Need some input... I brought my car in to my shop (Import shop that specializes in Volvo's etc..) due to a rough idle/odd exhaust sound etc... Found some easy stuff... Arcing ignition wires and it needed a tune up in general, Cap/Rotor/Plugs/wires, also had cam cover and distributor O-ring replaced due to an oil leak.. After all was put back together there was still a slight miss at idle. The tech found that the engine miss didn't change when pulling #3 Injector wire, He swapped injectors and found same issue present. Performed a compression check, found #1/2/4 cylinders @ 175PSI and #3 cyl at 100PSI At this point he is assuming it is probably a burnt exhaust valve. I haven't picked the car up yet so I don't know if the "odd mis" is how my car has always been, (there has always been a bit of a rough idle, engine has 177,000 on it) and that this new issue that prompted me to bring the car in was related to the ignition wires.

My question is... Approx how much should I expect to pay for the repairs, Is it possible that I can just keep driving the car for a while (provided it is back to 'normal' as I have known it since I have owned it) And what could happen if i don't fix it right away. The technician said that I could continue to drive the car without anything getting worse for a while (and it may have been this way for a while) Any and all input is welcome! Thanks.

 

One more thing... There doesn't appear to be any mixing of Oil/coolant indicating a head gasket issue... Coolant is nice and green and was recently flushed/ new Radiator, hoses, expansion tank. I run Mobil 1 in the engine and it looked good as well, no apparent mixing. Thanks again.

 

You can go on like this for a long time, hard to guess exactly. On the other hand a valve job on this car is simple and should be not too much... Of course that depends on how the shop sees it... some of these guys live in fantasy land... Also, you can just do it yourself, it's an option.

 

When the cam cover was off did the tech check the valve clearance? Did he just do a compression test and not a leak down test? Considering you still have some compression and the plugs don't show a sign of oil fouling I would also go along with a leaking valve. If the valve is pounded in and the lash is 0 you might see this problem , that's why I asked if he checked the valves. If the lash is in spec and you still have lower compression it should not be a problem driving this for a while. If it gets bad enough and you loose all compression then it will be difficult to drive running on 3 cylinders. This is not a difficult job but I would think it would take a day to do so look at the shop rate and go from there.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the response...
As far as I know he just did a compression test, when the cam cover was off, he did check/adjust the valves and they were fine. Nothing noted about the #3 spark plug and the car drives just fine. Pulls hard, turbo boosts, no huge misfire issue or anything, The only thing you notice is a slightly lumpy idle and the exhaust just sounds 'different' It is a 3" from the turbo back, so I'd think anything abnormal would sound amplified due to the large exhaust and lack of resonator.

 

If they did a wet test on #3 after adjusting the valves and compression was the same, you have a valve problem. Could be crud or a bum valve. It will probably get worse, but not quickly.
Ed