Engine codes from 94 850 Turbo, 147k

[TheWagles]

My 850 has the following codes: 300, 302, 304, 305, 326 and 1310. I am going to look them up online but thought I would get some opinions/thoughts as to my course of action. I was told by our local Volvo shop I have a cracked/warped head, and of course with the codes it is running rough. He quoted with parts and labor anywhere from $1200-$2000 just to make it a reliable daily driver. It does need brakes and tires as well however, are Volvo's really this expensive to maintain?

[abscate]

It sounds like your mechanic is more expensive to maintain than your car.

Did you have an obvious overheat or incident leading to a warped cylinder head? How many miles re on it and what is the maintenance history!

Brakes and tires are consumables whose costs reflect how you drive.

[TheWagles]

Abscate, no overheating. There has been some milkiness on the dipstick. When I wipe it off, it takes a few days to reappear. The car does not get any miles put on it. 5-10 minutes to work where it sits for 8-12 hrs and then home. He has plugged in a small OBD scanner and got these codes. He also did something with the radiator cap and a hose and determined it was losing compression. I asked for a ballpark of labor/parts, he told me 1200-2000.

[TheWagles]

Abscate, maintenance history? I have owned the car for two years and what I mentioned above is how it has been driven. Little to no highway miles. I have not done anything to it. Previous owner bought it new in Germany in 94 and drove it all across Europe before coming back to the States. It did not see much road time the previous year or two before I bought it. Mileage is 147k and change.

[Klausc]

If you haven't figured out by now, the p0300 is for multiple misfire. P0301-305 are which cylinder is misfiring.

"warped" head is a bit bogus as the aluminum alloy block and head seldom loose their shape. A headgasket leak is possible, but with your poor driving habit I would suspect dirty valves. Do yourself a favor and remove each spark plug and check the condition. I suspect they will be black and totally covered in soot. Clean them off with a wire brush, check the gap (.028), and put them back in.

The white milky substance on the dipstick is from condensation, your engine never gets hot enough to burn off the impurities in the engine oil. Your engine is also designed to 'rotate' the valves when the rpms go over 2000, but slow speeds and cold temps will cause the exhaust valves to get coated with dirt and stop rotating and cleaning themselves. Suggestion, depending on your speed during your commute, down shift to 3rd or 2nd(over 25mph so it doesn't shift to 1st) and let the engine sustain 3000-4000 rpm for a few miles.

While the engine is cold and not running, take a marker and mark the level of the antifreeze. Check it daily or weekly and make sure it is not being used. That would be a sign of a leaking head gasket.

You have an OBD system on your car, the right front fender has two small boxes connected to the large computer box. That will let you 'read' the codes yourself, reset them, and keep you away from the 'mechanic'. There are instructions here and elsewhere on the Web on how to read/clear the codes.

[TheWagles]

Thanks Klaus. I have posted on here before and the general consensus was just what you said. I mentioned that to the mechanic and he seemed adamant it was the head. I will do what you suggested and see what happens. Any other suggestions?

[Klausc]

Well, if you do in fact have a head gasket leak, it should only effect 1 or 2 cylinders and not 4 of them.

Do yourself a favor and read your own codes: http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/47 ... formation/
Once you have read them, try to delete them as old codes sometime do not go away. Your object is to get 1-1-1 from every port except B-2 (cruise control). The engine codes are all on the "A" block. Then drive the car on the highway, in 3rd, for about 5 minutes to get the engine oil nice and hot. Don't worry, 3rd will still let you go to around 105 mph so you shouldn't be close to red line.

Don't mash on the gas pedal from a standing start, that will just pour fuel into the intake and make things worse for now. Save the 'mashing' for when the rpm is already at 2000 or higher.

There is truth to the saying "Drive it like you hate it!", or "drive it like it is stolen".

Clear your codes tonight and see what comes back.

[TheWagles]

If there is a head or head gasket problem is there any chance of it overheating?

[TheWagles]

When it comes to understanding the codes, I see alot of 1-1-1, 1-3-1 etc. However, the mechanic plugged in an OBD unit and the codes that came up all started with 300, 302 etc. I haven not been able to find out what those codes mean? Any ideas? 300, 302, 304, 305, 326 and 1310.

[mercuric]

The 1-1-1 sort of trouble codes are read from the box with the jumper.
The codes your mechanic is quoting are OBD-II codes, 300 is really P0300, 1310 is P1310, etc.

OBD-II CODE: P0300
DTC 5-4-2 Misfire emission level from more than 1 cylinder
DTC 5-4-4 Misfire three-way catalytic converter (TWC) damage from more than 1 cylinder

OBD-II CODE: P0301
DTC 4-5-1 Misfire emission level cylinder 1
DTC 5-5-1 Misfire with three-way catalytic converter (TWC) damage cylinder 1

OBD-II CODE: P0302
DTC 4-5-2 Misfire emission level cylinder 2
DTC 5-5-2 Misfire with three-way catalytic converter (TWC) damage cylinder 2

OBD-II CODE: P0303
DTC 4-5-3 Misfire emission level cylinder 3
DTC 5-5-3 Misfire with three-way catalytic converter (TWC) damage cylinder 3

OBD-II CODE: P0304
DTC 4-5-4 Misfire emission level cylinder 4
DTC 5-5-4 Misfire with three-way catalytic converter (TWC) damage cylinder 4

OBD-II CODE: P0305
DTC 4-5-5 Misfire emission level cylinder 5
DTC 5-5-5 Misfire with three-way catalytic converter (TWC) damage cylinder 5

OBD-II CODE: P0326
DTC 1-4-3 Front knock sensor (KS), signal

OBD-II CODE: P1310
DTC 5-4-3 Misfire emission level from at least 1 cylinder
DTC 5-4-5 Misfire three-way catalytic converter (TWC) damage from at least 1 cylinder

You probably need some combination of cap, rotor, plugs, wires and a front knock sensor. Could just be wiring to the knock sensor, they don't die often (but sometimes they do) -- Best to check the wiring before replacing the sensor, it's not terribly easy to get at and also costs a bit, but not too bad. IIRC the entire kit (both sensors, all the wiring/mounting stuff) is about $150.

If you haven't done the ignition components, or can't be sure they're 5 years old or less:
http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-t ... tuneupkit2

These parts can be installed in your driveway in about an hour with hand tools.

The parts contained in that kit are the only way to go for these items. Aftermarket parts are a bad investment when it comes to these items, they will not work right and/or not last.

Volvo 850s are NOT expensive cars to maintain. The problem is your mechanic is jumping you into a very major repair, essentially disassembling and swapping out the entire top half of the engine, and doesn't seem to have actually diagnosed that to be the real problem.

A compression test will rule out both a leaky headgasket and poorly sealing valves.

Unless your mechanic is able to present evidence you have poor compression, exhaust gas present in the coolant (both head gasket signs) or blue smoke on acceleration after idling (oil leaking past the valve seals), I would recommend you find a mechanic who isn't trying to take you for a ride. Chances are he's looking for billable hours. Find a shop honest enough to not bullsh!t you and too busy to have time to do unnecessary work. Nothing more dangerous to your pocket book than a mechanic that is desperate for hours... Unless of course you're a homeowner and are hiring contractors looking for hours, lol!