850 non turbo 1996 stall when warm

leeming · Post by **leeming** » 01 Aug 2015, 15:10

1996 non turbo B5252S auto

I live in a Pacific Islands country, no dealer and no code reader etc.

the car started stalling when warm. Would run fine until warmed up then stall and not start until cold again. We have changed fuel relay, fuel filter, checked pump, cam sensor, rpm sensor, plugs, coolant sensor, coil, cleaned distributor. It now runs better and runs when warm but loses power - put foot down and it does not pick up and won't get up hills. Temp gauge is normal and touching the engine, it does not appear to be overheated.

We noticed grease in the coolant, light tan colour (radiator/ATM oil??). Smoke comes from dipstick when starting from cold. There is no foam on oil in dipstick, it looks normal. No smoke from exhaust.

Could it be head gasket? That would be terminal here as there is no workshop willing or trustworthy enough, I have seen what is involved. How can I be sure?

PVC replacement might be possible but is that the cause of all the symptoms above? Would PVC issue cause the loss of power when warmed up?

Otherwise the engine and car is in good shape. It has only been used lightly as you can't get over 50km/h or drive more than 30km or so here.

Post by **rspi** » 01 Aug 2015, 18:36

Hi,

These cars are sensitive to ignition parts. I would only use:
1. Volvo plugs.
2. Volvo or Bougiecord wires.
3. Bosch cap.
4. Bosch rotor.
5. Bosch coil.

Same goes for the sensors, only Volvo or their supplier.

When the car stalls and does NOT start, what is missing?

Have you considered purchasing your own code reader?

leeming · Post by **leeming** » 01 Aug 2015, 19:00

Thanks, noted. But now we have the car running really smoothly, it was probably in need of a tune. But those issues were a red herring from what seems to be pointing to blown head gasket. The poor running when warm/hot could actually be overheating.
I established that with the coolant at the min mark, left idling for 20 mins with air con on (to force the fan to run) caused the coolant level to rise right up to the top. I repeated the test without the air con, so the fan doesn't come on until it really heats up) and it even started to boil. Also the smoke coming out of the dip stick hole (and the oil cap when removed). Seems to all point to head gasket. Would you agree?
The air temp here is 30 deg C

Post by **rspi** » 01 Aug 2015, 21:39

Well, the owners manual advises against letting the car sit idle.

As for the smoking dip stick and oil cap, I don't follow that logic. The coolant level raising, that concerns me but you can have a cracked/bad coolant bottle cap cause that issue.

leeming · Post by **leeming** » 01 Aug 2015, 22:08

No it is air tight, I assure you. The system holds great pressure.

The video link you showed me explains that is the strong indicator for head gasket. Exhaust gases entering the coolant spaces displacing the water. Before the coolant level would stay rock steady month in month out. It would also idle (for instance in traffic) for much longer than that without any sign of overheating.

OK so smoking dip stick is not a symptom of head gasket but wear on rings, PVC system.

I am just trying to confirm

Post by **tryingbe** » 01 Aug 2015, 22:43

leeming wrote:I established that with the coolant at the min mark, left idling for 20 mins with air con on (to force the fan to run) caused the coolant level to rise right up to the top. I repeated the test without the air con, so the fan doesn't come on until it really heats up) and it even started to boil.

Sounds like you need a new coolant surge tank cap.

No way to get a OBDII scanner to scan for coolant temperature? Is the check engine light on?

leeming · Post by **leeming** » 01 Aug 2015, 22:56

You know, you may be right. I have not dared road test the car since we did the maintenance on the fuel pump and changed all those sensors, fuel filter and coil. It seems the engine is running really well but then we noticed the coolant issue. We live top of a hill and I didn't want to have it die on me as it's not secure to leave it down the road. But I just tried it now, just driving up and down out road until it was well warmed up and it seems happy enough. Can restart it perfectly. The coolant does expand right to the top and although it's as tight as I can get it, it does start to leak (just a tiny trace) and when cooling with engine off I can hear air hissing back in. At the same time, it wasn't that hot - certainly not near boiling and the radiator hose can be squeezed.
What would I expect to see if it was the head gasket? Lots more pressure and bubbles etc?

leeming · Post by **leeming** » 02 Aug 2015, 01:41

Spoke too soon....

I tried it out down the road, about 4km with the steep hill back to our house (only about 200m and rise of 150m) and it started overheating, loosing power until it died on me just at the top. The expansion tank is squirting coolant. The coolant is also already light brown in colour, the inside of the expansion tank is coated with tan coloured sludge. But there the oil on dipstick and under the oil cap is normal coloured with no sign of water.

What could this be other than head gasket?

Post by **rspi** » 02 Aug 2015, 05:15

It probably does have a head gasket issue. Especially if you have fluid mixing. Fluid doesn't always mix two ways.

What I was trying to communicate about the reservoir is that the cap could be damaged. About 1/2 the time I go under the hood on one of these cars, the reservoir cap has tiny cracks in it. That can cause issues.

How old is the water pump? Has the engine ever overheated?

leeming · Post by **leeming** » 02 Aug 2015, 15:01

The water pump and timing belt were changed about 15 months ago. The car is driven lightly, only about 10-20km per day less than 50km/h (no roads here!). I am not aware it ever overheated, no. It is the sludge in the expansion tank that is completely new. It is definitely oil. Before this the coolant was always very clean and the level stayed in the range. But I know oil can also come from the transmission oil cooler. The oil under the engine oil cap is completely normal looking,no sign of foam.
If the expansion cap was just cracked, then why would I get complete loss of power at the stage when the water is getting ejected from the tank, and unable to start for 1-2 hours afterwards until it has cooled down?