Northstar engine series

Northstar engine
4.6 L Northstar engine
Overview
ManufacturerGeneral Motors
Also called
  • Cadillac Northstar
  • Premium engine
Production1992–2011
Layout
Configuration90° V8/V6
Displacement
  • 3.5 L; 211.9 cu in (3,473 cc)
  • 4.0 L; 243.8 cu in (3,995 cc)
  • 4.4 L; 266.7 cu in (4,371 cc)
  • 4.6 L; 278.6 cu in (4,565 cc)
Cylinder bore87 mm (3.43 in)
89.5 mm (3.52 in)
91 mm (3.58 in)
93 mm (3.66 in)
Piston stroke84 mm (3.31 in)
92 mm (3.62 in)
Cylinder block materialAluminum
Cylinder head materialAluminum
ValvetrainDOHC 4 valves x cyl. with VVT
Compression ratio9.0:1, 9.3:1, 10.0:1, 10.3:1, 10.5:1
Combustion
SuperchargerIn 4.4 L versions
TurbochargerTwin-turbo in 2000 Northstar LMP program only
Fuel systemAC Rochester Sequential FI
Fuel typeGasoline
Cooling systemWater-cooled
Output
Power output215–469 hp (160–350 kW)
Torque output234–439 lb⋅ft (317–595 N⋅m)
Chronology
Predecessor
Successor

The Northstar engine is a family of high-performance 90° V engines produced by General Motors between 1993 and 2011. Regarded as GM's most technically complex engine, the original double overhead cam, four valve per cylinder, aluminum block/aluminum head V8 design was developed by Oldsmobile R&D, [citation needed] but is most associated with Cadillac's Northstar series.

Displacing 4.6 L; 278.6 cu in (4,565 cc) in its basic form, the direct family line transitioned to longitudinal and 4.4 L; 266.7 cu in (4,371 cc) supercharged versions. Variants were used at Oldsmobile (as the Aurora L47 V8 and "Shortstar" LX5 V6), as well as in several top-end 2000s Pontiacs and Buicks.

The related Northstar System was Cadillac's trademarked name for a package of performance features introduced in mid-1992 that coupled the 4T80E transmission, a 100,000 mile service interval, road sensing suspension, variable power steering, and 4-wheel disc brakes to the Division's high-output and high-torque Northstar engines.

GM ceased production of the Northstar in 2011. The final cars to receive it, the Cadillac DTS, Buick Lucerne, and Cadillac STS, rolled off the line in 2011.[1] It was replaced by the GM LS small-block OHV engine, used in newer Cadillac V8 models like the CTS-V, marking a step back to a simpler, more reliable pushrod engine design. These LS V8 engines were the only V8 engines used by Cadillac for the next eight years, until the clean sheet Blackwing V8 was introduced in 2018 in the 2019 Cadillac CT6-V. A Cadillac-exclusive, it was discontinued after just two years in early 2020.

  1. ^ "Report: GM's venerable Northstar going out of production in July, replacement not yet announced". Autoblog. Archived from the original on 2011-02-21. Retrieved 2012-06-04.

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