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the tops of pistons 2 and 3 appear to be mildly scorched (detonation?). the valves look good, no debris in the head, cylinder walls look fine, and head gasket looks ok. this all bothers me because the minimal amount of wear on the pistons shouldnt have made the motor act like it did(spewing oil out from the crank case breather and smoking with idle problems, and over heating). there was no auditory sign of detonation. could all this be due to a bad thermostat or something? im so confused somebody please help me figure this out

as far as the oil goes, you did rule out the pcv valve correct? either that, or check your compression. the tops of the pistons are normally black. clean that up and look for little pock marks which would indicate detonation. overheating could have been caused by a faulty thermostat.

thought you wwere selling.......
you should get a head to a b6e so you can put on the dohc intake manafold that way you can run a stock hood & look stealthy

What were your compression numbers? Did you do a leak down test?<p>Please list all the symptoms (sounds, smells, etc.)<p>Inspect the tops of the pistons very carefully for hairline cracks (remember, the rings and bore may be the only thing holding them together).<p>What was your oil pressure and temp at?

well the walls have severe laserations(running your finger across the walls uncovers alot). anyway im now thinking the rings went and i had some serious blow-by with some detonation. the engine temps never went above 1/2 way on the gauge. and yes i was going to sell it but the sohc is running again and im not mad at the car anymore.
in regards to the b6 head: the scoop(cowl induction) is already there and im not going to buy yet another hood.<p>i still have faith in the old mx. Derrick @ CS is helping me out and i've got some other tricks up my sleeve(liquid to air,t3, wiseco). so stay tuned...
and thanx for the replies.