advice on 90 celica repair

[ttyu122]

i'm a new member to the forum and i know absolutely nothing about cars lol i'm trying to learn some stuff thus i joined the forum.
But anyways, i have a 90 celica, it's got "major oil leak" problem according to the dealership, and my ac went out and need an conversion. the dealer is trying to charge me 1k to fix the oil leak and 8bills for the ac retrofit kit, i have 2 questions. first does that 1k for oil leak sound like a rip off to you guys? and if so what price is reasonable. second, i saw the ac retrofit kit to convert R12 to R134 for $30, should i just try to do it myself?

any comment or advice would be appreciated, thanks

[bluemiata90]

I myself am new to this forum, but I have around 30 years of back alley mechanics to my credentials. Anyways, a Major Oil Leak can mean many things(oil pan gasket,hole in block,rear or front engine seals) a rear engine seal replacement requires you to remove your engine to get to it. The seal only costs about $15.00, but the labor is very expensive. You have to give more detail on where the leak is coming from. Then you have to ask yourself, is a 1990 celica worth $1000.00 in repairs for the leak only. If you answer yes, then you have to decide if you want to repair the AC with a $30.00 attempt or have them do it for $800.00.
$1800.00 into a 1990 Celica(I don't know) You can buy a 90 Celica for less then that. But if your really attached to the car, I'd check around for a better price on both the leak and the AC.
Maybe try the $30.00 repair on the AC yourself, I've done several cars with the $30.00 kit and they all have worked O.K.. At least that way you can save almost $800.00 and if it doesn't work, your only out $30.00.
good luck

[ttyu122]

i guess that's a good way of looking at it, i guess i'll try to convert it myself and just fill up on the oil once a month.

Thanks for the advice