Hey guys, i have recently entered the world of solo driving and got myself an EL Fairmont for my eighteenth, to keep pops happy i went and got a minor service the other day in which the mechanic has told me that i am leaking oil from my sump (although not bad, would it just be the gasket?) and also which is the main problem that has come to my attention, i have a minor crack on one of my heads, he claims it had no effect when he done a compression test, but as you can assume, it'll be a problem in the future.
I was just wondering how i go about these problems, and as im on a mcdonalds salary, can you suggest a fair mechanic in the west and/or give me a rough estimate on the prices im lookin at?
thanks.

Either problem is not something your really going to want to know the costs of being a Maccas grunt.

Sump gasket is an engine out or subframe out job, and is a time consuming and labour expensive job - on an I6. Unless your prepared to chance it and just drop the sump, cut out the old gasket and put in a 4 piece ED gasket. Just make sure its not coming from higher up, like the rocker cover or tensioner. They are cheap easy fixes. Also make sure the sump bolts are done up properly too.

When you say heads, do you mean you have a V8. If so, sump gasket is easy.

Have to be more specific about the heads bit. If a head is cracked, it can be removed and repaired, but its another expensive job. Or just find a replacement reco head, something along those lines. Either way need some more detail.

Well its in the 6cyl workshop so I'll just assume for now he means head.
How did he find the crack in the head, do you know where abouts it is?

haha yeah nothing is affordable on a maccas wage. wish i could give more detail but can't understand a word of his writing on the invoice.
it's a 6 and im im guessing it'll be a repair or reco job if i's the cylinder head. costs are something im gunna have to deal with cos either way it's gonna cost me.
you recon i should get them all changed? or just the one? prices?

i think i'll just be heading back and getting more detail and a quote for repairs.
wouldnt know where and how but atleast he went as far as checkin.
thanks for the opinions. any feedback is good feedback.

I'd get some more details, as it sounds kind of flakey.

I take it the car has been roadworthied and changed over, so these shouldn't be a problem.

Does it leak much oil on the ground when you park it over night. Or is he just saying the area around the gasket is damp with oil. If its pissing out oil, then yeah, its fix time. If its just a little damp, then I wouldnt worry. At this age, almost every EL would be like that.

As for the head... It would be interesting to know how he found a crack. Is it loosing water? Do you always need to top it up, etc, etc?

If not, and the compression is all good and its not shooting oil out the exhaust, then there really shouldn't be a problem.

If you were to get them both fixed at a mechanic, expect a $1500 to $2000 bill for both.

for the oil leak. it's no bigger than a 20cent coin on the ground over night if that even, so i'm not in the biggest rush.

but the crack really has got me worried, i don't know how he found it and im not loosing nothing, theres no problems that i have come across. even when i get it all hot and bothered.
i'll get round to getting it looked at when i can, hopefully soon, although your replies have re assured me a tad bit, might just have to be not so rough on the old girl til then, cruisin pace ain't a problem with me.

although i got it converted to lpg, could that be a hint as to any problems, or anyone know anything i am to expect from lpg? it's been a dream for me so far.
thanks.

Is the oil from the front or back of the motor. Back would be sump gasket or possibly rocker cover gasket. If its front, its probably tensioner seal which is fairly common as they age. Just looks like the oil is coming from somewhere its not.

You'll have to ask him about the crack, but if your not loosing water and stuff, then it should be all good.

Gas wont be a problem. Plenty of those motors running well on gas for long long times as long as, like anything auto, they are serviced and looked after. Gas does rely on good cooling systems though, so if there is a crack and a cooling system issue, it would need to be addressed.