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I'm trying to take my time thinking this through. Here's where I'm at. There's no choice other than to eventually take the engine out. That job is the sticking point, but either repair or replace, the engine has to come out. My fear is that if I replace the engine with a used one, I really have no idea what I'm going to get. I haven't got much experience with this particular car as I only recently bought it, but I do believe the basic engine is very sound and solid.
The engine runs very strong, and in changing the oil I found that the old oil was clean and clear, there was no metal at all in the oil as it drained (I strained it as it drained, there was nothing), and in very, very closely inspecting the oil filter, there was no metal at all, either visually or after running a strong magnet through the entire filter.
I'm leaning now toward eventually removing the engine, then removing the heads and then sending them out for testing. It has to be one of them. I'll get the car looked at first to see if a qualified shop can make a positive diagnosis. Once I know which head it is, I can either replace the affected head with a good used one or send it out for repair. Any input on the repair vs. replace scenario would be greatly appreciated.
How difficult is it with the engine removed to remove and replace a head? I've poked around just a bit on the internet but haven't really seen a good how to on the subject, but I haven't done a real thorough search yet. If anyone has a good link, I'd appreciate you sending it along.
While it's out that would give me an opportunity to completely clean the engine, of course install a new IMS bearing and clutch, inspect the dual mass flywheel and replace if necessary, engine mounts and transmission mounts, engine oil separator, spark plugs and tube o-rings, etc. This also give me the opportunity to keep the original engine with the car. I know the "while you're in there" list can get long, I already intended to do most of this stuff, and actually have a good amount of it on hand already.
Taking the engine out is going to be a royal pain in the a$$, but either way it has to be done. In the mean time I can enjoy the car for a short while, as there is absolutely zero water in the oil, so until the real heat of summer hits I can take the car out for a spin with the wife once in a while, which is why I bought it in the first place.
Thoughts?
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