Moldy 2005 V50 5-speed w/blown HG.. am I crazy to think of fixing it?

crazycat · Post by **crazycat** » 04 Jun 2022, 17:21

The outside of the car looks really nice! It has basic cloth interior that is pretty moldy, mainly all the seats and door panels. It also has a bad head gasket. Manual seats, not heated. I do have 2 key fobs at least! And it's a front wheel drive, naturally aspirated 5 speed manual, supposedly with a new clutch. My question to you all is should I try and fix her up? Am I crazy ? Should I just run away ? I paid $1000 total including tow and title registration. Honestly it is the interior that has me the most concerned. I think I feel guilty thinking of just scrapping the car. Thought I'd look to some fellow Volvo lovers for either encouragement or maybe absolution. I could fix it slowly in my spare time as a hobby or just let it go and work/play with other pending projects. Thanks for any and all input.

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 05 Jul 2022, 11:53

Why is there mold? Do you know if the car has ever been flooded? These cars are known to leak water from sunroof vents so moldyness around front pillars maybe floor there makes sense... but in other places, not too sure...

I have a 5-speed 2007 S40, definitely believe in keeping it. But it sure is hard to find a shop that can do the complicated things...

Post by **abscate** » 06 Jul 2022, 04:49

Air it out, scrub the seats, fix the HG and drive it

3k all in for a great driver

crazycat · Post by **crazycat** » 09 Jul 2022, 17:33

theWIFES_S70.. The seats front and back are pretty bad as are the door panels. Prior owner had 3 small kids, so crumbs and germs were plentiful. Sunroof may have leaked or its just the Pacific Northwest dampness. The car has been sitting maybe 18mos and has a lot of mold and smell currently.
Abscate.. Good thoughts, I think ill try and do 1 seat and see what I'm up against in bringing the interior back!
Thanks guys !!

Post by **volvolugnut** » 09 Jul 2022, 18:43

If it runs now with the bad head gasket, you can at least evaluate what else may be bad on the car. Seats and door cards can be cleaned or replaced, even if you have to settle for torn seats.
volvolugnut

crazycat · Post by **crazycat** » 09 Jul 2022, 18:56

volovlugnut.. it cranks but won't start. Coolant splashes out of the expansion tank when cranking.

Post by **volvolugnut** » 10 Jul 2022, 12:34

Oh well. Roll the dice and see if a head gasket will fix it. Check for head warp.
volvolugnut

Post by **manovlov** » 19 Aug 2022, 08:28

To me, questions are : what's your goal ? Is this car a daily ? Does it matter with passion for this model ?
Use an Injector-Extractor Cleaner to clean doors panels, carpets and seats. As said Abscate, let the car dry a bit after that and see the result.
How many miles ?

villagepc · Post by **villagepc** » 01 Sep 2022, 08:42

moldy insides points to either the windshield leaking (gasket) or the sunroof. Probably the windshield gasket.
FIx the leaks, clean the interior and slap a head gasket on (timing belt / etc, pcv) and drive it.

Oly850 · Post by **Oly850** » 01 Sep 2022, 16:57

+1 for dry it out and fix the head gasket. Do you have a garage?