Cylinder 5 misfire

[ahlem]

So assuming I have all the tools I need, which I do have and experience tearing down motors completely and putting them back together except not an M54, what would the reason be to expect a dead motor rather than just a head gasket?
Any used M54 would probably need at least new oil rings from what I've surmised.

[Effduration]

Originally Posted by ahlem

So assuming I have all the tools I need, which I do have and experience tearing down motors completely and putting them back together except not an M54, what would the reason be to expect a dead motor rather than just a head gasket?
Any used M54 would probably need at least new oil rings from what I've surmised.

Time, money, and risk of failure.

In most cases, this debate between swapping in a used engine vs doing a head gasket involves an overheated engine -apparently not the case here.

In most cases, a head gasket is more work, more time and about the same money (after machine costs and any tool rental) than buying a used M54 and slapping it in. I would also suggest a head gasket has a greater chance of failure (mine just failed 5k miles after doing a head gasket 6 months ago), though the chance of failure is low if done properly.


As mentioned above, doing a head gasket in your particular situation is what I would suggest. I would certainly get the head and valves checked and decked.