2005 Nissan Van radiator fluid disapearing

Ya got a leak, but if you don't see any wetness on the engine or puddles on the ground, suspect a leaking cylinder head gasket. You can verify that by adding a small bottle of dark purple dye to the coolant, then check a day later with a black light. The dye will show up as a bright yellow stain that you can follow back to the source. If the head gasket is leaking, you'll find the dye inside the tail pipe.

You'll want to verify this first because a head gasket is a pretty big job. Most mechanics, if they have your best interest at heart, will want to replace the timing belt too along with the tensioning devices and the water pump.

We don't get involved with costs here because there's way too many variables. Some engines are really easy to work on and the job could take as little as four hours. Some are really difficult and can take a whole day. Most shops go according to a "flat rate" book that spells out the hours each procedure on each car model should take. That way they all quote you the same number of hours. The variable is their hourly shop rate.

I don't have a shop. I'm an instructor and former mechanic. Around here most shops manage to stay in business by only charging around $100.00 per hour. If you saw the huge list of taxes, insurances, and government regulations they have to comply with, you'd wonder too how they manage, but they do. Dealerships usually charge a little more per hour than the independent shops, but they often get the job done faster because their mechanics are familiar with just the one brand of vehicle and they get factory training on them.

The way to get the most accurate estimate is to visit a shop, but they're going to want to verify the cause of the problem first so they quote you for the right repair. If you get estimates from two or more shops, be sure they're including the same things.

Every car is different. The job will take between 4 and 10 hours, ... Probably closer to four, but that's a guess. A timing belt can cost between 20 bucks and over a hundred dollars, depending on quality, how many things it runs, size, etc. If your water pump is driven by the timing belt, a conscientious mechanic will want to replace that too to insure the old one doesn't fail and damage the new belt. I don't know which van you have so I can't determine if you have a gas or diesel engine, whether or not it even uses a timing belt, and if so, what it runs. You need to visit a shop for an accurate estimate.

$942.76 plus or minus $500.00

You gotta ask at the shops. They will tell you exactly what is needed to solve the immediate problem, and what is recommended to insure the quality of the repair. Often they will let you decide how many additional things you want once you're able to make an informed decision.