'97 850 GLT metal in oil?

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 11 Aug 2015, 16:31

I was cruising around on Craigslist, and found something I may be interested in. It's a 1997 850 GLT in pretty nice shape overall, but the car does not run. Before I do anything, does anyone know what could cause metal pieces in the oil? I really like the car, and if it can be fixed for not a whole ton of money, I might be interested. It has a little more than 230,000 miles on it, which I know is not entirely a lot for these cars, so it probably has some life left. I am not looking at this car for a daily driver, I am looking for a project car. I am fairly knowledgeable about these cars as well (thanks to this site!) and do most of my own work.
The link to the posting is here: http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/5131001097.html

Post by **misha** » 11 Aug 2015, 17:01

Could be timing belt failure causing bent valves.Unfortunatelly,you can't know what's wrong with it before the head is removed.

Post by **tryingbe** » 11 Aug 2015, 18:13

Plan on replacing the engine if you buy a car with an engine that won't turn over.

Post by **dosbricks** » 11 Aug 2015, 18:43

Those recovered seats have some value. That said, at the the present age of these cars, rehabbing them usually costs more in parts than they're worth. As a DIY project and a car you expect to keep for a while it might be worth it.

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 11 Aug 2015, 19:59

Thanks for your responses, guys! I'll see what happens. There is also a Passat wagon I'm looking at as a fixer upper that's a little cheaper, then again I'd be talking down this guy too.
I might just use money I could make on the Passat to buy a nicer Volvo that I can hang onto and make mine.

Post by **rspi** » 12 Aug 2015, 03:58

The Volvo, yikes! Really only one reason you get metal in the oil, if there was any oil in it, bad bearing. The junk yard is down to about $235 these days, don't see why anyone will pay much more than that.

I paid $400 for a V70 wagon today, stuck the key in it and drove off (I think it has a burnt valve). Has new tires and a few other parts that I will take before I sell it to a scrapper for $300 later today.

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 12 Aug 2015, 07:52

rspi wrote:The Volvo, yikes! Really only one reason you get metal in the oil, if there was any oil in it, bad bearing. The junk yard is down to about $235 these days, don't see why anyone will pay much more than that.

I paid $400 for a V70 wagon today, stuck the key in it and drove off (I think it has a burnt valve). Has new tires and a few other parts that I will take before I sell it to a scrapper for $300 later today.

Interesting. That may be enough for me to look over at this $400 V70 by me instead. Sounds like a lot of work. The V70 has a salvage title (damage repaired, totaled because of expensive parts, he says) and overheats. Which is much easier than taking apart the whole engine.

mika · Post by **mika** » 12 Aug 2015, 12:26

Sounds like its ready for the junkyard. So offer junkyard price. Here they only offer 175 for a car/any car, what a rip! This car sounds far from running. Keep in mind, plenty of us have found cars for under 1000$ that only had cosmetic and mild mechanical issues to get them running solid. Keep looking, open up options to other cities if you can. My advice. This car sounds like a parts car at best.

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 12 Aug 2015, 13:00

mika wrote:Sounds like its ready for the junkyard. So offer junkyard price. Here they only offer 175 for a car/any car, what a rip! This car sounds far from running. Keep in mind, plenty of us have found cars for under 1000$ that only had cosmetic and mild mechanical issues to get them running solid. Keep looking, open up options to other cities if you can. My advice. This car sounds like a parts car at best.

I might try and get it for that price, then! It's unfortunate. It looks like a very solid, clean car, but I agree after reading around, that there is way too much work to be done to get that car back on the road.I was hoping I'd be able to get away with just replacing the head, but rspi made a very good point, that it could be the bearings, and I am not about to rip apart the whole motor. I could probably find another engine for fairly cheap, though. Junkyards around here are very reasonably priced for engines. Just the part that I have to take it out myself...

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 12 Aug 2015, 13:19

You guys are going to think I'm crazy now, but what engines are compatible with this car, exactly? I know the '97 GLTs are different from '93-'96 GLTs because that was the first year it had the light pressure turbocharger (part of the reason I'm interested in this car). IIRC, this car has the B5244T 2.4L turbo I-5.
And if I can find a complete 2.3 HPT/T5 motor, would it all fit with no major modification? And could I use the current transmission, as well?