2008 at 8:41 AM

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Messages Page 12 of 13

#103 of 122 Re: Is There Really Such a Thing as a "Lemon"? [Mr_Shiftright] by lemko

Aug 15, 2008 (3:24 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 15, 2008 9:36 am)
What? I never heard of a head gasket failure on a Northstar and I've had two cars with that particular engine. I've heard of a problem with an oil leak on the earlier Northstars with the lower crankcase seal - a $44 part.

#104 of 122 Re: Is There Really Such a Thing as a "Lemon"? [lemko] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Aug 15, 2008 (4:49 pm)

Replying to: lemko (Aug 15, 2008 3:24 pm)
Oh yeah, fairly common fault on Northstars. Here's a Northstar expert who describes the issues involved:
 
Northstar Head Gasket Issues
 
Also cylinder head studs can pull.
 
Biggest problem with the Northstar is that very few rebuilders will rebuild them. Even Cadillac won't.

#105 of 122 Re: Is There Really Such a Thing as a "Lemon"? [Mr_Shiftright] by lemko

Aug 15, 2008 (8:15 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 15, 2008 4:49 pm)
What years are affected?

#106 of 122 Re: Is There Really Such a Thing as a "Lemon"? [lemko] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Aug 16, 2008 (8:51 am)

Replying to: lemko (Aug 15, 2008 8:15 pm)
Well we'd have to presume at least up until 2003 since this alleged expert on Northstars also lists the Olds Aurora, but otherwise I don't know. It could still be going on.

#107 of 122 Re: Is There Really Such a Thing as a "Lemon"? [Mr_Shiftright] by corvette

Aug 20, 2008 (6:01 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 16, 2008 8:51 am)
IIRC, Cadillac made some design changes in 2001 (I think) that made head gasket failure much less likely (although not unheard of).

#108 of 122 The Head Gaskets by andres3

Aug 22, 2008 (2:56 pm)

have never been an issue in all the Japanese and German cars I've known, experienced, heard of, talked about.

#109 of 122 Re: The Head Gaskets [andres3] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Aug 22, 2008 (3:01 pm)

Replying to: andres3 (Aug 22, 2008 2:56 pm)
Oh yeah, even German and Japanese cars have had issues. Subaru 2.5 engines are susceptible to defective head gaskets and of course the VW/Audi 1.8 turbo has been known to sludge up the engine oil and then overheat and blow the gasket. But these are somewhat older cars, not brand new ones.

#110 of 122 Re: The Head Gaskets [Mr_Shiftright] by andres3

Aug 22, 2008 (3:06 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 22, 2008 3:01 pm)
Hmmmm... if the VW 1.8 turbo overheated and blew head gaskets, wouldn't the driver of one of those 1.8's see his temperature gauge rise and overheat before the gasket blows, or did the temperature gauge not catch this "overheating" issue?

#111 of 122 Re: The Head Gaskets [andres3] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Aug 22, 2008 (3:14 pm)

Replying to: andres3 (Aug 22, 2008 3:06 pm)
It was sneaky.
 
Truth be known, on a modern car, by the time the needle hits the red, you're already toast. These alloy heads warp on the snap of a finger. They aren't Chevy 350 iron blocks, that's for sure.
 
I think it was Audi (please correct me if I'm wrong here) that installed an AUDIBLE overheat alarm at some point.
 
An ear-splitting shriek would be more like it.

#112 of 122 Re: The Head Gaskets [andres3] by andre1969

Aug 22, 2008 (4:52 pm)

Replying to: andres3 (Aug 22, 2008 2:56 pm)
I know someone who had a 1994 Honda Civic that blew its head gasket twice. I think the first time was covered under warranty and the second time was around 80-90,000 miles, and that's when they got rid of it.
 
But then I knew someone else who had a 1992 Civic and ran the hell out of it. Mostly highway driving so the brakes lasted forever, but he'd still find ways to dog it. The engine was on its last legs by around 180,000 miles, when he got into a minor accident with it. The mechanic said that, with the condition the engine was in, it wasn't worth putting any money in it to fix it, so I think it got junked.

Messages Page 12 of 13

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