I just had my oil changed on my '98 4Runner with 160k miles, and they said that there was some oil leaking and I needed to have the gaskets replaced. They also suggested that I needed to have new spark plugs and wires. Here are the prices I was quoted:

Valve Cover Gasket - 42.60
Int Manifold Set - 169.80
Labor - 325.60
Induction Clean - 69.25
Platinum Plugs - 49.20
Lifetime Wires - 93.18
Tune Elec. Ignition - 140.80
TOTAL - 891.13

I know I can do the wires and plugs myself, but how hard is it to change the gaskets? Is there a decent write-up anywhere describing the procedure? If it looks like something I can do, I'd REALLY not spend that kind of $$ right now.

 

Do it yourself. Find a writeup or get a service manual from a parts store.

 

Pinpointing the leak would give you a better assessment of the repair (ie, a valve cover gasket is much easier to replace than an intake manfold gasket)