The engine had a loud ticking / knocking that I suspected could either be the bottom end, or possibly the timing belt tensioner. After performing a full timing belt job, the knocking noise remained. When pulling the injector plug on cylinder one, the noise went away. Leading the issue to be the bottom end itself.
The good news is there are no metal shavings when draining the oil and cutting the filter open. A few suggestions pointed out to be a possible wrist-pin failure in it's early stages. Only time will tell. Should it be something obvious that doesn't require an engine tear down, then I may consider fixing the issue and slapping back together. and t
However if the engine is torn down, then an engine refresh only makes sense. At least I have all brand new timing belt components and will need not worry about it for another 40-50k.
With that being said, ends the adventure for the evo for the rest of the year. It will be put in my garage until the end of winter.
