Replacement head

Craig · Post by **Craig** » 23 Jun 2004, 13:19

Can anybody tell me if its possible to skim the head on an 850 t5?

After getting my local specialist to change the head gasket I am now being told that the head needs to be replaced because its warped and cannot be skimmed. Because I dont know if this is possible or not I'm having to pay out

potroast · Post by **potroast** » 23 Jun 2004, 13:32

the intake manifold is aluminum, so unless it's really messed up, you can solder/weld it back together.

that's the main difference with plastic vs. aluminum radiators, too. Plastic is cheaper, but aluminum can be repaired.

Post by **matthew1** » 23 Jun 2004, 14:25

I dinnae, sorry. Perhaps the folks in the RWD forum will know. There's a Volvo tech or two in there; I'm just a regular guy that works on his Volvo from time to time.

Tsquared · Post by **Tsquared** » 23 Jun 2004, 16:43

Milling the head is done to get the surface square. Aluminum heads are notorious for warping beyond the spec of safe milling. If were just a crack or blown plug/hole in the head it could be heli-arced to fix the problem.

As far as the intake with 3 cracks I would be leery of welding it up. The stress of the heating process may cause other micro-fractures that will develop into a serious problem later.

Anytime you pull an aluminum head off and engine it is going to be a costly affair. Aluminum is great for performance due to its lightweight properties. It is not very strong structurally.

good luck,

T