Northstar engine series
| Northstar engine | |
|---|---|
4.6 L Northstar engine
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | General Motors |
| Also called |
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| Production | 1991–2010 |
| Combustion chamber | |
| Configuration | DOHC 90° V8/V6 |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor |
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| Successor | |
The Northstar engine is a family of General Motors' most technically complex 90° V engines. Displacing 4.6 L (281 cu in) in its basic form, the double overhead cam design was developed by Oldsmobile's R&D, but is most associated with Cadillac's Northstar V8, but variants were also used at Oldsmobile (as the Aurora L47 V8 and "Shortstar" LX5 V6). These went out of production in 2003, but the Northstar family expanded with longitudinal and 4.4 L supercharged versions. Northstar engines also were used in several top-end Pontiacs and Buicks in the 2000s.
The Northstar System was Cadillac's trademarked name for a package of performance features introduced in mid-1992 that included high-output and high-torque engines, variable valve timing, road sensing suspension, variable power steering, and 4-wheel disc brakes.
GM ceased production of the Northstar series in July 2010, with the final cars to receive it, the Cadillac DTS, Buick Lucerne, and Cadillac STS, rolling off the line in 2011. Newer Cadillac V8 models like the CTS-V use the GM LS small-block OHV engine, marking a return to a simpler push rod engine design.
GM initiated the Northstar's design ca. 1984 at Oldsmobile R&D in anticipation of the advanced dual overhead cam V8 engines to be introduced by European and Japanese competitors later in the decade. At that time, Cadillac was using the aluminum HT Overhead Valve (OHV) V8 which GM pushed hastily into production because the CAFE standards for 1982 would not allow for the use of the V8-6-4 of 1981. At the time it was GM's corporate policy not to pass the gas guzzler tax on to the consumer.
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