Timing Cover and Oil Pan Gasket

On the recent trip to get the oil change, the service engineer (chyrsler dealer) said that my car has a timing cover gasket leak. He said it will cost $635 towards timing cover and $ 339 towards Oil Pan Gasket replacement. I think the total with tax will be around 1200$. I am totally confused as to what to do because it is going to hurt my financials. How long should I wait to get it replaced considering the weather is going to be bad in coming months? Should I get it replaced only through the dealer?

How much is it leaking, or how often do you have to add oil? If it is very slow, I’d save my pennies until I could afford the repair. You may also want to get a second opinion/estimate, the dealer is not the final solution.

Definitely, get two more opinions. Any decent repair shop can take care of this. The dealer’s mechanics will infer, by words or demeanor, that ALL oil leaks are harbingers of engine failure, and they will imply, by words or demeanor, that the leak MUST be repaired. It tain’t so. Minor leaks can be lived with indefinitely.

You might check for loose bolts on both the timing cover and the oil pan. Remember to state the vital information. Year, engine, etc.

Are you loosing a measurable amount of oil? You should check the oil level at each fuel fillup for awhile and if you don’t see a significant oil loss, then ignore the dealer.

A significant oil loss would be something like a quart of oil every 500 miles or less. Oil loss between a quart every 500 to 2000 miles would bear watching but it would be a long time before you used $1200 worth of oil. Over 2000 miles per quart is insignificant.

Thanks very much for your suggestions.

I have another, may be a dumb question because of my lack of technical knowledge on Cars. Here Oil means Engine Oil, right? and how do we measure the oil level. Is there some kind of gauge available in the stores for purchase to check the oil level?

On an average I drive only 20 miles per week. My car is 2001 model and has run only around 60K miles.

I think you should take a deep breath and get another opinion or two. As far as I know the engine in your car uses a timing belt and this means there is nothing in the timing cover per se that can leak. There is NO oil inside that cover, however it is possible that a seal (crank, cam, etc.) could leak.

Since it would be rare for a seal or oil pan gasket to leak on a 60k miles engine, what I would consider is the possibility of a leaking oil pressure sending unit.
These are relatively inexpensive, easy to change, and when aged a bit the onset of cold weather may cause them to leak. Since oil pressure is directly routed into the sender and due to their location, any leak may make it appear as though a front cover and/or oil pan gasket leak is present when in reality it may not be.

If they told you the timing cover gasket itself was the the cause of this leak then you should avoid them for any future repairs; and let them know why too.
And if the timing belt has never been changed then it’s way past due since it’s now 9 years old.

And I should have mentioned that it’s possible to have the crankcase pressured up too much due to a faulty PCV valve. This pressure can cause oil leaks and/or oil consumption problems.

The PCV is very easy and cheap to inspect and service also.

By oil we do mean engine oil. And you can check the engine oil by using the dipstick. If you don’t know where the dipstick is, look in your owners manual.

Thanks very much.