ok, so i pulled the codes oh this car a couple of days ago, they read as follows: 1-1-5, then, 1-1-5, i have no idea what they mean, other than i've been told it is an emissions control problem. I reset the thing, and, the check engine light goes away for sometimes 20 mins, and, sometimes a couple of days. my main problem is a cylinder that is goin bad, and eats spark plugs! other than that, when it runs like it's supposed to, it is still one of the best driving, best handling wagons i've ever owned, which is why i'm tryin to keep it going. where we currently reside, you have to do a lot of highway/mountain driving. and, everyone hauls ass,even, and especially the older folks, like the rear bumper is on fire, and they're tryin to outrun it!
anyway, some days my oil consumption on the bad cylnder is almost nill, and other days, it goes thru maybe between 1/2- 3/4 of a quart, and i buy good oil, even tho it's runnin thru it at present. i'm not goin to start dumpin .59 cents/quart oil in this car just cuz it's eatin it.
i'm still tryin to get the exact cause as to why this head was taken off this engine,(twice), and why the cylinder issue was never addressed...all i've been able to find out so far is that the first head gasket that was installed wasn't done right,at the dealer, which is why it ended up at a less than reputable shop, where it remained for so long, my friend that owned it actually moved, and had to go back and argue the point to collect the car, which had been stored up until the time that he was able to retrieve it, pay out the ass, and the end result is a bad cylinder, that again, was never addressed by either the local dealer, or moe, larry, and curly at joe's garage...i'm wonderin if i could pull the pistons and re-ring them all with the block in the car, as i have a major shortage of tools, and strength these days, or will the block have to come out? anybody have any idea on whether or not this can be done w/o removing the short block from the vehicle?? thanks!