The lower radiator hose came loose, the fluid drained quickly and unfortunately my wife did not see (..!) or ignored the message "low coolant, Shut Engine Off" needless to say, our V70 (non turbo) with 80K miles now has a blown head gasket... when the engine it's cold runs fine but once it warms up starts to misfire and blowing white smoke through the tail pipe.
In the past I have replaced several heads/head gaskets in other vehicles (single & twin overhead cams). But today I stoped at the Volvo dealer and the service MGR (friend of a friend..) told me that I would not be able to replace the head gasket without the special tools that are used to hold the cams (variable intake/exhaust) system during assembly.
He also mentioned that both, the head and cam housing (most of the times) have to be surfaced together to achieve a good matching surfaces, he also metioned that there was a company in Santa Ana (CA) that can get the head straight before resurfacing (the dealer uses them).
Has someone here done this job that can share some coments or tips..? Is this job really such a difficult job as described by the service manager?
Any tips or leads will be greatly appreciated.
Regards, Gilles
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