Why I hate my 2000 V70R!

[June]

Are you still doing 3,000-mile oil changes? At $11/qt and 3000 miles, it'd be cheaper to use M1 at the recommended interval and just replace your engine every 250,000 miles if you had to.

I doubt even Volvo still has new engines in the crate for my car for one thing and rebuild engines are crap, and a used 14 year old engine likely will not be that good. For the first change yes 3,000 miles after that when the oil starts to change to brown, but not likely more than 5,000 miles. Only if the oil stays clean. I know my female logic probably doesn't make since to you guys. In my world if the diaper is soiled, change it! I wouldn't leave it on the baby or have it checked to see if it can hold more. Same for oil in the car, dirty change it! June

[misha]

Rebuilt engines are good as new if they are done properly and with oem/oe parts.

[scot850]

We mere guys will never understand female logic! LoL!!

I understand the basic thought process, but $132 US for 12 liters!! Ouch! If I did my own oil changes then I could almost justify the cost as it is about that at the dealer here for a synthetic oil and filter swap. I recall the amount of oil in my engine with a filter swap is 6.5 liters. That means a case would almost do 2 x changes. That is almost do-able. Having said that, for those of you with long memories, the highest mileage car in the world is a 1965 Volvo P1800 with over 3 million miles. All done with a recommended oil and filter change at 3,000 miles without synthetic (it may use it now). There was also the thread on the guy with 720,000 miles on his P80 with only regular servicing, so regular oil changes are the secret to keeping our cars running until they ban them!

Lastly, due to the temperature (lows down to -30C and lower) we can get over the winter, we change our oil every 5-6,000kms, but I use oil of 5W-40 which not all brands offer any longer. The thinner oil just burns!

I agree with the concept, but not convinced in the reality or the financing perspective!

This is a case, of 'whatever makes you happy.....'!

Neil.

[June]

We mere guys will never understand female logic! LoL!!

I understand the basic thought process, but $132 US for 12 liters!! Ouch! If I did my own oil changes then I could almost justify the cost as it is about that at the dealer here for a synthetic oil and filter swap. I recall the amount of oil in my engine with a filter swap is 6.5 liters. That means a case would almost do 2 x changes. That is almost do-able. Having said that, for those of you with long memories, the highest mileage car in the world is a 1965 Volvo P1800 with over 3 million miles. All done with a recommended oil and filter change at 3,000 miles without synthetic (it may use it now). There was also the thread on the guy with 720,000 miles on his P80 with only regular servicing, so regular oil changes are the secret to keeping our cars running until they ban them!



I agree with the concept, but not convinced in the reality or the financing perspective!

This is a case, of 'whatever makes you happy.....'!

Neil.

Mike calls it Junnie's lollypop logic! Lol I completely agree oil changes are key. That Volvo is in the Guenis book of world records I do believe. June

[wizechatmgr]

One never argues with female logic. To do so is suicide. =)

[wizechatmgr]

Rebuilt engines will last as long, if not longer than the original engine if the rebuild is performed by someone competent that takes their time, does not rush through it, and is precise/meticulous while utilizing quality parts.

If the rebuild doesn't cost more than a used engine, it is very unlikely to be performed properly. Note: If your engine is trashed due to a lack of maintenance or a critical failure, you may not have a positive experience. The rebuild is only as good as the engine you have to work with going into it.

Some water pumps have been seen that have plastic impellers. These have a tendency of the shaft spinning while the impeller isn't causing an over-heat. The pump should be replaced in any event since you're already there. I'd suggest replacing the heater core, thermostat and heater hoses at this point as well as all other cooling system hoses. You don't want to be working on this for a while after you shell out the $$$ to rebuild this engine.

All seals, bearings, o-rings and hoses should be replaced. All valve guides and valve seals replaced. The head pressure tested and any valves not sealing correctly would be ground/lapped and replaced if required. The head should be trued/planed at this point if required. All pistons and connecting rods removed and inspected - replaced if needed. Anything else with excessive play replaced or re-gapped. All tensioners and idlers should be inspected and/or replaced. The VVT hub should really be replaced at this point for peace of mind. All hoses and mounts should be inspected and potentially replaced. All new head bolts should be used. All intake/exhaust gaskets and studs would ideally be replaced. All wear items such as the oil pump and turbo should be either rebuilt or replaced.

The real cost in rebuilding an engine is labor. Everything in an engine is usually within either a thousandths or ten-thousandths of an inch tolerance. Getting these tolerances correct can take a lot of time. A quality rebuilder will be able to give you a build sheet of the required specs on every item and what it was at the point he completed the work and measured to verify. Anything not within spec should be a red flag and the engine torn down at that point on his dime to correct the mistake.

If someone tells you they can rebuild an engine in a day they're unlikely to be doing a quality job. It can be done, but it isn't likely to be done correctly or without cutting corners. I'd budget about a week to do it properly at home - assuming you don't have to work and already have all tools and parts required as well as immediate access to a machine shop that has no wait - good luck with that last item...

Engine oil should be changed in ~250-500 miles after initial fill and then oil analysis performed on the following regularly scheduled oil change.

Sorry for the long post... So many people end up with rebuilt engine horror stories in the most part because they went with the cheapest source. The person to do the best job will not be the person that does the most economical job...

[June]

Rebuilt engines will last as long, if not longer than the original engine if the rebuild is performed by someone competent that takes their time, does not rush through it, and is precise/meticulous while utilizing quality parts.

If the rebuild doesn't cost more than a used engine, it is very unlikely to be performed properly. Note: If your engine is trashed due to a lack of maintenance or a critical failure, you may not have a positive experience. The rebuild is only as good as the engine you have to work with going into it.

Some water pumps have been seen that have plastic impellers. These have a tendency of the shaft spinning while the impeller isn't causing an over-heat. The pump should be replaced in any event since you're already there. I'd suggest replacing the heater core, thermostat and heater hoses at this point as well as all other cooling system hoses. You don't want to be working on this for a while after you shell out the $$$ to rebuild this engine.

All seals, bearings, o-rings and hoses should be replaced. All valve guides and valve seals replaced. The head pressure tested and any valves not sealing correctly would be ground/lapped and replaced if required. The head should be trued/planed at this point if required. All pistons and connecting rods removed and inspected - replaced if needed. Anything else with excessive play replaced or re-gapped. All tensioners and idlers should be inspected and/or replaced. The VVT hub should really be replaced at this point for peace of mind. All hoses and mounts should be inspected and potentially replaced. All new head bolts should be used. All intake/exhaust gaskets and studs would ideally be replaced. All wear items such as the oil pump and turbo should be either rebuilt or replaced.

The real cost in rebuilding an engine is labor. Everything in an engine is usually within either a thousandths or ten-thousandths of an inch tolerance. Getting these tolerances correct can take a lot of time. A quality rebuilder will be able to give you a build sheet of the required specs on every item and what it was at the point he completed the work and measured to verify. Anything not within spec should be a red flag and the engine torn down at that point on his dime to correct the mistake.

If someone tells you they can rebuild an engine in a day they're unlikely to be doing a quality job. It can be done, but it isn't likely to be done correctly or without cutting corners. I'd budget about a week to do it properly at home - assuming you don't have to work and already have all tools and parts required as well as immediate access to a machine shop that has no wait - good luck with that last item...

Engine oil should be changed in ~250-500 miles after initial fill and then oil analysis performed on the following regularly scheduled oil change.

Sorry for the long post... So many people end up with rebuilt engine horror stories in the most part because they went with the cheapest source. The person to do the best job will not be the person that does the most economical job...

I get my love of cars from all the years of my husband's hobby building mud trucks and spending weekends at mud bogs with him. Not unusual for N Florida guys. Mud trucks pretty much put engines to the test and one reoccurring problem I've seen with rebuilt engines is the tendency to run hot once the block has been bored out. I read somewhere our Volvo engines have thin sleeves to heat the cylinders faster. Has anyone actually rebuilt one of these engines and had it last the life of the factory engine?

I read about valve jobs and head gasket jobs being successful in lots of posts, but never read about someone rebuilding one. June

[wizechatmgr]

If they're boring it out then they're modifying the original design to get more output than it was originally designed & engineered for OR the engine was already in relatively bad condition and was bored in order for the cylinders to be within tolerances so they didn't have to procure another engine. Not all engines take kindly to being bored-over.

If an engine has sleeves, you shouldn't be boring it, you should be replacing the sleeves.

When you start taking material away from the cylinder walls (boring them) you're changing the mass of the engine as well as its resistance to thermal shock and introducing additional heat through the addition of more fuel, larger pistons, more friction, and typically higher compression. The cylinders can only transfer so much heat to the water jacket at a time. If you exceed the amount of heat you can remove then engine failure is almost guaranteed if it continues for any length of time. Add in hot weather, the amount of time before this occurs is lessened.

The majority of engines will never operate anywhere near their full capacity - and if they ever do, it will only be for a limited duration and the cooling system was engineered, tested and built to handle that. The reason many are not rebuilt comes down to economics and longevity. Who is going to pay to rebuild an engine on a 15+ year old car UNLESS they have a passion for it? It isn't economically feasible unless you DIY, are a mechanic, are independently rich, are a collector or really, really, really love your car to the point of economic stupidity - I may be in this last category.

It sounds like you've got yourself an excellent hubby and a great hobby. That particular hobby is stressful on an engine and drive train, but well worth the fun

[abscate]

One never argues with female logic. To do so is suicide. =)

SWMBO: do you need gas?
Me: I can make it to the next gas stop
SWMBO: why not this one?
Me: do you need to stop?
SWMBO: No
Me: if an asteroid hits us in between, we will have saved the cost of an entire tank of gas.
SWMBO: Oh.

[wizechatmgr]

One never argues with female logic. To do so is suicide. =)

SWMBO: do you need gas?
Me: I can make it to the next gas stop
SWMBO: why not this one?
Me: do you need to stop?
SWMBO: No
Me: if an asteroid hits us in between, we will have saved the cost of an entire tank of gas.
SWMBO: Oh.

Suicide by asteroid - that's a new one =p