1998 V70 GLT Stops abruptly after new head

dobrosailor · Post by **dobrosailor** » 03 Dec 2018, 04:22

Biggest mistake of my life was taking this 1998 on. Been working on it for 3 weekends straight, the job that just went on and on and on. We have had it for many years, got it with 120k and a stack of receipts - very well cared for. We put 48k on it pretty dependably. then she burnt 3 valves (turbo). I pulled the head had it machined. I was worried about some oil light flashes so I pulled the pan and replaced the O rings which were shot. Cleaned the pan, new orings, valve job and replaced the water pump, rollers, tensioner and belt so I should be good for 100k on this motor. I started and purred like a kitten but is losing water from the water pump area. Let it idle for a while to get warm and it just died. It sounds electrical as it doesnt chug its way out, its like it turned the key off. It started and got me half a block away and stopped. Not start or nothing. Occasionally after sitting it will start run great then die after a minute. Checked the coil and it seems to be sparking like crazy when you ground the disconnected negative terminal. The shraeder valve has pressure but I havn't put a pressure gauge on it yet.

Any thoughts???

Post by **abscate** » 03 Dec 2018, 04:38

If you follow the no start logic these cars they respond well

If it cranks well, split the fuel and ignition diagnosis fork with starter fluid, or measure the fuel pressure at the rail with a fuel pressure gauge. Don't guess by looking for a dribble or a spurt, the time you " save" with poor diagnosis is spent throwing parts and frustration of lost weekends.

What most defintely will frustrate you is symptom-cause web dialogue..".my car did that and it was this " approach.

The high mileage failure items on these cars that lead to crank, no-start are:

Ignition switch , electrical part
Fuel pump relay..can be jumpered for free
Coil cap rotor plugs wires ..on a major rebuild all these parts should be replaced with new Volvo parts
Crank and can sensor and connecting plugs
Immobilizer key ring contacts

dobrosailor · Post by **dobrosailor** » 03 Dec 2018, 10:29

So i went out this am to drain the water since I don’t use antifreeze in a first start in case the headgasket etc leaks. It started which usually brightens the gauges as the alt raises the voltage. Car started fine but faultered a couple of times after a min of running, then died. Every time it faultered the gauges dimmed to what they were pre alt. Even before the idle fell, in other words it was idling fine then the lights flickered and the engine faultered.

Seems like an electrical issue. Id like help thinking what I might have disturbed or hooked up incorrectly or loosely. Ground wires installed and cleaned.

I had just buttoned the motor up so I haven’t had a chance to check the fuel pressure etc. will do so at my first opportunity.

Thx

Post by **erikv11** » 03 Dec 2018, 10:34

Today's post sounds like the electrical portion of the ignition switch. Super common failure item. Is the key "loose" and easy to jiggle when in position II? Make sure you got all the groups hooked back up too.

"Losing water from water pump area" check the PITA connection on the water pipe between the firewall and head, passenger side. Above the water pump.

Post by **abscate** » 03 Dec 2018, 11:28

Please be careful with pure water in upstate NY in December - don't freeze that block!!

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 03 Dec 2018, 12:43

If you are going to run pure water, at least add some corrosion inhibitor. Pure water in a mixed metal cooling system is a big NO.

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 03 Dec 2018, 16:47

+1 on not using water. I totally get using it to ensure there are no leaks, but this time of year, you need to be careful, even if you're not running the engine. If that water freezes, you've got bigger problems than a head gasket.

Have you already checked the positive cables between the battery, starter, and alternator? You may not have messed with those while doing the head gasket, but it's one of those seemingly obvious things we tend to overlook. A good first step here is to make sure you're getting good voltage.

Is your CEL on? Have you checked for codes? If there's a sensor you forgot to plug in, or isn't plugged in all the way, it's likely that it'll throw a code.

dobrosailor · Post by **dobrosailor** » 04 Dec 2018, 04:37

Thanks guys, the tap water things is just a test case then it got drained till I can get to the leak. After that it will get antifreeze. I usually use prestone in all my cars, sound right for these volvos?

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 04 Dec 2018, 07:44

I use Volvo coolant from FCP. (Take this with a grain of salt.) There seems to be a slightly reduced chance of burning a valve with volvo coolant according to how you interpret the burned valve data. It's also no more expensive than premix from the auto parts store, so I have no problem running genuine coolant.

Post by **erikv11** » 04 Dec 2018, 08:18

Zerex G-05 is available at most parts stores and is the same as Volvo coolant, and cheaper. And there is no dealer within 50 miles of here. So that's what I use.