one more post. It's been wicked cold (near -40) so I have just left it be until it warmed up. I filled up the oil and it starts. It runs really rough. It won't move right away, but once it warms up (a minute, maybe two) it does. After a while it smokes a little. Oddly enough the dipstick tube puffs ...

I'm considering a 2002 xc70 w 124k.
Are there any known issues or 'red flags' I should be aware of as I look at it?
Thanks!!

I know you're all on the edge of your seat, wondering how this will end. So here goes. The mechanic said he was sorry, but couldn't figure out what went wrong. He gave me a partial refund and said the car ran rough, but he had put 'restore' in the oil and maybe that would help. "Drive it for a ...

I guess my real question at this point is, should he have been able to factor in the ring/compression problem before doing the head gasket repair?

Knowing that, I would have done something else (new engine, new car, etc.).

So, after the Head Gasket failure it was possible to check if the rings were OK? This is vital , as we may have just decided to scrap the car (or get a new engine) if it needed a complete re-build. Now that the engine is re-assembled and running poorly what can I do? There's no way I'll convince him...

So, here's my last question for you all. Thanks again for your input. The Mechanic says that he doesn't need to do the leak down test, since the compression builds w rpm, it has to be a bad ring. Was there any way to know this before we started the job? Is there any sort of mis-step in the job that ...

would this test possibly rule out rings?
Or is it most probably rings? If so, how do the 'Resstore' type products work?

Thanks again.

50 psi at idle
120 psi at 2,000 rpm

OK. I don't have the car yet, but he said that the oil leak is fixed (cam seals) and that one of the cylinders is firing, but the other (#4) has low compression and is only firing when the engine runs over 2k rpm. He put some sort of lubricant in it and hopes that will allow it to run smoothly at id...

I have not noticed any exhaust leak sounds. He thinks the leak is from the cam seals. ??? He also thinks that the oil leak has compromised the distributor cap, which he is cleaning. It smells like burning oil, wouldn't anti freeze from a head gasket leak smell "sweet"? He had said somethin...