Hey guys, I have a 96 Lumina 3.1 with about 115,000 miles. About a month or two ago I noticed a coolant leak on the passenger side (timing chain cover). Now the leak is very bad. I called a local shop and they told me 5.5hrs labor at $70 per hr, gasket, oil change, and coolant for approximately $450.00
. Is this a fair price? Also, this car is on it's last leg, so I really don't want to dump this amount of money into it and I was thinking of doing it myself. Has anybody performed this task before? I checked out two Haynes manuals and one states that "Step 17: On 1995 through 2000 models, remove the right side ball joint and the lower control arm, then remove the suspension support...
".
I also noticed "Step 14: Remove the oil pan.
Note: the front cover can be removed with the oil pan in place, but the pan must be removed for a good installation to seal against the bottom of the front cover." Are these two steps a must? I live in a community that I would never hear the end of it
if the job is this involved. I guess I'm asking for the easiest way possible. Any tips or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
.