That was my thinking too.. If you can do it yourself, it would be TONS cheaper..

 

i would do the head swap. I recently bought an 2.8 A6 with a broken timing belt, well actually what happened was the owner changed the belt but didnt change the water pump and idler. They both failed causing the engine to lose timing. I had a spare engine laying around but it had 186k on it and the A6 only had 90k on it. I just pulled the heads off the spare engine and put in new valve seals and called it a day. Here is a picture of the heads i pulled.

 

well if you were at idle its hit or miss, you may have gotten lucky and nothing happened, or atleast bent a few valve or two and just need a head job. if it was highway speeds chances are your SOL.

 

Actually I was going about 60 mph. So that wasn't good I would think.

Let me explain why I can't use my original head. The spark plug in the #2 cylinder actually comes out, but WITH the heli-coil insert fused to it. There's no way of putting in another insert since the hole in the head is huge already.

Tell me if I'm getting a good deal for the engine I'm planning on getting.

Here are the specs:

75k mi.
free installation of timing belt kit
free coolant, fresh oil and filter
engine cost = $1100
installation = $400 or maybe less now

 

Fixable..

But, for $1500 and not having to do yourself, go for it..

 

+1. I still think that'd be the easier route, you'll be car-less for a lot less time.

 

you had original Tb on this and it lasted for 155k?

 

Oh they can last quite a long time. Especially if the car isnt beaten on. My Intrepids 3.5L belt is still going after 193k miles.. as is the water pump. Of course, its a non-interfence engine, so it'll just stop if it breaks - not take the engine out

 

Though having learned loads in my days on this forum and the year and a half with my car, I still consider myself a nub with cars. That said, can I inquire for a brief explanation of this "non-interference" engine?

 

It means that the valves and pistons can never meet, even if the timing belt breaks, there is just too much clearance between a valve fully open and a piston at TDC... there's no 'interference'.

Audi engines are 'interference' engines. This means that the piston at TDC occupies the same space as a valve fully open. Unless precisely timed to be closing while the piston is coming up (and opening while the piston going down), the piston and valve can 'interfere' while each other. Usually with drastic results, as we see..