2006 XC90 2.5T Timing Belt Flew Off

[SoapyCoyote]

Also, since I'm already into it about $400 on the new belt, water pump, and pulleys (once you break the seal on the timing belt they won't let you return it) I'm leaning even more towards rebuilding rather than replacing the engine.

[mrbrian200]

I see used cylinder heads for Volvo 5s on ebay. Not all of them have the cam pulleys pulled off--which sort of tells me it may not actually be absolutely necessary to separate the VVTs from the cams to remove/reinstall the cylinder head.
If you search ebay for "Volvo 5 cylinder head" you'll see plenty of them for sale in various condition--a few include the cams with the VVTs still attached.
You'll see the heads for these are a clamshell design with the cam journals split between the top and bottom halves.
It really doesn't look that complicated to me.
But you will need to reference chiltons/Haynes/OE shop manual before loosening any bolts. To prevent damage/warping the cylinder head will usually have a bolt sequence to both remove the head as well as put it back on.

Now, if you're going to try to rebuild the cylinder head you have--once you have it off, I would highly recommend having an expert take a look at it to make sure the valve guides and seats are ok. A low mileage used cylinder head ready to install might actually be cheaper than trying to rebuild the one you have depending on whether you have problems in those areas. If you go the used route you want one that includes the cams--you won't have to worry about checking valve lash clearances/ordering/installing tappets.

Family friend mechanic refuses to touch Volvos. Oh my. If he has trouble working on these he's going to have trouble with most anything made after around mid-late 2000s.

[SuperHerman]

A few follow up thoughts.

1) The VVT Hub assembly has to be removed if the front cam seals are being replaced as the valve cover is left undisturbed. Since you are taking the valve cover off the front seal is large enough to slide off and install from the other end. The rear seal is smaller and can be installed in the normal fashion. I bet it is easier for people selling on ebay to just sell the entire cam/VVT than it is to physically remove the parts - hence they are found together.

2) Even if you buy a used engine - you can reuse all the bought parts on the new used engine. In fact I wouldn't put a used engine in without swapping out the parts you bought unless you found one where it was recently done. With the engine out - everything is really easy to work on.

3) Depending on what head gasket kit you buy it will come with most of the seals, o-rings, gaskets and valve stem seals. It makes sense to pull the head and inspect the head and then buy the head gasket set. I pay about $100 to have heads cleaned, milled and checked. You want to make sure the head doesn't have any cracks and the guides are in good condition. Milling usually is minimal and will assure you have a clean flat working surface that will not cause you problems. If you are happy that it is flat - you can clean it up yourself as well as inspect it for cracks.

4) The head on my 2.4T ran solid lifters. No adjustments needed. Valves seem to be standard 6mm, but double check. I lapped my valves and replaced the valve stem seals as they were part of the kit. Nothing complicated - nothing different than any other head I worked on by various car makers. The actual valves appear to be about $10 each on-line and the head gasket kits around $250. I suppose you could buy used valves - it is your budget and time.

5) Now the big issue - and why you shouldn't buy anything else until the head is off - you have to see what kind of piston damage your engine suffered. It may be just a little touch or up to an actual hole. A few years ago I bought a used Audi 1.8T engine to learn and play with and two valves snapped and were embedded in the piston. The block was fine, but the pistons were not. Also, if the impact is severe enough it can take out the lower bearings - so you really have to look and see what you have. Were it me I would also drop the oil pan and check the bearing play from below (plus this allows you to change out all the internal oil o-rings that fail with age and clean up the PCV system). Finally as mentioned before you can inspect the cylinder walls for gouges.

[cn90]

I am just curious...

- How many miles in that engine when the TB broke? Was it bad mechanical tensioner (a known issue)?

- How many miles on the HEPU water pump?

[SoapyCoyote]

200,000 miles on the car, unknown how many miles on water pump and unknown how many on the belt.

[SoapyCoyote]

Guys, I found a head on Ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/CYLINDER-HEAD-5 ... ev&vxp=mtr but I don't know which 5 cylinder 2.5T engine I have. Is there someway to look this up with like my VIN number or something?

[SuperHerman]

That head looks pretty crusty. Those cams have serious sludge spots. Also Cylinder #2 is an odd color. Finally where is the valve cover - that is part of the head?

I still say pull off the head and see what you have - both damage to head and block.

The head you show still needs all the things, except the valves, that your current head needs.

At 195k when I did a head gasket due to overheat, the block and cylinder walls still looked great, burned no oil and the head looked better than the one in the link.

On the 2.9 the engine #s are on the timing belt cover.

[precopster]

Krikes. I have a Hepu pump in my 2001 T5 and the motor began making a supercharger type of whining when cold. All pulleys and timing system are new and INA brand.

A head change is around 30 hours of shop time. A motor swap is about 15-18 hours of shop time. Get quoted for both scenarios to see. If you know the engine has low oil consumption it may be best to stick with it.

[cn90]

From what I read, for Volvo 5-cylinder engines...
- Factory Aisin Water Pump should be good for 140K-180K or so.
- Hepu Water Pump may be around 120K or sooner. Hepu is not bad, you just have to know when to replace it.

Best is to stick to Aisin, you can find Aisin WP on ebay for $50-$60 or so.

[SoapyCoyote]

I'm pulling the cylinder head now, should have pictures up soon. Found the engine number, now I have to figure out which cylinder head is compatible with my engine.