Northstar Performance and Technical Discussion | Forum profile

I remember that the old nylon rail had a ground wire up by the P/S pump that they just cut and left connected to make the conversion faster. That leads me to believe that the rail is grounded, but don't quote me on that. If you do cut it and have a starting problem after wards, then that is what I would suspect and you'll have to find another way to ground it. It should not be too hard to lift the rail. Just a couple of hold down...

Before you resort to an impact wrench, let the plug well soak in PB Blaster penetrant overnight. Always pull the plugs from a cold engine, and torque to 13 ft/lb. Once you remove the plugs, you might want to replace them with a new set of ACDelco 41-987's from www.rockauto.com .

My mistake they hook onto the rails I can see why I have no play I marked the 3 lines

I´ve checked it with a mirror and a flashlight. It looks like it´s the crossover that leaks but it may as well be the corner of the top (headgasket)!!! It´s hard to see because the drip is from the "tap" on topcorner but it looks wet a little bit further up. I started it cold and it started to drip immediately, thats why I hope it is something waterpump related thing. /Staffan

Quote: Originally Posted by Lebowski If the K&W sealer works I'll have the car up for sale really fast. I understand your frustration as I went through this as well. I decided to get rid of mine and I could have sold as not having the H/G problem cause it would start up and drive fine until it got to operating temperature. Morally I just couldn't bring myself to that. Selling the car and knowing it has this fatal problem...

Remove the strut tower support and coil pack. Get yourself a 7/8" crowsfoot wrench (3/8" drive), a mess of 3/8" drive extensions, a universal joint, and a good ratchet. You may have to move the coolant lines a bit to get access. It's tricky. But with a little patience, a few band-aids, and if worse comes to worse, a little penetrating oil, it's possible. If you want more access remove the rear cam cover....

Thank you Ranger, that looks like the perfect tool for this kind of job, but i couldn't find it anywhere in the store. I broke my hands a bit this time, but i replaced the core... after 4-5h Next time when i work on cooling system i should have the Clamp pliers you listed above.

I don't see how the 2000+ Northstar was improved that much. Mine blew a HG at 54k miles, and the water crossover was leaking. I believe the pitch for the headbolt was changed slightly, and again in '03. From what I have read on these forums, only 2 or 3 '03 Northstar's have blown a HG.

Let me just throw this out there - why couldn't it be both? Quote: Originally Posted by Ranger This is the eternal chicken or the egg question. One theory is that the threads fail first due to a casting flaw, the head lifts enough for coolant to leak past. The other theory (the one being discussed here) is that the gaskets fail first, then coolant leaks into the head bolt cavity and electrolysis (steel bolt & aluminum block)...

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