There seem to have been some issues with the M44 I purchased. For starters, it appears to be an M42 (crank position sensor at front), though I have yet to pop the cam cover to look for rockers (signifying M44) or their absence (M42).
Whether it’s an M44 or an M42 is really secondary to the fact that when I finally got it on a stand and turned it over by hand each exhaust port bilged out several ounces of rusty water.
So much to ponder… Do I bolt it in and give it a shot? Do I rebuild it? Do I find another junkyard motor? Metric Mechanic will do me a 200-hp N/A M42 for ~$8k… Turbo on a sound stocker sounds more cost-effective.
It’ll all have to wait while we rebuild the garage anyhow.
