I have a 95 SE, 102k miles and it is leaking oil from the timing chain cover seal. I already replaced the sending unit and a leaky PS hose and had a shop put in some dye which verified the leak. Here are the estimated repairs:

$1400 - timing chain cover seal
$339 - strut bearing plates
$378 - right lower control arm bushings
$94 - alignment
$ - front brakes
$ - front tires (bad wear from control arm bushings being shot)

I am starting to wonder if this car needs too much work! Do these estimates look reasonable to you all?

Thanks,

Jason

 

I think you need to go to another shop.

 

Yea, replacing the timing cover alone shouldn't cost a G. take it to another spot or donate and start researching. That would be the cheapest way especially if your talking brake replacement.

 

For way less than $1400 you could get new engine with low miles. Those prices are way too high......find somewhere else or DIY if you know how to do any of that stuff. Brakes are pretty easy and you could do all 4 yourself cheaper than paying someone to do the fronts.

 

Yeah, I can probably do all of this work myself but I don't have the time right now. Isn't the timing chain cover leak a pretty common one? How much should that repair go for? Because I usually do my work myself I don't have a good shop that I can trust.

 

$94 for an alignment?! Rip Off!!!!
$60 at the most

 

yep, they charge $59.95 at tire discounters

 

That is a rip for alignment, they charge $59.95 at Tire Discounters, and that seems a little steep to me

 

Im taking you took your car to the dealership?

 

Haven't worked with the timing chain cover, but you could certainly get the strut bearings, LCA bushings, brakes done over a couple hours spread out over the weekend(s). You can even REPLACE the LCA for under $80.

 

That's over $2200, and you haven't even gotten brakes and tires yet. Those prices are WAY off the map.

There is a very strong case for a new engine, which is that judging by the shop's quote, they seem to want to remove your current engine in order to put the new timing chain cover seal in. If they're gonna do that, there are three steps: Remove engine, replace seal, reinstall engine. If you just put another engine in, you're skipping the middle step: it's just remove engine, install engine.

Here's my suggestion:

1. Used, mid-mileage (70-80k) engine from www.car-part.com with a 6 month guarantee. ~$500 shipped.
2. Right lower control arm (complete assembly) with sway bar endlink, NEW, from eBay. ~$100 shipped.
3. OEM brake pads from www.pinnaclenissan.com. ~$65 shipped.
4. Two front strut bearings from www.pinnaclenissan.com. ~$70 shipped.
5. Two Falken Ziex ZE-512 tires from www.edgeracing.com. ~$120 shipped (or thereabouts, depending on size).

Your total cost for those parts is about $850. Now, here are some very generous labor estimates:

1. Engine swap -- $600
2. Suspension work (control arms and strut bearings) -- $250
3. Mounting and balancing of 2 tires -- $50
4. Brake pads -- $0 (this is such an absurdly simple job that the shop really shouldn't charge you any serious amount for it if they're already doing all that other stuff)
5. Alignment -- $75

That brings the total to well under $1900 -- and again, those are some fairly heavy labor estimates. Pay cash, tell them you don't need a receipt, and let them keep your old parts, and they should charge you a lot less. Either way, definitely shop around.

Hell, you could even add in new axles, new engine and transmission oil, and new shocks and struts, and you still might come out slightly ahead -- the shop will already be doing almost all of the labor for replacing those parts anyway, so the additional labor cost should be next to nothing.

As for whether it's worth putting that much work into your car.... If you can get things going the way they should be going, I would say so. Let's see... A lower-mileage engine, fresh oil, new axles, new struts/shocks, new LCA, new strut bearings, new front tires, new front brakes, and a fresh alignment... If you're not doing the work yourself, that's not bad for a little under $2.5k IMO.

 

A 95 Max is going to need a lot of work (if it hasn't had it done already). Best to get rid of the car or learn to do the work yourself. Unless the timing chain cover leak is really bad, I wouldn't get it done. A 95 max is worth less than $3k in my book so you need to weight high $ repairs in that light. I would replace both control arms--not only for shot bushings but to replace the worn ball joint. Down the line, your shocks/struts will need replacement. Your calipers will need replacement soon. Your KS is probably bad. Your coil packs will start to flake out. Your water pump will leak... the list is long.

 

Does the motor really have to be pulled to change the timing chain? Is there a write up of any kind for this?

 

There is a sensor on that cover. Whats it for? If I disconnect it the car won't start. Mine is leaking oil and I wanted to replace it... whatever it is.

 

cam pos sensor

 

Yup yup, that is the cam position sensor. Very easy to replace. Don't know how much it costs at stealership though.

 

Thanks, Ill pop into the dealer at lunch and see how much it is. I need an air filter anyhow. Time to clean out the throttle body again too. It never ends... beats mowing the lawn though.

 

Ok, I've had this leak before and may I say it's a pain in the **** to fix, let alone to attempt. I did this repair while the car was still in the engine bay... It's doable and it's very time consuming due to the fact that you don't want to lose anything.

After all was completed the car leaked after a few weeks. It's hard because of the tight space that you have to work with. It's easier to take the engine out and work on it in my opinion. But since you have 100k miles on it and have it out of the engine bay you might as well replace the entire motor...I bought my motor for like $750 with like 26k on it...Do the labor yourself if your mechanically enclined... Another question is that can you afford it also. At least afford to make a mistake and have to spend more money. At the time I attempted this, I didn't know what the hell I was doing and always called a friend. So maybe see if anyone else can help you out....

If you attempt it yourself, Just make sure you do them properly. Especially the brakes...As they are easy to do but one of the most critical part to your sefety on the vehicle...

Good Luck and Have Fun Man...

Chris
(IMO the leak is not worth repairing...)