Cadillac 1915-2002 engine

The Cadillac V-8, designed by Henry Leland, was introduced as an innovation for the 1915 line in September 1914. It was the first mass-produced V-8-powered automobile. The 314-cubic-inch, 90-degree V-8 had a cast-iron cylinder in two blocks of four situated exactly opposite each other in an aluminum-copper crankcase. The water jackets and combustion chambers were integral. Water circulation and temperature control was provided by an impeller-type pump with a thermostat for each cylinder block.

It had three bearings on the crankshaft with the cams in one plane and "fork-and-blade" type connecting rods. The single overhead camshaft had eight cams on the shaft, as did the generator, driven by a silent chain. An updraft carburetor was located in the water-heated intake manifold, and dual trunk-type exhaust headers were within the V. The valves (flat exhaust and tulip intake) were actuated by cam-mounted roller rocker arms. The V-8 had a recirculating lubrication system, which was supplied by pressure from a gear-driven oil pump. Oil flowed through holes drilled in the crankshaft. Aside from the addition of removable cylinder heads in 1917, the 314-cubic-inch V-8 lasted without major changes until 1925, when improvements began with the last 2,000 V-63 engines.

Maintaining the same displacement, the "new 90-degree V-8" of 1926 added a crankcase ventilation system, an oil filter, a screw-in oil filler cap, full-pressure lubrication of the camshaft bearings, the elimination of rocker arms, and other advances. The following year, virtually all of the engine's exterior elements were relocated, and in 1928, the bore and stroke dimensions changed. The new 341-cubic-inch Cadillac V-8 was virtually the same as the V-8 used in the company's new LaSalle. It featured offset cylinder blocks, side-mounted connecting rods, a single exhaust, and numerous accessory changes. Power increased from 80 to 90 horsepower. In 1930, cylinder size was increased to 353 cubic inches of displacement.

Major changes were made to the Cadillac V-8 in 1932, resulting in a 21 percent increase in power, most of which came from a revised manifold and a new carburetor design. While displacement remained at 353 cubic inches, horsepower rose to 115 at 3,000 rpm. Lynite (forged aluminum or duralumin) aluminum pistons, a higher compression ratio, intake improvements, and a new carburetor produced 120 hp in the 1934 V-8, which was raised to 130 hp in 1935.

There were big changes in 1936, when a new V-8 of 322 cubic inches of displacement and 125 hp powered the Series 60 Cadillacs. Fleetwood-bodied cars used an engine of the same design with a 3/8-inch larger bore, 346 cubic inches of displacement, and 135 hp. The "346" became the only V-8 offered in 1937 and had a new carburetor with a fully automatic electric choke and an oil-bath air cleaner. The 346 lasted until after World War II, when it already had 150 hp.

History was made with the new overhead valve hydraulic lifter V-8 that powered all 1949 Cadillacs. Along with the Olds "Rockey 88," it represented the first mass-produced, high-revving, high-compression OHV engine used in an American automobile. The engine served Cadillac very well, with only minor changes, for many years. By 1962 it had grown to 390 cubic inches of displacement and 325 hp. Although neither engine displacement nor horsepower output changed, the 1963 Cadillac V-8 was completely redesigned. Quieter, smoother, and more efficient, the new engine was one inch lower, four inches narrower, and 1-1/4 inches shorter than the 1962 V-8. It also weighed about 82 pounds less, due to the use of aluminum fittings.

In the mid-1960s, the second generation of the Cadillac 390 V-8 grew to 419 cubic inches of displacement. This engine produced only 340 horsepower, but had a high power-to-weight ratio due to its lightweight construction, which included a coreless pearlitic malleable iron crankshaft and a die-cast aluminum chain and accessory drive cover. To protect the aluminum, its "Standard of the World" tradition, Cadillac built the engines in air-conditioned areas to ensure precision and an extremely high level of quality control. The engine grew to 472 cubic inches of displacement in 1968 and horsepower reached 375. Even more impressive was a torque output of 525 pound-feet at 3000 rpm. Eventually, a version of this V-8 used in the Eldorado was brought up to 500 cubic inches of displacement in 1970.

The big V-8 remained in the Eldorado and eventually found its way into other Cadillacs, but history was made in 1975 when a 350-cubic-inch Olds V-8 was employed to power the new Seville. The Cadillacs' move to such a "corporate" engine was a sign of what was to come. However, Cadillac was by no means finished with making its own engines, such as the 425-cubic-inch V-8 (a worn-out 472) that was bowed out in 1977, the 350-cubic-inch Cadillac V-8 first used in the 1978 Seville, and the 368-cubic-inch V-8 offered in 1980 in models such as the DeVille, Borugham, and Eldorado.

Innovative, though not foolproof, Cadillac did somewhat tarnish its image with its 1981 "variable displacement" V-8. Developed by Eaton Corp, the engine, which could run on four, six, or eight cylinders, was driven by fuel conservation efforts. A microprocessor was needed under different driving conditions. A solenoid-activated blocker plate then deactivated certain valves according to performance demands. Also new for 1981 was a diesel Cadillac V-8 built by Olds. Cadillac's next trick, in 1982, was a new 249-cubic-inch V-8 for the Seville. For 1985, this would be the only Cadillac-built V-8, but it would not be the last. A Cadillac-built 4.5-liter (273) V-8 was the base engine in the DeVille, Fleetwood, Seville, and Eldorado in 1988.

The 1900s brought two additional V-8s that were true "Cadillac" engines. The first was the renamed 4.6-liter (270-cubic-inch) Northstar V-8 that was slanted in the 1993 Eldorado. It was touted as an engine that could give 100,000 miles of use without needing a tune-up. In 1995, a 300-cubic-inch (4.9-liter) V-8 became standard equipment on the DeVille Sedan.

Gunnell, J. (2003). Standard Catalog of V-8 Engines 1906-2002. United States: Krause Publications.