Another Head Gasket Repair....
 

97 4.6 N* concourse deville

I'm using normserts for my first repair. I've seen some stuff in the archives that cover this repair butcant find them now.I need all the info to make this as quick and painless as possible from people who have done it before. Any tips that aren't covered in the chilton? Step by step, simple as possible,please.

RE: Another Head Gasket Repair....
 

Not a repair for the backyard mechanic.

RE: Another Head Gasket Repair....
 

I agree, the Northstar is far too complicated for a "feel your way through" engine repair. You could do everything right as far as the gasket is concerned and disturb some sensors and never have your car run right again. May be on the pricy side, but in the end, you'll thank yourself.

RE: Another Head Gasket Repair....
 

as it is, even professional & trained technicians have a high failure rate for doing the inserts, with some pulling out at the torquing of the head bolts.

I would do an engine swap long before I even considered doing any of that.

WHY ?

IMHO, the NorthStar is a trow away engine. It was not designed to be overhauled and to go through such repairs. If your car is a keeper, pull a salvage engine, do a compression test that will verify the integrity of the gaskets and you are good to go. DO NOT OPEN IT unless you are willing to spend THOUSANDS OF $$$$$.

About the only internal repair I would consider would be a spun bearing which will still require a new crank.

Others may have different opinions, but mine .. there it is.


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