[ScottyS]

*whew* Vindication.

What with all the work out of town, shooting matches, and family stuff, the car has just been sitting around. I finally got around to pulling the motor out today. I left all the manifold/turbo/intake stuff on, and yanked it out. Left the A/C and Power Steering hooked up and just pushed them to the sides.

I'm in the process of stripping the motor down, and the first thing I went for was the clutch and pressure plate that I had just installed. Well, the leak was definitely the rear seal, BUT, the seal was intact and aligned correctly. However, I can push the crankshaft sideways with my finger and get a break in the seal. I doubt that is supposed to do that....

There was still about 2.5qts of oil in the pan, so I am 99% positive that the turbo and valve trains are OK lubrication-wise. There is no external block damage. I've gotten the intake manifold, exhaust, and turbo off, and next I will take the timing stuff off the front. Once the heads come off then I will know if the valves are screwed or not. Probably not.....

However, I do not know what to expect if the crankshaft was sloshing around like that with the hammering so intense before I shut it down. I really, really, really hope that the block is not screwed.

One step at a time here....not sure what would be involved with trying to swap in a WRX motor, probably all new wiring too. Let's hope this one is salvageable. Bottom line, I am really glad that it had nothing to do with my mechanicin'!