Hi all,
It looks as though my new '85 Westy might need a new engine. The current
engine has 135k miles, the cylinder has a compression of 80 psi and a
leak down of 15% (the mechanic said he was expecting more leakage given
the compression) and another cylinder has a compression of 105 psi and a
leak down of 10%. While the mechanic believes the current engine can be
repaired but given the age/mileage of the engine and the cost to repair
the engine (he hasn't taken the heads off or really torn into the engine
to fully diagnose the problem but I am apparently looking at several
hours (i.e. 2 -3 hrs.) worth of labor to fully diagnose), he has advised
to go ahead and replace the existing engine. Advice I leaning toward
taking. So I have a couple of question:

1) Is it worth it to fully diagnose this problem? Or save that money for
the new engine?

2) My research has me leaning toward the 2200cc GoWesty replacement
engine. What peoples experience with these engines? What are some of the
other replacement egines out there (i.e. Boston Bob) worth considering?
I am aware for the current discussion on the Bay Window forum concerning
Bob but others seem to have had good luck with him in the past.

3) Should I condider swapping the engine for a different engine
altogether (i.e. Subaru) engine? How much more expensive is the option
than a rebuilt waterboxer? How reliable are these conversions? I want
decent performance, better than the stock engine, but I am not willing
to trade reliability.

Thanks,
Sam