1997 Nissan Sentra Repair or buy another car

JOHABYMORALES

MEMBER
1997 NISSAN SENTRA
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
153,500 MILES

Hi
I have had a Nissan for three years. The only thing I had to replace is the CV axles and the starter twice. This car is very reliable:however, it has it's issues. First, it has a major motor engine leak. The motor totally drains the oil in just 300 miles. I have this repair estimated, $1,500. They said it was the engine seals located behind the timing chain. This part only cost $8. Second, the transmision has a lot of leaks I am guessing is the seals as well. Third the air conditioning works, but if you stop at the red ligth it will stop blowing cool air. Fourth, the car needs paint and in the trunk, rigth where the spare tire goes, it has a rusted hole. My question is, can I do this jobs my self, or it is time to look for another car?
Thanks

3 Replies

BUDDYCRAIGG

MECHANIC
2,262 POSTS

Well, the shop is probably right about the oil leak.

They seal the front cover to the engine.
The oil pump is part of the front cover and those seals have high oil pressure behind them. And that's about the only place for your to loose all of your oil in 300 miles.

The "book time" is about 12 hours to change the timing chains. Replacing those seals is just about the same thing as replacing the timing chains.
And a complete timing chain kit is about 400 so the price they gave you is reasonable.

Saying that, it is not a difficult job, it's just very time consuming. An average "shade tree" mechanic could probably do this job over a weekend with average hand tools. Do you have any friends with basic mechanical skills that could help you?