My 850 t5 blew a head gasket...

[RedRocket850t5]

I had just bought a 97 Volvo 850t5 and within two weeks of my ownership it blew a headgasket. Very sad to say. It passed the pre purchase inspection fine and the shop specialized in Volvo and bmw. The car only had 149000 miles and purred like a kitten. It also came with an ipd ecu. One night I took it out for a top speed run and it blew a headgasket at 130nph. Showed misfiring in 3 or 4 cylinders and threw a code for twc damage. I'm guessing the radiator burst and caused it to over heat but I'm not sure. I don't want to lose the car but is it worth saving. 2000 is what I would hope to keep repairs under. The twc code has me concerned. Should I swap the engine or change the headgasket out? Or just buy another t5 all together? I know the headgasket's a tough job that I couldn't do on my own. Would probably be better to swap the engine out? I don't want to give this car up especially since I just bought it.

[erikv11]

"TWC damage" is just part of the generic code for a misfiring engine. It is included in the code text because if the misfires happen enough, the car will dump unburnt fuel into the catalytic converter and damage it. In other words, the good news is the reference to TWC is irrelevant. There is no such thing as a "TWC code," just regular misfire codes (P0300, P0301, P0302, etc.).

Did you look at the temp gauge, did it ever rise up into the red? Really it is just guesswork without knowing what is actually wrong with the engine, but If it was my car I would probably get a new engine. But then again I would be installing it myself. You have to decide: for 2 grand would I rather have this one with work done, or another one? Keep in mind, If you get another T5 and run it up to 130 in the first two weeks, it will probably have engine trouble, too.

Blown engine aside, if you are going to pay a shop to work on one of these cars, it will quickly eat your wallet.

[j-dawg]

Regarding replacing the car: it's plausible that swapping the head gasket or swapping the engine would cost as much (at a shop) as just buying another car. However: while your mechanic is in there, he can swap the PCV, change the timing belt and water pump, change the cam seals, etc etc etc. You'll take care of basically every top end issue and have a car that's ready to drive for lots more miles (or at least until something unrelated to the head breaks catastrophically). If you swap an engine in, you have an opportunity to take care of the rear main seal and (if it needs attention) steering rack.

So even if the cost is the same, there are some benefits to repairing your current car rather than replacing it, assuming its replacement would be the same model.

[Brahms]

That is tough, there are a couple of ways to approach it, depending on how much you need it fixed and how fast, how patient you are.
Also, how much do you like the car. The 850's are getting rarer, I think they are a great car, so I think they are worth fixing. But all of them at 20 some years need a lot of parts replaced, many need a valve job.

If you cannot do the engine work yourself -

I would say if you are patient and can do some part shopping and you have the right shop - plan it out. Make a parts list. Order as many parts as you can yourself, probably all of the hoses are needing a swap, the turbo might need rebuilt. If you are in for a penny you might as well be in for a pound, the timing belt, water-pump, valve job - all of it in one big labor job. Pay for your parts and recover and plan out your labor cost a little later. You can find some deals on parts, and if you talk to some shops they will give you a break if you tell them what you dealing with.

[sleddriver]

OP: Bummer...130mph is quite a stress-test on an old car. Obviously she wasn't up to it. Robert has video's on pulling a head. This would give you an opportunity to check the valves, valve seats, replace all four camshaft seals, the camshaft position sensor, the PCV system and all vacuum lines.

[rguzz]

I just spent 1700 bucks having my head redone, (3 valves, etc all oem stuff) numerous other items also addressed, put on a Japan manifold, lots of bits along the way, wiring harnesses rebuilt. They did an excellent job, car runs like a top, now uses no oil. Just came back from a 1000 mile trip. So I'm happy, and figure I can continue to do just about everything else needed. Car was up to snuff before burning a valve. Engine was looked at closely and decision was made to do valves and head only, which worked for me. So maybe it depends on what else the car needs. If the entire thing needs going through that's a lot of time and money.

[rspi]

Please have it fixed. I can't bear the thought of you destroying another P80 T5.

On another note, it is a good idea to get a car to stage 0 tune up before giving it a stress test.

[abscate]

For 130 mph excursions you need

New tires wit high speed rating
All new brakes, all around
New suspension, all around
Tie rods, Ball joints

Forces are going up with V^2, so running an old car like this is asking for a lot of trouble with old parts

[shaker_chi]

Not sure how many cars you have, but if you have another daily driver, I would tackle it myself. There are a couple writes up here and a few youtube videos as well. Soak in as much as you can and just take your time, take LOTS of pictures and bag and mark all your parts are you tear it down. If you think it's over your head, then find an indy to do it for you and provide them witih O/E parts. I can't be sure, but I would guess the labor alone would be 8 to 10 hours. As someone stated in a previous post I would replace all the essentials while you have it apart so you have a near new engine that will last you for another 150K no problem and probably won't blow up at 130 MPH.

Good luck!!!!!

[RedRocket850t5]

The pcv system was servacable, timing belt had 3000 miles in it. Brakes and rotors where good too. I should've had the cooling system tuned up and gotten an oil change thinking back on it. Car sits in front of my house for now. I'm still undecided?? I really like the car and want what's best for it in the long run.