Cadillac High Technology engine | |
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Overview | |
Manufacturer | Cadillac |
Production | 1982-1995 |
Combustion chamber | |
Configuration | V8 |
Displacement |
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Cylinder bore |
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Piston stroke |
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Cylinder block alloy | Aluminum |
Cylinder head alloy | Cast iron |
Valvetrain | Overhead valve |
Compression ratio | 9.5:1 |
Combustion | |
Fuel system | |
Fuel type | Gasoline |
Oil system | Wet sump |
Cooling system | Water-cooled |
Output | |
Power output |
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Torque output |
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Chronology | |
Predecessor | Cadillac V8-6-4 engine |
Successor | Cadillac Northstar engine |
The Cadillac High Technology Engine was a V8 engine produced by the Cadillac division of General Motors from 1982 to 1995. It was originally scheduled for a 1983 release, later delayed to 1985, with its intended applications being the downsized front-wheel drive models that Cadillac would introduce that year.
While the High Technology engine was being developed, due to higher Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards being phased in by the United States government, Cadillac introduced a variant of their traditional V8 engine with the first usage of cylinder deactivation for 1981 as a stopgap measure to increase the fuel economy of their lineup.
However, the V8-6-4 engine would experience a litany of unsolvable problems in drivability and reliability mostly due to the primitive state of engine control technologies at the time. Cadillac was then forced to rush development and production of the High Technology engine for a 1982 introduction in their current rear-wheel drive models.
This would be the last engine family exclusive to the Cadillac division. Its successor, the Northstar would go on to share its architecture with the Oldsmobile Aurora in 1994 and later with flagship Pontiac and Buick models, while current Cadillac V8 models use the GM small-block engine, commonly identified with the Chevrolet division.
A new lighter V8 engine was rushed into production for 1982, the HT-4100 (option code LT8). It was a 4100 cc V8, designed for rear-wheel-drive and longitudinal front-wheel-drive applications sharing the same "Metric" transmission bellhousing pattern as Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac rear- and front-wheel drivetrains for 2.5 L 4-cylinder and 2.8, 3.1, and 3.3 L V6. A new line of downsized Cadillac cars with the transverse mounted V8 engine was slated for 1983. However, delays in the downsizing program shared with Buick and Oldsmobile postponed the introduction of those models until 1985.