98 S70 head fix or new motor?

abtdad · Post by **abtdad** » 12 Oct 2013, 10:15

My car overheated, now there is white smoke coming from the pipe. Head is probably warped. A local Volvo dealer mechanic also does work at his house, he said its cheaper to replace the motor than pull the head and fix it. I found a motor with 180k miles for $500 and he will swap it for $500. I'm wondering if i can pull the head myself? I did one 25 years ago, but not sure I want to tackle that. The car only has 105k on it and is in great shape. How difficult is the head job?

Post by **erikv11** » 12 Oct 2013, 10:22

Here's a very thorough description of the head job:
Volvo 5-cylinder: How to Replace the Head Gasket

I consider the head swap a fairly difficult job, definitely more technical than an engine swap, but if you have the time to DIY and do all the top end seals at this time, then you should end up with an excellent, low mileage engine on a low mileage car. At the same time, don't be afraid of 180k that's not bad if the engine was cared for. If.

$1k total for an engine swap is a good deal if the engine is good. However you MUST do the rear main seal (cheap - maybe $25 more) and should do the PCV and timing at this time, the latter adds another $350 or so in parts.

abtdad · Post by **abtdad** » 12 Oct 2013, 10:59

Thanks. The timing belt was done not long ago, so i can re-use that. Im not afraid of the 180k either, i have 3 of these cars and only one is under 200. He can't swap the engine for 3 weeks, I'd like it back on the road sooner.

Post by **erikv11** » 12 Oct 2013, 11:13

Head swap requires mostly regular tools, you would need a very long breaker bar and wherewithal to get the head bolts off. I can do it in 2 long weekends if I stay at it and make sure to order the surprise parts right away once I get it torn down the firs weekend. The key part is cleaning the surfaces until they are glass, then they go back together just fine. Otherwise the head is like a time bomb. Not every head gasket kit is the same, I'd stick with Victor Reinz or piece one together with OEM parts. Volvo brand pink sealer for the cam cover. It would be a big oversight to not have the valve stem seals replaced and a valve job done, while the head was out getting trued up flat again.

Post by **rspi** » 12 Oct 2013, 12:24

I was able to do it in about 11 hours. You can pull the head in 3 hours, clean up is 3 to 4 hours, then back in takes about 5 hours. I did pick up a few tools and had the head rebuilt which cost me $435. Part of the head cost was to straighten it. If you are sheltered and are not working in 105 degree humid weather, you should be able to do the job in 2 days. Pulling a head off of 2 motors will add some time but just a couple of hours if the motor is already out.

If you know your bottom end is good, I would swap heads. Do a compression test to make sure you have good compression with the cylinders that are not leaking (usually only 2 leak from the head gasket).

Here is a link to my instructions, they are more direct and should have a good list of tools needed.

http://atthetipwebs.com/technologyinstr ... gasket.htm

abtdad · Post by **abtdad** » 12 Oct 2013, 12:38

Thanks, this exactly the information I was looking for.

joe_pinehill · Post by **joe_pinehill** » 13 Oct 2013, 05:08

Not sure where you are located, but there is a 96 850 GLT on craigslist near me in Pennington, NJ, 120K miles asking $1700. With a blown head gasket your car's worth around $500 for salvage maybe more depending on where you live. Devil you know or Devil you don't know. Pretty close to an even exchange when you are done.

I don't know the owner, just keep an eye on what's around locally.

http://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/4109067814.html