850 Cylinder Heads

[darkstarsinner]

Not so golden after all. I pulled into a Advanced Auto after driving for maybe half an hour and noticed my oil light was on. I pulled in and checked it and sure enough it wasn't even registering. I bought some oil and dumped it in just so I could make it home and asses the situation. Look under the car and there was a huge puddle of oil. The damn cam gears are leaking, which means off comes the valve cover, belt, and out come the cams for two retarded rubber pieces. Then while driving down the road listening for any other issues my drivers side wheel starts grinding something fierce. I pull over and check. All lugs are tight and nothing is cought up in the wheel or antthing connecting. I start to drive again and it's still there. It gets louder when I turn left but goes away when I turn right. If i tilt the wheel to the right the slightest bit it fades away. I'm really beginning to hate this car. But after all the money I have already dumped into it I have no choice but to keep going. I should have scrapped it at the timing belt and swallowed my pride.

[toddv850glt]

Didn't you have to take the cover off and swap the cams over to the new head, or did the cams, head , and valve cover all come together in the new head kit?

[Ozark Lee]

You can replace the cam seals without removing the top of the cam tower. The timing belt tensioner needs to come off and the belt needs to be loosened to get the sprockets off. The exhaust cam seal on the front of the engine is a real bear due to the limited clearance between the camshaft and the shock tower. The intake cam seal is better but only slightly.

Since you have had the top end apart I don't need to tell you about marking for the adjustable cam timing - you already know about it.

I feel your pain. I've been in similar situations before but, sometimes to my peril, I am stubborn enough that I just keep swearing and buying parts until it is right. You just need to remind yourself what the stealership would charge to do the job.

...Lee

[darkstarsinner]

Yeah. Unfortunately this car is going to break me. I pushed the cam seals back in and am hoping that they won't be an issue again. But if they are, well, I guess I'm getting a couple new pieces of rubber. Next is a complete brake job. Man I tell you this is by far the most I have eer had to do to a vehicle. Lol and people think I'm nuts cause I still like Volvo's. I guess we are going to be buying a new car here shortly for her (which makes this one completely mine... Yay??) and I kind of want her to get a newer Volvo.

[darkstarsinner]

Newest update, I found out it wasn't the brakes that were giving me a problem. The guy that originaly starting helping me took off the axles in the beginning when I wasn't there. Well when he put them back in he put the axle nuts on but didn't tighten them. Just goes to show ALWAYS check someone elses work over. Both were loose and I really could have been hurt while driving down the highway. Anyway off to do a write up on how to align your wiper tarnsmision.