1996 850 Turbo Head Gasket Replacement

[bugs11]

So how difficult is to replace the heater hoses? The hoses that run from the engine to the firewall. Specifically disconnecting the hose at the firewall? I noticed one of the heater hoses has split through the extra wrapping right in the center on the top, the hose is still good but with that split in the extra wrap, it makes me a little nervous.

Also, any tips on getting left over gasket material on the block and at the water pump? I spent a few hours scraping the block with a plastic card after soaking the surface with carb cleaner. I really want to get the block sparkly clean, but am loathe to sand the block or scrub it with a scotch brite pad. The local auto parts shop advised me to use oven cleaner, not sure I want to try that either.

[Ozark Lee]

The heater hoses are a source of grief no matter what you do. The OEM hoses are pricey as are the "quick connect" components. Avoid URO branded hoses if you do replace them with the stock style setup and buy the quick connect hardware in sets. There are a couple of versions of the quick connect locks and spacers and they don't mix and match well between the versions.

Many are doing away with the quick connect setup at the firewall altogether and routing generic heater hose through the firewall all the way to the core. Here is a link:

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=44948

As far as scraping gasket material goes I - Very Carefully - use a single edge razor blade after a good overnight soaking with Permetex gasket remover. You need to be careful about the angle of the blade to avoid gouging the surface. Scotchbrite or other abrasives can be trouble.

I never seem to get the surface to look pristine visually but I have not had any leaking problems.

...Lee

[bugs11]

Replacement heater hoses are en route from FCP Euro, along with a new inner timing belt cover - order placed last night. I managed to break the inner timing belt cover when I removed the water pump last night.

What's left on the block is very minimal, little spots of smegma. I'm going to try Goo Gone, Simple Green with some very, very light rubbing with 0000 'Super Fine' steel wool tonight after work.

[850TurboTurtle]

I did the famous and revered Tracy's head gasket job last spring and it went fine. I did post a few questions along the way about things that weren't clear to me, so if you search by my username you will probably find the excellent answers provided to a few of my peripheral questions.

I do remember being nervous about how hard you torque those head bolts. My bolt holes were still a bit dirty after a lot of cleaning, and a couple bolts creaked and snapped a lot as I did the final angle torque. But it all seems to be happy. One note - use a good 1/2" drive socket to remove those head bolts. I exploded a cheaper socket on it. Went to a new craftsman and it was fine.

It's still pretty fresh in my mind, so I'm happy to answer questions along the way, though I am a bit of a noob to mechanical work.

[bugs11]

Head is off and back from the machine shop, ready to be installed but I'm waiting on timing and PCV parts and a few tools from FCP Euro. Cranking those head bolts the final 130 degrees does seem a bit daunting, but first I have to get the block clean and the water pump gasket off the block. The water pump probably didn't need replacing, no play and spun nice, but since I have everything apart I might as well replace it too.

[rspi]

I would avoid using steel wool, just to much debris to loose. Scotch bright pads can destroy the engine in less than 500 miles, ask me how I know.

Use a straight edge razor and be careful. No need to be spotless. I know one mechanic that uses a knife sharping stone to clean the block surface.

[rspi]

I use a cheater to do the final 130 degree torque.

[erikv11]

No steel wool, no way! And yes no Sctochbrite pads either. I won't use any abrasives at all, a long time ago I ruined one head with sandpaper and a wood block. Once is enough, only razor blades now, never any problems with them.

A quality gasket remover chemical makes all the difference in the world. That and a razor blade and some time you can get them spotless. It is almost all you can find but I have found the Permatex product nearly useless. The best stuff I have ever used is from AST, most recently I posted about it here https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=54736 but I see it is no longer in their catalog. I do have a can of it in the garage. I think it is essentially a paint remover (be careful!), see their PVR product.

For angle torque you can just pay attention to where the bar starts and mark where 130 degrees will be, I use a cheap plastic protracter. Angle gauge of any kind is totally overkill in this instance. But handy, if you have access to one for no cost then of course, by all means use it.

[bugs11]

Progress report. One of these days I'm going to figure out how to post pics.

First a question about cam cover bolt torque specs, literature has the torque at 13 ft lbs. but I saw a video where the guy said it should 12 inch lbs. Which is right? I’m inclined to go with the published literature.

Well... I used super fine steel soaked in Goo Gone to clean the engine block surface. I was very meticulous about stuffing shop towels in all the openings, blowing everything off, and wiping everything with carb cleaner, then acetone. The corrosion on the wall of #2 cylinder I cleaned up with PB Blaster and super fine steel wool. I also wiped each cylinder down with PB Blaster.
The head bolted down with no issues, minimal snap, crackle, and pop on the final 130 degree torque sequence. I soaked the head bolt threads in oil, wiped them off and smeared a teeny bit of anti-seize grease under the bolt head with a Q-tip. Put the thermostat housing on before installing head per TracyTrueSoaps. Same for the coolant line that bolts to the back of the head.
New inside timing cover, water pump, idler pulley, tensioner pulley, and tensioner installed and torqued to spec. Exhaust manifold on, loosely. New heater hoses installed along with a new turbo coolant hose. The old turbo coolant hose was totally flabby and pregnant looking. I was surprised at how easily the heater coolant lines came out and went into of the fire wall connection.
Going to install the cams and cam covers tonight along with new front and back cam seals and go from there. Getting there albeit slowly, thanks for the advise.

[CamZH]

Sounds like you're getting it together well.
I've just got my 850 wagon back on the road after replacing the head.
I used some clamps to try and hold the cam cover down while doing up all the bolts.
If you can build or get access to the proper tools it would be much easier/less stressful.

I'm keen to see some pictures of this lost socket

check out photobucket or imgur for image hosting.