V70 engine blown - Help solve the mystery

[Volvo_240_Atari_2600]

FireFox,

Cant say what I think I would do, is what you should do as I have no idea where you are financially today as opposed to maybe two years ago.

I say that $5k is a high price tag to shell out... So is $2,500 +/-
However, if I were still making the money I was making two years ago, I would take a few things into consideration.

1.
I would look at how much I have spent on the car already before blowing the engine. This means certain routine maintenance done by owner or shop, you at least know what parts are new, rebuilt etc... So here you know what lifespan you have in the previous investment.

2.
What is the book value of your car today vs. the $5k + repair of the $2-$3k repair

I see your point on the list of parts, however I would say yes possibly to the radiator replacement but I did my wife's v70 myself and the radiator alone cost me $190.00

heater core? Yes preventative but I would not include that in today's repair bil... Save it for another day as I think it had no real interaction with the fact the car overheated and blew the engine.

Ignition coils... Does that not come with ERIE's used engine?
Engine components they told you are a given and bundle that up with oil, filter and coolant and you are certainly good for $3k give or take.

Today, my financial ability would prevent me from doing the Erie engine swap so I would sell the car to an enthusiast that would also take my car for a bargain and of course, value whatever investment I have already made on my car which he would know is good for x amount of miles.

If it was me and I had more money than I do today, I would swap the engine.

You asked if anyone knew of a mechanic in NY/NJ/PA well I am not in New York, but there is a member on here "Brazuca_NY" who recently purchased I think a 99 v70 and it had a rear main seal leak... He had the shop where he purchased the car from to fix it and apparently they did.
The rear main seal required the engine coming out so that clutch can be done at the same time. I would contact him to see where this shop is and if it pays to even tow the car from Jersey to NYC for this repair.

If you do decide to sell the car off, I understand as that decision is one that the owner must feel comfortable with and I wish you the best of luck.

Regards,
Eric

[FireFox31]

Thanks for listing this in the repair database!

Here's some additional speculation about what may have killed the engine, from another group of gearheads that I know (I like the middle explanation):

- Water or oil pump failed, which can kill an engine very quickly.

- Head gasket blew first. The ticking sound was compression gasses leaking out from the outboard side of the head. The blown gasket led to increased coolant system pressure, which blew off the lower radiator hose. The coolant dumped out so quickly that the temp sensor didn't register any temp increase (because the sensor must be immersed in coolant). If I'd stopped right when the coolant dumped, perhaps the worst damage was that the head would need to be resurfaced.

- No, it wasn't the water pump, which is reliably driven by the timing belt. And V70's aren't known for randomly blowing head gaskets. A fluid leak would have relieved pressure, preventing the hose from blowing. Maybe a mechanic messed up the hose.


I got the car repaired for about $5k, doing all the work listed earlier in the thread. The replacement engine seems better than the old one.

Now my maintenance budget is in the negative. I'm going to learn to do as much work as possible, taking it to a shop (not the dealership?) only when necessary. Ha, watch it live twice as long under these "harsh" conditions.

Thanks again for all of your help. You helped me gauge the feasibility of the project, confirmed the price of the work, pointed me to the right parts supplier, and generally encouraged me to do it. One less car in the junk yard, one more Volvo still on the road.

[wheelsup]

If the lower radiator hose blew I would bet $5 it was weakened from the rear cam seal leaking over time - it drips oil right on top of the hose connection at the back of the car. Exact same thing happened to me. I noticed it right away when it blew however and pulled off to the side and shut my car off, temp went straight to the top. It's possible your ECT was bad. Also your low coolant light should've come on, I'm curious why it did not.

Another possibility is the tranny cooler line leaking, mine leaks a bit over my lower radiator hose as well at the radiator. I assume hot tranny fluid has the same rubber-weakening properties as oil.

That hose was around $20 to replace. In fact, a complete cooling system hose replacement w/ t-stat and ECT runs around $85. Something that should be done every 3-4 years - mine were over 8 years old. This might be the reason I am loosing coolant, an oil analysis will let me know in the next week or two.

[Fordman]

Hello to all.

Glad Firefox31 was able to replace motor and keep it on the road. I am in a similar condition. Started with the metal plastic radiator breaking and the metal plastic joint.

Seeking help with locating engine parts. Looking for a drop in motor or short block. 1998 V70 turbo B5254T. Have ebay Toms, used car-parts.com or erievolvo to check with. I am located in New Mexico, any other recommendations would be appreciated.....thank you.

-Fordman

[Ozark Lee]

I have heard no complaints from either Erie VOVO or Toms. In most cases I have found Erie VOVO to be on the high priced side but I understand that they do offer a warranty. By far you can save a lot if you can find a motor at a local salvage yard and save the freight.

Just make sure the motor model number matches up - Your LPT model is a bit tougher to find.

...Lee

[kahf2008]

Hi guys, I have a 95 volvo 850 wagon non turbo, I love it! It got flooded in deep water and I changed the IAC valve and filter. My transmission was leaking because I needed the seal and O ring to the cooling hose in the radiator, I bought that online from Eeuroparts.com. no leak from the hose but when I put it to drive it leaks from somewhere and it gives the Code 3-2-2( gear Ratio Incorect) but I drove it in 3rd Grear. I decided to go to the beach in valentine day, but I observed the cooling Lamp in the cluster. I stoped and I found the lower hose antifreeze in the radiator is leaking, I went to walmart, I bought 2 galons, I cut about 1.5 inch off the hose, and I put it back. but, when I was driving I saw the light on again! I stopped , the wose was off and all fluid was going out, I didnt tight the clamp after the bump but before! anyways, I decided to go back home like that about 1 mile away, there was no antifreeze, it was all dry. So I decided to fix it in the morning; I refilled it and the antifreeze is coming down from the engine. I blew the engine. I took it to the mecanic with water in it, and he said, it need 3k $. I decide to rebuild it by myself if I get the tools from oreilly. any suggestions?
thank you

[Ozark Lee]

Check around for a local salvage yard with a used engine. It sounds like your engine had a very bad day and your can likely just install a used one for much less that trying to rebuild the one that you have. Overheating on the aluminum engines is a very bad thing and it can result in cracks on the block that can never be adequately repaired even if you do a total teardown.

...Lee

[kahf2008]

Thank you Lee, I found one engine with 500$, it has 155k miles, is that good price? so what about the transmission? I just go ahead and buy it used too?

[Ozark Lee]

Since it is local that price sounds reasonable to me. You might do a little bit better on the top line from Tom's but then you need to pay motor freight to get it to your door. I'm not so sure your transmission is toast but if you can get the package for under $750 the worst you can do is get back about half of your money buy selling the transmission if you don't need it.

...Lee

[jblackburn]

Or keep the transmission laying around in case it decides to kill itself randomly