Cadillac Repair: Engine Life, engine oil leaks, intake camshafts

Question
I contacted a dealership about a 1996 Oldsmobile Aurora that they have. I personally know nothing about cars so didn't even bother to look under the hood because I will leave that up to my mechanic. This car drives very nicely and has 120,000 miles. I haven't been able to reach my mechanic at this point and was wondering if you know anything about the typical engine life for them. The dealer told me it has a Cadillac engine in it and to the best of my knowledge it is a Northstar. If you know anything about any issues it may have, I would appreciate that as well. Thanks. Brandon

Answer
Hi Brandon, The dealer needs to read up on the Aurora engine because it is simular to the northstar but it is a "baby northstar" i.e. the Aurora engine is a 4.0 liter and the northstar is a 4.6 liter engine. The real interesting thing is most parts are interchangeable and if you replace both the intake camshafts with the NS cams then you can gain 50 horse power. Some trouble spots could be engine oil leaks between the engine block and the main bearing saddle. Repairing this can set you back $1500. Make sure that there aren't any codes stored for the suspension specifically the struts or you could be looking at $2000 for all 4 including an alignment. Make sure the a/c blows cold. And there aren't any engine or trans codes that show up as current durring a test drive that will last at least 30 minuits going in town and at highway speeds. If they refuse you this test drive then there is a good chance there is a major expence they don't want you to find and it might be best walking out on the car. You would be smart to have your mechanic check it over before you sign on the line if everything looks ok to you so there aren't any surprises because a salesperson can and will say anything to get you to buy the car whether they know of any defects or not and after you sign it is rather difficult to get the dealer to kick in any repairs unless they want to. Just some food for thought. Bill