Ouch.
Just got the car back from the dealer...

Rear main oil seal leaking, repair est = $1,100
Front crank shaft seal leaking, repair est = $200
Both axle seals leaking, repair est = $24
Drive belt replacement = $110
Recommended clutch replacement (from leaking oil over trans) = $100

It sure looks like the majority of the rear seal is labor.
To get the value out of my car (145K mi), I probably have to repair it if I want to sell it.

I think call upon a neighbor to do some or all of these repairs, but he'd be helping the rookie along instead of me just needing the space.

If I do these, I'm thinking that I'm pretty much committed to this car for 2-3 more years. So I'll be looking to take care of all those nitpicks that I've been deferring, so more $$.

As long as all of this stuff is opened up, is there any performance mod that I should consider? I'm thinking about a lightened flywheel and/or an aftermarket clutch, but wrt the clutch, I don't think I'll ever go past intake/exhaust bolt-ons for this car, so maybe it's not needed. I could use the flywheel though.

Any opinions appreciated!

i feel your pain man but **** ends up costing morrrreeee than what its added up to be... that cars milage is to high sell it... ouch ouch ouch that sucks bro later

First, you have to take off the alternator/AC and P/S belts and the crankshaft pulley to get to the front crank shaft seal. Perfect time to replace it with a new underdrive pulley. I think the GD for an RVM UDP for $80 shipped is still on.

Second, and I'm not sure about this, but if the only reason to replace the clutch is the fluid leak above it, you might be able to disassemble it and spray the **** out of it with brake cleaner. Might work, might not. If it doesn't, you're out a can of brake cleaner. If it does, you save the cost of a new clutch.

Can't suggest much about the main seal and axle seals, though.

Alex

I think the dealer could be bullsh!ting , have a mechanic you know look at cause i dont think all of those seals could be broken by 145k. But good luck on fixing it.

I find it hard to believe as well, but there's no doubt about the oil.
I had a problem of disappearing oil with no leak found by this dealer, and now I'm leaving stains in my driveway.

In any case, I'll probably be able to use my neighbor's garage to verify. I also have a nearby mechanic to check with.
All the other parts are fairly cheap, so I think that they're not BSing me (though I have my doubts about the new ownership)

I have to repalce the belts anyway, but I already have an Unorthodox UDP. Otherwise I would have been right there. I am considering a flywheel and/or short shifter.

I'll give the brake cleaner a shot though. Like you said, what's there to lose?

Wow, that's all labor charges. You can replace all those items yourself and upgrade the clutch for under $400. Do it yourself, it'll be worth the money you save...

Yep, almost all labor can't even recover it in a sale, but I have to do it to sell it. I'm pretty much committed to the car now
As far as doing it myself, I'm a rookie, and it's a wee bit cold to do this on my own outside
If my neighbor agrees to help me in his garage, I may be looking at a few upgrades for that kind of money!

How bad are your oil leaks?

If minor, oil is cheap. Buy a drip pan and park over it.

My S-10 4x4 has leaked oil for years. I figure O lose about quart every oil change. So less than $5.00/year. Why fix it?? It even leaked into bell housing, but did not affect my clutch when I had to pull it because it wore out after 140K.

If it aint broke, don't pay a fortune to fix it.

As far as drive belt, do they mean A/C alternator belt? Belt is 15.95 at Schucks, take 1/2 hour to change. Belt at Nissan is $20.00.

If your crank seal is leaking, the crank may have a groove worn in it. Then you ARE screwed. So oncwe again. How bad is the leak??

How bad is everything else, ie suspension, interior, body. If everything else looks great, I wouldn't worry about it. Just repair it and keeep it as long as you can.

Just my 2 cents.

Both axel seals?

Sounds like up comming tranny trouble.

Be carefull on that one.

I agree. Nothing on your list is really all that complicated!

The front main seal and belt are simple. All you'll need is a (strong) helper. All you need to do is take the belts off, take the pully off (which is where the strong comes in!), pop the seal out with a screwdriver, and put the new one in there. IIRC the seal costs about $12.

The rear main seal, clutch and axles are really all the same job. The axles have to come out to pull the tranny, which has to come out to change the clutch, which has to come off to get to the RMS.

Its a lot of working, but nothing to difficult. I'm sure you could find someone in your area that would lend you a hand.

Sheesh, I never came back to visit my own thread!
Must be the misery of it all...

The oil leak isn't a downpour or anything, but I'm definitely leaving drops in my driveway.

How can I tell if the tranny's going south?

For what the dealer wants to charge me, I'm open to any offers for help in the Philly area!

Unfortunately for me, my local garage said he didn't want to do the work

Is it worth putting in a lightened flywheel at the same time? A LS differential?

*sigh*, decisions, decisions

I was in a similar posistion to yours recently. I'm driving the 6 million dollar pos. hehe, can't complain. The car has been great to me - the damage is usually inflicted by me so I can't blame the car. Whenever I have kids they'll be driving the Max to college. If your car isn't leaking oil too badly and you're able to keep enough in the crankcase to prevent engine damage, I'd say let it go a while longer before replacing the rms. Also, If your clutch isn't slipping there's no reason to replace it. It was probably mentioned to do since you'll have access to it when replacing the rms. As for the axles, I can believe they're leaking. If you drive hard and haven't done any work to them, they could be bad and not be indicative of tranny problems. It sounds like you might be able to get away w/ doing just the axle seals and belt. I think a front end alignment is usually recommended after any axle work too - so figure ~$50 on that. Don't let anyone charge you for a 4 wheel alignment (it's not possible on our cars). So, I think you can find someone that can probably help you do the axle seals and belt replacement and then just get a shop to do the alignment. Good luck w/ your tough decision.

But the part that gets me is that I saw another post of a guy who got quoted about half of what I was for a RMS repair _and_ clutch.
Talk about a rip job from my dealer!

If only his dealer was near me, I'd have a bunch o' mods in there to boot!

a good rule of thumb- if you can't afford to have it break, leave it alone- what i mean is this: car manufacturers put millions into developing a product that will last, while being average in many categories. if you do not have a secondary car, then don't mod it. for example, an aftermarket intake. in the longrun this is probably not good for your car- not just because of the filtering ability, but the likelihood that you are going to beat the crap out of the car to hear it scream- if you do the repairs and expect it to last a few more years, just leave it alone, and use it for what it is, transportation. wait until you are more financially secure before you start modding

(besides, getting a new car is fun, even if its a newer version of the same car, its different)

Get a second opinion.

actually, come to think of it, changing the rear main seal is not that difficult. one option for the monitarily challenged is a high school auto shop- takes a while, but its usually free other than parts- around here they would use it as a teaching case... there ARE options, if you look

That's a good idea. According to my FSM, to properly do the rear seal you need to remove the tranny/clutch housing, engine crossmember, y-pipe and upper oil pan. Lots of labor and then lots of re-sealing.

Found a shop near my house...

Front and rear seals have a very slight leak, advises me not to replace them. Clutch seems fine.
Axles are really leaking. $175 for the pair
"How much if you had to replace the rear?"
Clutch job = $350, $50 more for the rear seals...

Dealers are evil.

your car would sell for around 4k if it was in good condition. Repairs are gonna cost u about 2k, i would just part it out and go for another max. It would go for a good 2-3 years if u repaired but thats if your luck is good and no other problems come up. With problems like those, it makes me wonder what else might happen. I have 141k on my 97 and i dont see any leaking problems but if i did and costs were up to 2k+ i might think twice and repair it only cause i'll make more money after repairs but in your situation, your cutting it close. Parting it out should give u atleast a grand if body is in good condition.

Sorry bout your situation bro.

Well it turned out that the dealer was trying to rip me off (the fron and rear had the minor leaks, but the axles had major leaks... much less expensive), but all the major repairs came anyway. I'll have dumped about full value of the car in repairs this year. The latest is that the differentials are shot, leading to a transmission replacement. OUCH!

off topic.. but i love the license plate... "VTECKLR"

144 k for your car is nothing...Got the same on mine and the car is great.No probs like yours. Some people say here on the forum to do it yourself. I agree with them, if you know what are you doing ,have the right tools and place. Clutch replacement is a bit more complicated than an oil change or brake pads replacement. Many of the problems you ve got (real seal & cv seals) could be fixed at once , when the tranny is separated from the engine. Good luck with your car

a well maintained car shoudl be able to run 200k easily