Well, I knew this day would come at some point. I have a nice 2000 Cadillac Deville DHS with 165,000 miles on it. The other day I left it idling for about 30 minutes, maybe longer. After about 15 minutes or so into the drive it started to overheat. Just as I arrived to my destination it sad "coolant hot idling" or something to that effect.

The dealer wants $8,600 to put a new engine with three year warranty in it. I can get a used engine installed for about $2,000'ish. The Northstar V8, a real piece of junk. Love the car

For the past couple of days I've not had any trouble with it, course I don't really drive the car much.

 

are your two fans working?

 

not enough details .. what makes you believe the headgaskets failed?


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As Stealth says why assume head gaskets.

Any car will overheat when the coolant is low or the coolant is not circulation. In your case have you checked the coolant level? Have you verified that the rad tanks are not leaking?, Have you verified that the reservoir tank is not leaking, have you verified that your water pump is working and not leaking, are your hoses in good condition. And your fans as already mentioned.

Many Cadillac owners assume head gasket failure when it could be something as simple as a $100 reservoir tank replacement. The Northstar has been in production since 1993 model year. Cadillac has sold millions of them and in your case the 2000 is actually an improved design from the original with less head gasket problems and slightly lower compression. There are plenty of Northstars out there with over 200,000 miles on them. Proper maintenance is the key to any engine longevity.