Just got my VX back from the shop as well. The owner is a trusted one here in town with high ratings and has a ton of experience. He said he's only seen one VX...mine...but has seen this engine in a bunch of cars he's worked on...trooper and honda. He said the 3.5's have a real bad history and that the 3.2 Rodeos are way better and reliable engines. This post just reminded me of that. This engine is burning a lot of oil and leaking too at the tranny. Would love to hear how the mod goes. Might need to replace mine soon.