[urq] A new urQ owner, and a big problem...

[Buchholz, Steven]

"known good" is relative as well ... I suppose if you can find an engine
from a car with which you have some history it can be a reasonably safe
bet ... but remember, this car had a "known good" WX before the TB went.
I had a timing belt which I had recently replaced fail on my '88 5kCSQA.
According to my calculations, the newest MC engine you can find will
still be pushing 15 years old ...

Don't get me wrong, I too am leaning toward the MC swap in my car.  If
you are going for the swap you should not view it as a simple pull out
WX and insert MC ... find a good quality MC engine in a donor car.  When
you pull the engine, be sure to have it gone over ... timing belt of
course, but the curse of the MC is the hydraulic lifters ... be sure to
get them replaced ... and think seriously about replacing the head
gasket.  It does not have infinite life, and opening up the engine will
allow you to look for latent issues like valve or head cracks ... I also
recommend swapping in the MAC-11/MAC-14 with the engine, and that you
refresh/replace the fuel injectors and fuel distributor.  I guess all
I'm saying is to make sure that you understand the entire process of
swapping WX to MC and what options you have before you begin ... 

All said, it is probably still cheaper to pull the head, have it redone
and the WX left in place.  The demand for WX engines is even less than
that for MCs ... you might even be able to find a "known good"
replacement WX to drop in for cheaper still.  With proper care the WX is
a very robust engine as well, and it actually has a couple advantages
over the MC ... 

Steve B
San Jose, CA (USA)
> 
> Time for an MC or MC2 swap.  If the guy can't fix the WX himself, the
shop
> labor rates will cost many times more than swapping in a good known MC
engine.
> 
> More performance and reliability for less cost.