General Tips for DIY Head Gasket Replacement - 99 s70 na Topic is solved

[volvolugnut]

Get some paper towels stuffed into those intake ports before something falls in, VOE. ( voice of experience)

+1 on preventing stuff from falling into the engine.
Murphy's Law: Whatever bad thing that can happen, will happen. Protect yourself when ever you start working on stuff with two cheap tools.
1. A magnetic parts retriever on a flex stick.
2. A grabing parts retriever on a flex stick. These typically have spring loaded prongs to grab non magnetic parts and a push button to expand the prongs.
3. (Bonus number) Wad of tape with sticky side out on whatever thing is needed to reach wherever you need to reach.
These things should be in everyone's tool kit.
volvolugnut

[smacknab]

Got it all off, the head gasket doesn't have any super clear problems to my untrained eye.

[smacknab]

Dropped the head and cam cover off at a machine shop, so I'm waiting a call after he tests the valves. I'm planning on cleaning the block and cylinder tops - but is there any way I can check the cylinder walls to see if there's wear/damage? Visually and physically they seem fine, but I'm really outside of my level of expertise at those point..

Update: the machinist said visually they look fine and not to bother cleaning the Piston heads as I could easily damage the rings.

[BlackBart]

Yeah, they don't look bad really. You still have the diagonal hone marks in the cylinder. No, you don't want chunks or grit slipping down to the rings in the gap. You might take a narrow vacuum nozzle and suck any crud you can out of there. Interesting to see where the fuel has cleaned the area near where the valves open.

[smacknab]

Yeah, they don't look bad really. You still have the diagonal hone marks in the cylinder. No, you don't want chunks or grit slipping down to the rings in the gap. You might take a narrow vacuum nozzle and suck any crud you can out of there. Interesting to see where the fuel has cleaned the area near where the valves open.

Thanks for the affirmation, I really appreciate the input. Ill see what I can vaccum out. I was curious about the clean portion of the pistons. I've been running it with 89 octane and Lucas high milage fuel treatment for the last 2000 miles or so, so I wonder if that had any impact.

The update from the machinist was that I had 3 valves that were seating poorly and suggested that was the cause of my compression issue. Could the headgasket and valve seating issues be related or could they just be concurrent problems?

The head gasket being in visually ok shape (to my eyes) had me worried I misdiagnosed something. I did find a small nik and small bulge/irregularity on the head gasket between cylinders 3 and 4, but Im not sure if I'm having confirmation bias. That being said I did have all the other symptoms, so i think I made the right call.

If anyone is looking for a 2019 price reference; the machinist said he had another Volvo head coming in for service so he could run mine after theirs and save me some cash. All together he qouted me $350 to lap the head, fix the seating issue on 3 valve seats, install the new valve stem seals (I supplied Volvo seals) and clean the cam cover.

Volvo head gasket was about $100 and Volvo valve stem seals about $150 for 20, both bought from my local dealer. $40 for Volvo anerobic sealant, about another $40 for the rest of the misc gaskets (mix of Volvo and aftermarket) and $20 for Victor reinz cylinder head bolts- all from FCP Euro.

[smacknab]

Update: working on a car pulled halfway into an unheated garage when it's 15f out is no fun. but I think I'm just about ready to get the head back on the block. Over the last two nights i've carefully done the whole gasket-remover, scraper, gentle razor blade and acetone treatment. I think I've got the bolt holes threads pretty clean as well. Hopefully I'll have it all back together by the end of the weekend!

[abscate]

Warmer weather is headed our way. I was hoping you were completely in the garage, 15F, ouch.

[erikv11]

Great work!

This is for the next reader not meant as salt in the wound, or maybe your dealer will take pity on you and refund half the cost of those valve stem seals: viewtopic.php?t=71962 or e.g. https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-parts/volvo-kit-272424

[smacknab]

Shoot, good find Eric and good note for anyone doing this in the future!

It's hard to tell if those are 6mm or 7mm though? Can you tell? From what I found having a 99 I have alot of stuff that is based off my engine number (I guess mine needs 7mm) but I wish I did a little more research. All of the valve stem seals for a 99 on FCP are 6mm, and enough people said don't bother with aftermarket, that I figured I'd just get them from the dealer. Hopefully the next person can save some cash though!

[abscate]

It is so complicated I understand there are programs in schools to promote STEM learning now.