The evidence is strong that my wife's 1994 wagon overheated, causing the presence of antifreeze in #1 cylinder and loss of compression in #2 and #3 cylinders (25 psi). The mechanic states this can happen when the heat causes loss of oil from the cylinders (Mobil 1 10w-30, for those of you curious). He thinks it is very unlikely that the head is usable at all, and the wiring harness is toast. However, the pistons still move freely - the motor is not seized. He thinks the block "may" be OK. I have therefore purchased a used engine with 50k miles on it for $1000 (I could not find just a used head). I also have an unknown a/c leak - given my recent luck this may be the evaporator (or I could get lucky for once and have a bad compressor - HA!). My choices are:[list=1][*]Replace my entire engine with the used one as is[*]Remove the head from the used one and put it on my block[*]Put a new head gasket on the used engine, then install it as per #1[/list=1]
My wife wants to keep the car, even though it is a money pit. Before I let her do that I will find out about the a/c leak. My questions are:
- How many hours should it take to remove the head from the used engine which will be delivered today?
- Given the evidence, what are the chances that my lower end is OK?
Sorry for the long post, but I have NEVER faced such an expensive repair before and feel I need all the advice I can get!
04-02-2004, 08:46 AM
Threaded Mode
