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850 Turbo Seized Crankshaft

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
1997 - 2004 C70

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Johnny78Blaze
Posts: 61
Joined: 11 October 2009
Year and Model: 94 850 Turbo Wagon
Location: Pennsylvania

850 Turbo Seized Crankshaft

Post by Johnny78Blaze »

This past Thursday I gave it a new oil change and got it inspected. That night the oil pressure light came on quickly, there were some loud metal on metal sounds (@#%&#$), the car died and I coasted into a parking lot. The next day I went over a bunch of things and ended up loosening the oil drain plug. To my dismay, a nice coolant/oil mixture flowed out. I thought "blown head gasket". I have the car ripped apart and the head off. For the life of me I can't get the 30mm center nut off the harmonic balancer on the crankshaft. I tried spinning the crankshaft forward and it won't budge. I'm just a shade tree mechanic but from searching around the internet it sounds like a seized engine (seized crankshaft). My questions are:

1) Does this sound like a seized crankshaft?
2) Can you replace a crankshaft with the engine still intact?
3) What else would you usually replace along with the crankshaft?
4) I can get another crankshaft at my local EZ Pull for $20. The Haynes manual is vague as usual. Does anyone have instructions on this procedure? Step-by-step? Pictures?
5)Will you all say a prayer for me after reading this topic? Thanks, I'm gonna need it I think :shock:

jimmy57
Posts: 6694
Joined: 12 November 2010
Year and Model: 2004 V70R GT, et al
Location: Ponder Texas
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Post by jimmy57 »

If you have coolant in oil you'd better figure that one out first.
The main bearings sit against aluminum in the block and the lower section (intermediate section in Volvo lingo but also known as bedplate in some other car makes). If the bearings run w/o lube the usual result is spun bearings and that messes up the bearing openings and the motor is trashed.
The main bearing set is expensive as it is a bearing selection. You read letters off engine corresponding to each bearing and letters on crank for each journal. The two shells are then chosen from the 3 pairs for each journal.
I'm betting a used motor that you put new oil seals in and install is going to be a lot cheaper.

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