I'm considering buying a 1999 Oldsmobile Aurora with the 4.0L Northstar engine. When I test drove the car it overheated and froze up. The dealer had some repairs done - e.g., fuel pump - and told me it was ready. When I drove it the second time, I drove less than 10 miles and the car again started overhearing. What is wrong with this car? Is it a reliable car for me? I drive 100 miles a day (round trip) to work and need a reliable/dependable car - is this the right car for me, and how expensive will it be to maintain? The car has approximately 73K miles on it. Thanks!
The useual problem with this engine is the head gasket leaking, that sounds like what is going on with your Northstar.
This problem is common on the Northstar engine, as far as expensive, about 8 hours of work, so whatever your local labor rate is figure it from that, have no idea on parts cost buy am guessing around $200-$300, this would be a worst case scenario..
cracked the heads? no, warped? without a doubt, they will need to go to a machine shop.
You will need the heads shaved to make them flat again.
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You should replace the radiator tank with a new one.Otherwise it will blast one day and because of overheating, your car ac will trip in small intervals of time.
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Is this expensive to fix and is it a problem that occurs frequently?
Is there any possibility that the overheating problem would have cracked or warped the heads?
If they replace the head gasket, would they be able to pass it off as fully repaired, or would the car continue to overheat and smoke? Should I walk away from this car?
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