1998 V70 T5 Compression Mystery...

[4volvosreally]

One other clue - about a mile before the strange swishing sound began, my daughter (who is learning to drive a stick) had stalled and restarted the car. She held the starter down once it was running for perhaps 5 seconds, being in a bit of a panic.

Is it possible the starter / restart of a running motor could have caused problems with the timing and belt?

Thanks

[MoVolvos]

One other clue - about a mile before the strange swishing sound began, my daughter (who is learning to drive a stick) had stalled and restarted the car. She held the starter down once it was running for perhaps 5 seconds, being in a bit of a panic.

Is it possible the starter / restart of a running motor could have caused problems with the timing and belt?

Thanks

**

Not likely, either it will grind or take the Starter for a ride. Per rspi look to the oil first issue first.

You list S.F. Bay Area. Give these guys a call for advise. Keep in mind both are super busy

Went to school with Ali many, many, many moons ago and bumped into again him 3 years ago (Hey, A Volvo Specialist of all things)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/montclair-auto-tech-oakland-2

Antonio uses Swepco Products where I get my 1's and 2's or else I buy by the case from the same Local Rep
http://www.yelp.com/biz/independent-vol ... o%20repair

Blessings,

BKM

**

[j-dawg]

i was under the impression that the pistons have two valve-shaped cutouts by design. here's a picture (from an ebay auction) of a new pair of pistons:

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/150862786378)

i think it would be pretty unlikely for every cylinder's valves to hit the pistons, because interference occurs when camshaft motion stops and crankshaft motion does not. i would expect only the valves that stuck in the "out" position when the cams stopped to make a significant mark.

[erikv11]

Yes, the notches are totally normal, they are machined into the pistons. I don't actually see any evidence in the photo of valve-piston contact, except maybe the shiny spots in #3, but that doesn't mean there wasn't any. At any rate, from what you can see right now the top of the pistons are totally fine. That is not a surprise, but still good news.

Yes, it will take much, much longer than 3 hours to pull the head, especially if you haven't done it before. Pat yourself on the back for taking enough time to do it properly. Sorry about the head bolt problems!

The starter would in no way cause the timing belt mishap.

I agree you must find out why the belt skipped. One of the best ways to do this is to put a belt on before you pull the head, unfortunately that is no longer an option. Still, rspi outlined the basics of what you can do now: check the timing parts. Checking for damage is a tougher on the bottom half of the engine internals, but I suppose you can crank it now with the head off. You really wanted to do some basic tests before you tore it all apart, your options are limited now.

I would also go ahead and pay to get the head tested now at the shop, you need to gather all info about the extent of the various damage, then make a decision. Are the valves bent, if so how many, are there any cracks, etc.

You are smart to be thinking about the RMS - as stated, if you keep this engine then at this point it is a no-brainer to pull the oil trap and make sure the passage out the bottom into the block is clear, and that all PCV components are in good shape (they do look pretty clean, though). Functioning PCV system is the best RMS insurance you can get on these cars.

[abscate]

Is this the original timing belt or has it been replaced, and when?

[4volvosreally]

The timing belt was replaced about 20k ago by a small local shop that is no longer in business. It was a mistake to have them do it, and I am pretty certain the tensioner was not updated. Having read all the posts, the next steps are:
- continue the tear down and remove the harmonic balancer
- evaluate the seal on the crank, waterpump, etc
- asses the tensioner for failure (likely candidate from what I have read)
- have the head evaluated (wife dropping it by the machine shop today)

I cant imagine doing all of this work without the help of such a deeply knowledgeable community. Thanks to everyone who has contributed, and of course to mvs.

[rspi]

He stated in one of his post that he had replaced the RMS not long ago. Not sure what the concern would be now.

[erikv11]

It is worth it to always be concerned about the RMS. Never let crankcase pressure build up and blow it out. Way too much work for an avoidable problem.

I have never needed to change a leaky RMS, only swapped out dry ones as preventive measure when swapping engines. I intend to keep it that way and encourage others to do the same. As old as these cars are getting, leaky RMS is a death knell.

[4volvosreally]

Update:
- the water pump bearing failed catastrophically, causing the pully to freeze and the belt to tear and slip.
- the head is being rebuilt (~$600 + ~$200 parts). There are two split sleeves, two bent valves that have to be replaced. All valve seals will be replaced.
- I will replace all the timing parts via fcp euro timing kit (all volvo) ~$545
- the other components (gaskets, hoses, etc) will come in around 300.
- the serpentine tensioner pully sounds rough; I am planning on replacing that other than trying to clean up the bearings ($55 )
- ~$200 tools (puller, holder, cam jig, rounded bolt remover kit)

So all said and done, looking at roughly 2k plus a weekend or two. The water pump that failed was not volvo (ph-9078 whatever that is).

rspi great call - You were right, it was straightforward to assess the problem with the timing belt - the pump was frozen. As for the oil, I have not been able to figure that one out. It seemed like the leak originated above the filter or in the back of the engine, but all the seals look fine. The timing case was clean, except for shredded metal from the water pump. I dont see any obvious issues with the existing gaskets on the pan or short block... Any other ideas? Thanks for all the thoughts.

[rspi]

If you don't mind sharing, how many miles does the car have? Sad to read that a non-oem water pump failed maybe with only 20,000 miles on it while the OEM pump may have had 140,000 on it with no issues.