2002, 150k, bought in Feb. It's had a HC in coolant issue since I bought it, slight burning of coolant, no coolant in oil, very manageable until just recently. It has overheated twice when left running in park, but no noticeable changes after overheating, and that was months ago. After sitting for 2 weeks it started up and was billowing white smoke so i tore into it and found a cracked head, and what looks like loose foreign body damage to the top of piston #4 and some scratches along the cylinder.
the coolant passages behind the water pump are pretty rusty and the block has some exterior rust. I'm going to pull the rest of the engine and swap in a spare from a 2000 and tear apart the rest of the 2002, see how much trouble I can get myself into.
can a machine shop fix a piston with scratches that deep? seems doubtful. the cylinders will need work too, maybe more than a honing, how much can they take off? i've never cracked an engine open before and was not prepared for this level of damage. I had a plan for a cracked head, but these scratches threw me for a loop.
Any suggestions? I'm planing on completing the swap to get it running, then taking my time with the 2002 engine to make sure it's worth fixing.
I have the FSM for the 2000, and it's pretty close to the 2002, at least as far as the engine goes. theres a few minor differences with the accessories that can be swapped over.
thanks guys, I'd never have the stones to do this without a group like this available!
