Today I am posting the belt diagram for the Cadillac V-8 specifically the 4.6 L engine. In the Cadillac world this engine is nicknamed the Northstar. From what I can tell this belt diagram will work on other Northstar series V-8 engines regardless of the displacement.

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1993 Oldsmobile Aurora
For a very short period of time the Cadillac V-8 could be found in some Pontiac's, Buick's and Oldsmobile cars like the Oldsmobile Aurora as 4.0 L V-8. I happen to be a big fan of this engine because of its tremendous power to weight ratio. My first vivid memory of this engine was when it first came on the scene in 1993 installed as the only option on the brand-new Cadillac Allante. I have a  full size picture of the Mary Kay Pink Cadillac below.

Without further delay here is your belt diagram for the Cadillac V-8 4.6 L Northstar engine. I hope you click the read more button and see why I like this engine and learn a little more about the history and future of it.

Cadillac V-8 belt diagram 4.6 L

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Cadillac v8 belt diagram
 
 
Today I'm posting the engine belt diagram for the 3.6 L GM V-6 engines. This time it's personal because this is the option that I have in my 2009 Cadillac SRX. This happens to be the best engine I've ever owned.

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2009 SRX Crossover
I don't say this lightly. Because of my advanced age I could be considered old school and really only have respect for V-8 engines. The 3.6 L GM V-6 engines even back in 2009 came in at a respectable 304 hp.

In 2012 they were able to massage another 4 hp out of this V-6 engine to boost the horsepower to 308 making it the most powerful standard engine in a crossover. Considering the 6.6 L 400 cubic inch engine in my Pontiac T/A produced about 275 hp at double the weight you can't help but be impressed with General Motors version of this all aluminum V-6 engine.

Engine belt diagram GM V-6 3.6 L

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Belt Diagram GM V6 3.6L
 
 
A good question about spark plug gap from a site visitor. He was replacing spark plugs on his Toyota vehicle and noticed that the plugs he was removing had a much larger gap than the plugs he was installing.

Picture of actual spark plug gap
spark plug gap
The difference in gap was so drastic that he thought may be something was wrong, or he had received the wrong replacement spark plugs. The Gentleman decided to buy the correct automotive special tool and gap them as stated in the service manual.

His e-mail question was why the distance was so large on the old plugs that he removed and so small on the new ones. On his vehicle the spark-plugs last 100,000 miles. In that time the center electrode or the tip of the spark plug wears and a large gap is created. After 10 years 100,000 miles this can be noticeable even with the naked eye. Also not all new plugs are gapped correctly at the factory or can change during shipping.

How to Gap spark plugs

 
 
Gasoline direct injection, how it works and why we need it. The GDI type of fuel delivery system is one of the latest waves in fuel management deployed on new model vehicles. This technology is what many car designers believe can help them achieve demanding corporate average fuel economy numbers while reducing tailpipe emissions and greenhouse gasses.

Direct Injector Picture
Direct Injector
Recently it was in the news that average fuel economy will be 54.5 miles per gallon by the year 2025. Each time the C.A.F.E. goes up car makers respond by pushing their fuel injection technology to the next level. In the 80s car makers abandoned the carburetor for fuel injection systems.

The first type to come on the scene was called throttle body injected and where more like a carburetor then the modern fuel injection systems. As emissions standards got tighter car-makers developed Port technology that was much more efficient. Gasoline direct injection takes this to a new level.

 
 
Answers to the question can a flooded engine cause a no start condition on modern fuel injected vehicles and some possible causes reviewed. Here is a quick story about how often I use to see this happen and how little I see it now.

carburetor Picture
I remember when I was a little kid often my mother would go out to the family car and it would not start. You could hear her cranking the engine for an extended period of time without the engine starting. After a few more tries she would come inside and tell my father the car won't start.

He would start screaming at her (as we where a dysfunctional family) saying that it was her fault and she flooded the engine. Of course the car I speak of had a carburetor on it and it was possible to flood the engine. In most cases when this happened my dad would go out and hold the accelerator to the floor while cranking and most of the time the engine would fire up.

 
 
Today I will answer this question, how long does a water pump last. I will provide a rule of thumb that might be helpful to motorists. Just keep in mind that this is one automotive component that can last forever or at least until the vehicle goes to the junkyard or may fail at any given time.

Picture of water pump impeller
water pump impeller
In an attempt to answer the question I will provide some guidelines or at least some things I have noticed about the longevity of automotive water pump. On older vehicles with the standard green ethylene glycol antifreeze a water pump could fail or start to leak if coolant flushes are ignored when they are required.

In some cases neglected anti freeze can become like an acid and start eating away at the impeller fins that push the coolant. When this happens and the fans are deteriorating the water pump can lose its balance and the shaft can begin to wobble. This will eventually wear away at the water pump shaft seal.

 
 
People wonder if factory auto parts are better than the aftermarket ones that in many cases can be purchased at cheaper prices. In my opinion it might come down to the specific auto parts.

Picture of car repair man
There is no simple answer to this question so I put together a quick article that provides some examples of when I prefer to use factory auto-parts and a situation where I prefer to use aftermarket stuff.

When it comes to what parts are better I want to make it clear that I am just providing my opinion, that is based on my own personal experiences and that your results will most likely vary. Some background on where my opinion comes from may also be helpful.

My original training, 26 years ago was provided by General Motors and I was in a special program where I worked at a GM dealership part time while going to school and then full-time after I graduated the program. In fact I stayed at General Motors dealerships for nearly 20 years. When you work at a dealerships service department you generally use factory auto-parts.

 
 
I have seen a lot of seat belt problems over the last 25 years. In this article we will discuss some of the most common and what to look for. I truly believe that car manufacturers try to keep seat belt problems to a minimum for obvious reasons. Despite their efforts you can still have problems.

Picture of seatbelt problem
In my opinion one of the most troublesome parts of the restraint system would be the seat-belt retractor. The system was designed so that when the seat belt was unbuckled it would stow away automatically to allow the passengers to easily exit the vehicle. These retractors may also work as a pretensioner to take up the slack in the belt during an accident while at the same time maintaining comfort for the driver.

When you add in the fact that these mechanisms have an inertia lock that holds the belt firm during an accident the retractor itself can be complicated with many internal parts. Over the years I have found one of the leading complaints from drivers is that the spring that pulls in the slack or stows the extra seat belt stops doing so.

 
 
A lot of people ask me if I recommend aftermarket exhaust systems. I thought I would write a quick article so that I could express my opinion. The answer is overall I do not but there are times when using selected aftermarket components are not only okay but may be desirable.

Picture of aftermarket exhaust parts
Aftermarket Exhaust Parts
To sum it up the newer your vehicle is the more efficient its exhaust system will be. Back in the old days we put headers and straight dual exhaust on our vehicles because the factory systems where too small and inefficient.

But because of the increased demand for performance while at the same time increasing fuel economy and keeping engine emissions under control most car manufacturers were forced to design and install some of the most efficient exhaust systems known to mankind on new cars.

Exhaust system components

 
 
Sometimes brake problems can be traced back to caliper problems. See how they work and learn about replacement options when they go bad. A brake caliper converts hydraulic pressure into mechanical force. This force is multiplied from the driver’s foot applying pressure to the brake pedal.

Picture of brake caliper
Therefore some driver complaints about the way the car stops or the way the brake pedal feels can actually be a problem with the calipers. Also a common front brake problem would be a hard and sometimes scary pulling condition where the car pulls to the left or right only when braking.

The caliper housing is usually a one-piece construction of cast iron or aluminum. The brake caliper housing contains a cylinder bore. Machined into the cylinder bore is a groove to allow a square cut seal to be seated. At the top of the cylinder bore will be another groove that allows for a dust boot to be installed.