Hi Dale!

The oil pump lives behind the timing belt cover, bottom center. The
front main (crankshaft) seal is housed in the oil pump, and these have
been known to leak, sometimes catastrophically. Leaks at either/any of
the cam seals will often show up at the same place as a front main
leak, making a casual diagnosis tricky. The front of the engine has to
be disassembled to arrive at an accurate assessment, at which point
you are 1/2 way toward fixing the problem it in any event.

Depending on the mileage and service history of the car, when
something like this happens, often the best bet is to service the
timing belt, timing belt idlers and tensioner, water pump, and oil
pump / front seal at the same time. The extra labor involved is
relatively minimal. A leaking cam seal will involve a bit of extra
work.

Anyway, the cost for this repair is gonna be pretty similar to a
timing belt job, say around $500 - $600 depending on how thorough the
tech was being when he quoted it. A grand seems excessive, you might
want to seek a second opinion from an independent shop.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101