Update: The oil is dark but no sign of coolant in it. Ran the engine for several seconds. It runs without a knock and sounds smooth after the VANOS settles in (gotta fix that). I’m thinking I’ll have to pull the head regardless to be sure.

I found the leak culprit: the trans cooler! [emoji2357] The retaining clip is just gone. I don’t even know how that happens.


Edit: wrong cooler