hey every1 im having a problem here i have a 97 deville with the northstar motor. it only has 83K on it. i just bought the vehicle last week at a great deal. i actually traded this guy my 91 fleetwood brougham and of course some extra money. i think i got the better end of the stick. well anyway i was aware of the famous headgasket issue on this model. but it seems good. no oil/coolant mix in the oil or coolant. it was going through some anti freeze so i dropped in the GM coolant pellets it actually made the consumtion worse i look down at the pulley assembly and to my eyes coolant near the water pump. okay so the next problem is its cold here around 30-40 degrees outside but even after the vehicle warms up it blows out to me excessive white smoke. on the digital dash vehicle stays around 203-213 degrees. can this smoke be from the water pump needing replacement? is it normal for the northstars to blow out more smoke when its cold since its dual exhaust and a more powerful motor? i know its not a headgasket issue like i said i drove the vehicle for 6 hours back to my house and been driving it everyday no oil/coolant mix anywhere! please any assistance is appreciated thanx

-Jay

 

You need to correct leaking water pump to see how much coolant your are loosing. You should not see smoke coming out of exhaust if engine is warm and outside temp is in the 50s. Have CO test on cooling system to know if head gasket is blown. Northstars rarely inter mix coolant and oil because of blown head gaskets.

 

im going to replace it soon but why do u say northstar motors dont mix coolant/oil with a blown headgasket i thought all vehicles do that. what makes the northstar different??and what are the signs of a blown headgasket on a northstar other than low coolant??so basically if its under 50 degrees its normal to have smoke coming out of the exhaust even if the vehicle is fully warm??

 

No inter mix is likely because of the unique design of the Northstar in terms oil return passages. White smoke typically means steam from water in exhaust. Coolant is drawn into cylinder and vaporizes during combustion. Cracked heads or block can also cause white smoke, but not always overheating. Blown head gaskets lead to overheating especially under load. CO test is the best way to check for head gasket failure, CO in coolant - engine needs to come apart typically head gasket. 4.1-4.9 can inter mix and it's because intake gasket failed. This would also apply to GM 2.8-3.4 60 degree V6,except DOHC.