kk 1st of all i know i should do a search but ive had a really long couple of days, am highly stressed and really cant be bothered searching thru 100 results at the moment.

so i have a oil leak i cant see the source off, off losing water from the radiator and using excessive fuel compared to my normal consumption, ( quater tank got me 46 km)

does this sound like a head gasket or could it be something else, i dont have a compression tester and as ive recently strted a 1st year apprentise position and have 3 kids to pay child suport for i really dont have the money to pay a mechanic or even buy the test kit

soz about being lazy on the search side just dont have it in me at the moment

does the radiator bubble, while the car in on?. it sounds like a head or a head gasket

plenty of people here to help

need to know some things ok :ninja:
4 or 6 cyl
EFI or carby
how much water has to go into the radiator
is there water in the oil
how old is the radiator cap
is it hard to start first up first thing in the morning

oil leaks are easier to fix

4 cyl manual
efi
not like im filling up every day or anything but ive filled it from basicly empty once in the last week, never actually had to put any in it for the last 6months so i thought it odd
no water in the oil that i can see
starts pretty easy takes about 3 secondsof cranking for it to kick over

well on a 4 cyl
it could be
the radiator cap
a leaky hose
a stuck thermostat
welsh plugs
water pump/belt
a leaking heater core

also know to crack blocks between the welsh plugs at the front

oil leak is the rockercover or the
cam shaft seal near the water pump pully

just rechecked the oil tonight and it was almost empty and when i refilled and rechecked it did actually appear to have water in the oil so wanna cry right now

Yeah sounds like youve done a head or a gasket

can you DIY the head gasket yourself

nah i dont have the tools or the experiance, mate of mine used to help me but he isnt available anymore due to health issues. on another note for some reason the car has stopped using so much fuel but it empted the radiator in two days ( refueled as i refilled the coolant and it done 90km to empty the radiator) wtf is going on with this car grrrrr

if i was willing to travel as far as brisbane qld, or say coffs harbour in nsw, does anyone know any reliable mechanics that are fair on their costs. and how long would i need to take of work to get the gaskets replaced / head replaced whatever is needed and what rouchly would it cost, if its like the 1500 im getting qouted around here i might just look for a cheapish 3rd gen

The 2.6 is so easy to work on it isn't funny. Consider it a learning experience. Get the manual, get the tools, get the parts, get stuck into it. Going to cost much less than $1,500 as a DIY exercise.

yeah i recently took up a 1st year apprentice position. cash sux for me but i got tax coming and i think i might just sell the 2nd and see if i can find a cheap 3rd gen. bright side if i sell the 2nd gen ill be selling parts and giving some away when the car is sold

thru the for sale section when it happens of course ( added for the admins :D )