Last summer I can remember my dads volvo used to break down if it got driven for very long during the middle of the day, however it did fine in the winter. Recently I inherited this car and all of its problems, it needed a new battery and a new (relay?) for the flashers to make the turn signals work as well as it having a weird issue with the headlights I haven't been able to work out yet. Anyway, this summer has been very hot and the car has broken down on me 3 or 4 times so far, what happens is that when the engine idles at a red light or the like after being driven for a while it starts sputtering when you try to give it gas and eventually it just stalls out and won't start back up for a few hours. Finally yesterday I checked the coolant (I would have checked it sooner if I had thought of it but cars really are NOT my thing) and lo and behold there was absolutely none. I filled it up, and the car ran fine for a few hours driving all around town but broke down on me again on my way home. Went and picked it up this morning and the coolant was very low again, though not out - and I was able to get it home with only a little bit of sputtering.

Now, here are my questions for you guys:
1. I obviously have a coolant leak, but what other kinds of damage could have been done by running that long without any coolant?
2. My father hasn't had an oil change in.... a very very long time. I'm going to get one tomorrow and they're doing a complementary tire rotation/inspection and checking belts and hoses. What else should I ask them to look at for me?
3. What kinds of things could I look for myself to evaluate the damage?

 

Often, the end result of overheating caused by lack of coolant is a blown head gasket. possible side effects include cracked heads, cracked manifolds, etc.

driving with old worn out oil accelerates the wear on the motor, drastically shortening its useful life. driving with too little oil amplifies this even more...

 

Just went back out and checked the coolant levels again, and looked for leaks. The coolant levels were actually back up to where they should be, which makes no sense to me as it looked like I had a shotglass full left in the tank/reservoir/whatever before I took it home. I added a bit more regardless, and then ran it for a minute and checked for leaks, but I couldn't find any. I also noticed that the thermometer seems to be reading the temperature correctly when I start it up but every time I break down it doesn't go above the midpoint on the meter, let alone into the red.

So, let me explain the "breaking down" a bit more. It drives fine for a few blocks, and then when I reach a stop it starts sputtering when I try to give it gas. All I have to do at first is pump it once or twice, but eventually it gets worse until it sputters and dies in the middle of some intersection. It does fine on the freeway however, and never gives any troubles unless it comes to a nearly complete stop. As I mentioned it very badly needs an oil change, could that be causing this problem? I'm really not mechanically inclined so I'm not sure what else could be wrong here.

EDIT: Oil levels are fine, its just old

 

stalling when warm at idle could have any number of possible causes. first thing to do is to take care of all the neglected regular maintenance, if this car hasn't had its oil changed in a long time, it probably hasn't had its coolant flushed, or a proper tuneup (new spark plugs, check condition of distributor cap & rotor, spark plug wires, vacuum and coolant hoses, belts, etc). Only after all that stuff is taken care of and its STILL got this stalling problem do you start diagnosing the more difficult stuff.

lots of stuff to check here, Engine Tune and Performance:

 

It's head gasket for sure. The key is it plays up and loses coolant when hot.
Replace the head gasket and have the head skimmed at a machine shop.
My 740 had a random misfire when hot and idling for a few months before the head gasket went, it's identical to your problem. If the car hasn't been well maintained, expect to see a lot of corrosion in the head, causing most of your problems.

 

About how much would fixing the head gasket cost? I'm pretty strapped for cash right now, just an 18 year old working a part time job.

EDIT: Looking around online it seems the part itself isn't very expensive. How difficult would it be to replace myself, and what kind of risk factor is there?

 

when you do the headgasket, you also need new head bolts, you'll probably need to replace some/all of the exhaust manifold studs, you need new intake and exhaust manifold gaskets, valve cover gasket, you really should do the camshaft and other seals, the thermostat, etc, and new timing belt and stuff since you've got it all apart. my mechanic is charging me about $1200 for all that and a few more things like spark plug wires, distributor cap, new coolant and oil too. hope to get my 745T back late next week

its quite labor intensive, you'll need to get both manifolds off to remove the head

 

Looks like I'm gonna get a new car then o.o

I'm having trouble coming up with $130 to get a tuneup and oil change, there's no way I can afford to practically rebuild the engine - especially since it's having electrical problems as well. I guess I'll just get my own car and take better care of it than my dad did of his.

 

If the engine really has been running that long without coolant, it's probably a write-off. Typically on a 4CYL motor, I charge $1000 to do a headgasket, considerably more for V and Flat engines.

Consider looking into buying a new motor. Many scrap yards sell reasonably priced motors. If the car's body and transmission is in decent shape, it could be a cheap alternative to buying a new car.

 

Owning an old Volvo is not for the faint of heart unless you have deep pockets. Please don't take offense but if you can drive around God knows how long without a clue as to coolant level, oil condition etc. you are destined to be making car payments your entire life. When you throw down your own money that you earned, you may find that although "cars may not be your thing", you may actually pop the hood a bit more often.

Swapping cylinder heads on a B230 is a 4 hour job at a shop. That means 4 x their shop labor rate per hour. Our shop is $85 per hour so that's $380. Then add the cost of the replacement head, machine shop charges, gaskets and seals...lots of variables but generally $800 out the door.
One more radar lover gone.....

 

I always find it amusing when people say they can't afford to maintain what they already own, or repair it, but will magically find $2-5k to buy another car. Which will have issues that need attention right away as well, if not servicing and maintenance....

 

I think it's the thought that you pick one of these up for $1-2k or less and don't want to funnel money into an old car when you don't know how much everything you need costs until you get to replacing it. He isn't the one who's job it was to maintain it, so the issues are inherited.

 

The flip side is, if you buy another car of similar age and mileage, I guarantee you'll spend the same if not more.
It doesn't matter who did what maintenance, the repairs need to be done and it's a free car, so he'll still be ahead of buying something, plus end up with something he knows a lot more about the history of.
Why exchange one set of free problems for a $1-2k set of problems?

 

Right, you've got a point there. And when you're done with it all most of what you replace won't need replacing for a very long time.

 

As was said, it wasn't my job to maintain this car and the issues were inherited. In spite of that I would be glad to fix up this cars engine and have it run like new, but not only does it need the engine fixed it pretty much needs complete electrical rewiring (headlights, tail lights, dash lights, and one brake light don't work) and the interior is in horrible shape (broken handles, the roof is torn to ****, stains and cigarette burns everywhere, broken/shattered paneling on the doors, sides, and dash.... its bad). Not to mention the drivers side window doesn't roll up all the way, and it doesn't even have a cup holder; which to me would be a very nice thing to have. I can't just magically pull the money for a new car out of thin air, but my uncle may be able to loan me the cash sometime next month and I would rather buy a car in better overall shape and fix a few minor problems than deal with this beast.

In the meantime my dad has a mechanic buddy who may be able to replace just the head gasket for relatively cheap, but I'm not willing to spend hundreds of dollars I don't have in the first place just to deal with the rest of this cars problems. Reading around here makes me want to restore it to grandeur, but right now it really is a POS and I don't have the money to get an oil change and tuneup without borrowing money; let alone restoring the engine, electrical system, and interior.


I should also mention that after seeing the damage neglect has done to my dads car, you can bet your sweet *** I'll be paying attention to whatever car I get for myself and I'm toying with the idea of taking auto shop next semester to learn a bit more about taking care of a vehicle.

 

If you do...take good notes.

 

I have been told that I also have a head gasket problem with my volvo 740 gle stationwagon. What are fair costs to get this repaired?

 

around here, a head gasket is about $1200-1500 depending on who does it, how good/careful they are and what all else needs doing. my mechanic pretty much automatically does a new timing belt, water pump, etc at the same time, since it all has to come apart anyways. $200 or $300 of that is for cleaning/surfacing/pressure testing the head, if its cracked, you'll need to find a new one.


note, I live where $100/hour is pretty much the defacto rate for shops, good or bad.

 

Sorry but anything near $1,000 for b230 head gasket is a ripoff! This is he easiest HG in the world especially on a non turbo, and anyone with basic tools and mechanics 101 knowledge can do it.

Find a mechanic who doesn't feel he is worth $100 (no mechanic is), and negotiate with him--there are plenty of shops on the rough side of town without leather couches, capuccino machines, and short skirt receptionists who would be thrilled to help you. Also, you can try mobile mechanics: the Volvo HG is a perfect light job they like to do. Last valve job I did myself cost me $50 in parts and one afternoon of time, it's that easy...

I have an even better solution: If you are really strapped for cash, use Blue Devil HG additive. Works like a charm, just follow the instructions!

 

here, those "plenty of shops" are mostly Mexican run, and wouldn't know a Volvo from a Benz, they work on Chevy's and Ford's and Nissan's, and charge $60/hour or so for duct tape and bailing wire repairs.

anyways, that $1000 or so included the water pump and timing belt and all new v belts and stuff. probably $400 in parts (head gasket kit, intake and exhaust gaskets, pumps, belts, tensioner, etc etc.)

btw, my mechanic has a funky looking shop, no receptionist, no espresso maker, just the owner/mechanic and 1-2 assistant mechanics. he does major engine work on most all imports, also occasional hot rod jobs.