I won't be working on the head - bummer.

dikidera · Post by **dikidera** » 07 Sep 2022, 12:07

So in an attempt to save money, I wanted to replace the head gasket with a friend mechanic of mine(he's retired), however he contacted several of his friends who gave him a scare that these engines are difficult to work with and fix - so he canceled on me and I had even just ordered the cam locking tools. I looked for a garage I could rent for a month, but no one wants to bother with such a short time.

I even contemplated doing the head(I would have sent it to be resurfaced) outside on the parking lot, buuut....it's just not feasible unless you are in a garage.

Why save money? Because in addition to the head gasket, I have a bad maf, a leaking rack(will postpone with additives) and the gas tank of the compressed natural gas(it's a bi-fuel) is past it's expiration date and it would cost me a significant chunk to install a new system that works well with Volvos AND then I also have bad/cracked vacuum hoses that need replacing. I am already in 35% of the car's value in repairs so far and this was just the tyres. I will be down 70% from the head gasket + machining if I send it to a shop and then pretty much 100-120% e.g 2x the car value when I replace the CNG system with LPG and this has to be done within the next 30 days so I can pass mot.

Post by **jonesg** » 09 Sep 2022, 00:40

go for it, you don't need them.

dikidera · Post by **dikidera** » 10 Sep 2022, 06:13

I recently spoke to another mechanic who told me my engine and generally those running on LPG or CNG suffer from a particular issue with the head gaskets, and that is they sink or depress in the block from the higher burning temperatures of these fuels and these being white blocks.

Of course this means that the damage may be pretty much irreparable and I'd need a new engine. They said in their experience with the bi-fuels this was almost always the case.

Post by **jonesg** » 10 Sep 2022, 13:58

dikidera wrote: ↑10 Sep 2022, 06:13 I recently spoke to another mechanic who told me my engine and generally those running on LPG or CNG suffer from a particular issue with the head gaskets, and that is they sink or depress in the block from the higher burning temperatures of these fuels and these being white blocks.

Of course this means that the damage may be pretty much irreparable and I'd need a new engine. They said in their experience with the bi-fuels this was almost always the case.

yeh we don't do that in the usa, just petrol.

On the other hand you've got nothing to loose pulling the head yourself.