Buying 1994 Eldorado

[bezzer1010]

I am new to the site and am looking for some help. I am getting ready to buy a 1994 2 owner Eldorado with 47,000 miles on it. The car is in showroom condition. The problem is it has a slight oil leak. The owner says about .5 quarts every 6 months. He seems to believe it is the rear main seal. Could anyone tell me the worst case scenario, such as if the leak is from somewhere else. If it is the rear main seal, what kind of cost am I looking at? I am buying it for $3500. If the source of the leak is something else, what would be my cost of repairing at its worst?

Thanks ahead of time for your help.

[caddydaddy]

I'd find out exactly what is leaking. A common source is also the case half seal, where the two halves of the engine block join. But a half quart every 6 months might not even be worth it to fix! The cost to replace the main seal would be quite a bit, since the engine would have to be taken out. The case half seal can be fixed with the engine in the car. But either is going to cost over $1,000 to fix.
That is a good price for the car, so if the leak is minor, I wouldn't worry about. You also have to remember it's a 13 year old car, and inevitably something is going to leak!

[bezzer1010]

Thanks for your quick reply. It has been quite awhile since I owned an Eldorado. I had an 82 in 1989, and that has been my only experience with them. But I have always loved them and told myself I would one day get another.

I am just concerned with all the reading I have done on the Northstar engines, and the costs associated with repairing them. So if the leak is not that bad, I should not even worry about it? I just thought since it had such low mileage, I should fix any leaks as the car should go another 100k if I took care of it.

[caddydaddy]

The Northstar engines do cost more to repair, but good luck finding ANY 13 year old car that doesn't leak some oil! And yes, it does have low mileage, but age and low usage is tough on seals as well. Really, if it's not a gushing leak, I would just live with it, unless you have the cash to get it fixed.
The main thing to worry about is maintenance. Particularly the cooling system. If it's not maintained, it can turn acidic and damage the head gaskets. Most of the head gasket problems on the Northstar engines can be traced back to poor cooling system maintenance.

[bezzer1010]

Thanks for the info. So it is best to flush the coolant on a regular basis? Also, the previous owner told me it could use a new thremostat. Is this pretty easy to get to? Do you know of a link to help me complete the changing of it.

I really appreciate all your help!!

Thanks Again

[caddydaddy]

A coolant change every 2-3 years is optimal, along with the addition of the coolant supplement tablets. The thermostat on the Northstar is very easy to change. Just follow where the radiator hose goes to the water pump housing, and it's inside the stamped steel piece.

[bezzer1010]

I will definitely flush it this week when I pick it up. Could you tell me what coolant supplements to use?

Thanks Alot!