Quote:
Originally Posted by jkarolyi
No experience other that it "looks" like a fairly easy job. With the 2.0 non-turbo there is a lot of room to work around in that engine bay.
Methinks you might only need to replace the valves or head. Complete 2.0 heads at a salvage yard are a dime a dozen. The blocks on those things are indestructible.
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I've done a headgasket on one in <5 hours, from the time it pulled into the garage to the time it pulled out. I'm not particularly smart, either. I'm sure you'd think it was a piece of cake.
I'd price some used heads, then pop off the head to see what the pistons look like. Probably just a couple "kisses" on the piston tops, but I wouldn't want to plan on just a head swap until I was sure that a valve head didn't bust off and lodge itself into something.
If it looks OK, get a used one, make sure it's square and have the valve stem seals replaced.
Way easier than an engine swap, and then you know what's inside. A couple years ago a guy at work blew the HG on his Honda Civic. I helped him out, but said he should really do a head swap instead of an outright engine swap. He got a deal on a complete engine instead, and we put that in. A few months later he complained that it was burning oil and overheating. Lotta work for nothing.
