I bought my daughter a 1998 Volvo S70. It is in very nice shape, but the engine went out the second week. Although, we new it had a "catch" in it when we bought it and that it probably wouldn't last too long. (Although, I was obviously hoping for more than two weeks.)

Anyway, I called the junk yard before I bought it and they told me they had 3 engines for it for $550. Well, of course now that I need an engine... my mechanic called them to get the engine and we discovered that our Car is a "Vin 53" and the engines they have are for a "Vin 56".

I haven't been able to find a VIN 53 engine anywhere locally. On the internet, they seem to go for over $1,000.

My question is: Is there any engine we could use as a "drop in" replacement? (Or, one with minimal changes.) I have read the "b5234ft" is a "drop in" replacement. Is that true? What about the "VIN 56"? What would be involved in trying to make that one work?

My daughter and I would really appreciate any advice you could give us!

Thanks!
Shayne

 

The "T3" engine is the 2.3 liter turbo while the others are a 2.4 or 2.4 turbo. You can't just drop in the other engines. Fix what you have.

 

I know where there is a '98 T-5 engine (that's the trim level of the S70s equipped with the VIN "53" engine are called) in the Columbus, OH area that you could get for around $600. Mileage is kind of high, but it ran well- it's from a wrecked car. PM me if you want more information. You COULD put the VIN 56 engine in there. It's a low- pressure turbo engine, but it would work well enough with your car's computer, however, it would treat it as the high- pressure turbo engine, and allow more boost than it was intended for. Not significantly more, and the LPT engines can handle it reasonably well, but if driven aggressively all the time, it might not last as long as it otherwise might. Here's why: A turbocharged engine is usually designed with a lower compression ratio than a non- turbocharged (naturally aspirated) engine. This is to reduce the chances of what is called "pre- ignition" of the compressed fuel- air mixture. Pre- ignition can damage an engine real quick. Volvo offered 3 different engines on the S70- the base models got a naturally- aspirated 2.4L engine with a compression ratio of 10.0:1. The GLT models got a 2.4L low- pressure turbo engine compression ratio of 9.0:1- basically the base engine with different pistons and a turbo. The T-5 model- your daughter's car- got a 2.3L high- pressure turbo engine with a compression ratio of 8.5:1. The difference, again, is the pistons, as well as slightly thicker cylinder walls, which is what lowered the displacement to 2.3L. Now, it's widely thought that Volvo, being who they are, overengineered these engines, which is why I'm not THAT concerned about putting an LPT engine in your car and letting it run the higher boost. An option here, since you have a '98, would be to also swap in the engine computer from the donor car. This would keep the boost to that engine's design level. The car wouldn't be AS fast, but it'd still be more than adequate. This is from experience- I have a '98 S70 GLT- the GLTs were the low- pressure turbo (VIN 56) cars. Obviously, the best choice is to get a proper high- pressure turbo engine, but if you can't find one, you can make the VIN 56 engine work.

Actually, there IS one other option, and this might be the best. The reason you can't find the exact engine is this: The S70 came out in 1998, and in 1999, they changed a whole bunch of major parts. They also didn't make that many T-5 models, so the pool of 1998 S70 T-5s is REALLY small. Salvage yard interchange guides aren't very thorough for this car. Call the yards you've called, and tell them you have a 1996 Volvo 850 turbo with the 2.3L engine. This should interchange with a 1996 and 1997 model, giving you a much wider range of cars to work with. the 2.3 was also much more common in the Volvo 850, as the LPT engine wasn't available until 1997. The cylinder block and head- the main part of the engine- are the same as what is in your S70. Your mechanic will need to swap a few minor external parts, but nothing major, especially with the engine out of the car. If that doesn't yield fruit, ask for a 1995 Volvo 850 turbo 2.3L. This interchanges to 1994 and 1995, and again will be the same block and head, but your mechanic will have to swap the intake and exhaust manifolds in addition to other minor parts. Still not THAT big of a deal- it should add an hour worth of labor and about $30-$40 in gaskets. Anyhow, PM me if you need further assistance. Good luck!

 

Oh, and once you find a good used engine, you need to make sure to do the following with it before installing:
At minimum, change the timing belt, Oil trap (PCV system oil separator) front and rear main seals, and all camshaft seals. This will help ensure that the replacement engine will be trouble- free. In addition to the above, I highly recommend a new water pump and timing belt tensioner+ idler pulley, plus replacement of all PCV system parts. This will give the engine a nice, fresh start, and with proper maintenance, allow the engine to run as good as it can, for as long as possible.

 

You could also check with a remanufacturer on Mars and let them know that you need the version that is labeled as a "solar system special" that was built with parts from Saturn.

Then, you could go to a Chinese restaurant and look for egg rolls that the outer shell on a clockwise twist.

Just install the right engine...geez...

 

Well, it seems that his problem is that he can't find the right engine. So I gave him a list of what he can do with what he can find. And a 94-97 850 2.3L engine actually IS the "right" engine- the block and head are identical, it's just external parts that are different.

 

The answer is probably here but I cant seem to find it.
I have a 96 850 turbo engine # B5234T, the vin for this car is a 57.
I found what is supposed to be a running engine # B52344T3.
I'm told it came form a 1999 v70xc awd.
Would this engine be a direct replacement?
If not would you know which engines are interchangeable?
Thank you