Cam solenoid causing upper engine overheating??

jking4020 · Post by **jking4020** » 30 Oct 2018, 20:55

I swear ive read here on this site about a bad cam solenoid or solenoid gasket that can cause the top of the engine to get way too hot when they go bad or get filthy. My 02 xc70 gets WAY too hot on top and stays that way for hours after shut down. All cheap plastic parts are fried and brittle as hell and disintegrating. (Wire sheilding, plastic wire clips etc). Ive got new gasket im gonna put on. Have had code come up for the solenoid. Anyone know about the top engine over hotness? Like seriously hot. Yes turbos can get hot. Yes volvos can get hot. But just the top motor parts. Valve cover, plastic engine covers, intake manifold, engine bracing mounts that are always a PINA and in the way. Two hours after shutdown all is still so warm.

DOES A BAD VVT SOLENOID OR GASKET CAUSE UPPER ENGINE TO GET AND STAY WAY TOO HOT?

thanx.

Post by **oragex** » 31 Oct 2018, 04:58

You will hear opinions about this being normal, however I respectfully disagree. My top engine was like an oven when I bought the car - yet no signs of overheating. I managed to bring it almost cold temperatures so to speak. Several factors can be involved. However I'm not aware what worked on my car.
I'd try first a Seafoam treatment as instructed on the bottle for about 100 miles or so. Drive gently but rev the engine a few times over 4000rpm to get the fluid through the vvt system. Poor oil circulation through the head passages may cause poor cam lobes lube and cam overheat. How is the oil varnish under the oil cap? You may want to also replace the PCV.
A vvt timing can affect combustion and cause a lean burning which will overheat the combustion chamber. Same goes with a partially faulty FPS sensor if equipped - these sensors do wear with no apparent symptoms before they finally die. Incorrect spark plugs can be less efficient at removing the heat. I'm not sure if the front O2 sensor could be a culprit. Stuck piston rings will overheat the chamber. Until you find the issue, I'd remove the cover above the ignition coils, and bend upwards their wires to stay a bit away from the metal. Does the engine scream like an eagle when revving it in P at 3000rpm?

jking4020 · Post by **jking4020** » 31 Oct 2018, 18:25

Engine sounds fine. Pcv has been done. Plugs are good. Oil fill cap is not bad accept i need new one cause seal is cracking. Thanx for the ideas.

Post by **shiloh51933** » 01 Nov 2018, 11:37

jking4020 wrote: ↑31 Oct 2018, 18:25 Engine sounds fine. Pcv has been done. Plugs are good. Oil fill cap is not bad accept i need new one cause seal is cracking. Thanx for the ideas.

Have you tried taking the temperature of top half of motor with infrared laser thermometer? This way you can get an exact location of area that's over heated.
Usually with symptoms mentioned I'd think poor coolant circulation then that could cause oil to run hotter. So if the oil isn't being cooled properly then the oil can't do its job properly. You could have passage ways that are clogging or oil cooler issues . When's the last time the coolant system was serviced properly?

jking4020 · Post by **jking4020** » 01 Nov 2018, 18:26

Ya good call. Been wantin to get a thermo gun. Radiator has a crack in it just below top hose from me being a dumbass and pulling it to the side with a bunge chord when i did pcv job. Note to all of you! DO NOT PULL THAT HOSE TO THE SIDE!!! Disconnect it if its in the way. Anyway once all the coolant leaks out of it to the point of it just running underneath that crack it's been fine. But the main issue is still the overheating of the top of block. I know all of you will probably curse and laugh and ridicule me for this because I have not fixed the cracked radiator yet. But it still runs hot on top before the crack happened. I'm going to get a thermo gun this weekend. Thanks for the advice. But it still doesn't answer my first question has anyone known the top engine heat to be from a bad cam solenoid gasket. I'm going to change that this weekend as well.

Post by **abscate** » 01 Nov 2018, 23:29

I’ve never heard of this and it doesn’t make sense. If it’s too hot, it is something else

Post by **precopster** » 02 Nov 2018, 01:09

Coolant passages in the head are huge and shared with the block so if head gets hot the whole motor gets hot. Heat will evenly dissipate to the cooling system and if the cooling system is pressurised (ie no leaks) there is far more chance it will operate efficiently.

Monitor coolant temps with a OBDII device such as an ELM327 hooked up to your phone.

If fan goes on to high speed at 105degC and lowers the temp to 95degC within 2-3 minutes (sorry not doing the F conversion; look it up) then all is well.

That conduit insulation to coil packs needs replacement after 10 years or so and some of the aftermarket stuff can't stand the heat up there. I replaced mine 2 years ago and has already cracked. Plastics are all brittle on a 2002 car nothing new.

jking4020 · Post by **jking4020** » 05 Nov 2018, 17:42

So top of valve cover is (from back to front of engine) 178°-189°. While the block all around is like 120-140°. After new solenoid gasket. This is the norm for volvos eh? And this car has always been like this since i got it. Ive had another 01 xc70. A 97 850. A 80s 245. And like a 68 wagon. None were hot on the top motor like this. Ill keep watching temp since new gasket to see if any change.

Post by **June** » 06 Nov 2018, 14:42

jking4020 wrote: ↑05 Nov 2018, 17:42 So top of valve cover is (from back to front of engine) 178°-189°. While the block all around is like 120-140°. After new solenoid gasket. This is the norm for volvos eh? And this car has always been like this since i got it. Ive had another 01 xc70. A 97 850. A 80s 245. And like a 68 wagon. None were hot on the top motor like this. Ill keep watching temp since new gasket to see if any change.

Ok, I took a laser thermometer and checked all over the valve cover, block, and thermostat housing temperatures after driving all day including interstate everything was good and hot. I let the car idle in the driveway hood up ac still on for about five minutes while I went for the thermometer, then I checked temperature. The thermostat housing was 180°F, valve cover ranged from 177°F to 182°F and the block was constant at 180°F. The radiator fan was on at low speed the whole time.

My car is a 2004 with the 2.9 Twin Charged T6 a sister to your engine and has Genuine Volvo Coolant and everything else except I use Redline 5W30 synthetic oil. June

Addendum, I forgot to mention it has been a hot day in the 90's and of course the ac has been on high throughout my driving.

Post by **jimmy57** » 06 Nov 2018, 16:28

I think you saw the aged and cracking plastic stuff and then decided it was hot. Stamped steel valve cover old ford and chevy v8's had less mass in the steel valve covers and ran cooler coolant temps with bigger more airy engine bays. Plastic valve cover engines have less heat conductance in the plastic cam covers. The valve cover going to just under 200F is normal in the right conditions. The exhaust on back of engine and the low fan position on rad contribute to lots of retained heat with less air blowing over to take the hat down. The truth is hot temps to evaporate condensation and fuel contaminants from oil is the desired effect. The oil temp needs to get to 205-210 but not go over 230 or thereabouts. Cool temps is something we naturally gravitate towards but in the last few years the engine temps have been raised. If you don't have a/c on to run cooling fan for a/c purposes then the cooling fan will not be switched on until the coolant gets to 225 or a little more. That wiring harness wrap stuff goes away in 6-8 years on everything that uses it on cars I work on in the high ambient heat of TX. The 6 cylinder engines might be even hotter up top as they have the full sound cover and I see the harness wrap crumble on them in less than 6 years on some.