Hello fellow Volvists.
I am currently on a roller coaster of surprise, hope, despair, joy, sadness...

My car seriously heated up a few weeks ago. The fix seemed simple : a radiator change. Hope !
It turns out that wasn't the main issue : some white goo on the oil cap sent shivers down my spine : head gasket. Despair...
Therefore here I am, for the first time in my life, in the process of changing the head gasket on my 1991 2,3 l. 940 GLE (B230FB). Challenge...
Once dismounted and brought for inspection, it turns out the cylinder head is warped and unfixable. Despair !
Luckily for me, a fellow Volvo enthusiast brought me an old engine, which probably got rained on for years in a yard. The head looks in much better shape than my warped one though. Hope !!
Unfortunately, we do not know the exact model of the engine (it used to be on a 740), and it is not exactly the same cylinder head : the distributor part is different. Mild despair...
I cannot find a single photo of the same engine on the web, with the same distributor at the back.

So I am wondering : can I change the distributor system on my 940 to match the system on the new (old) cylinder head ? I don't even understand how the ignition works on the old rain-upon engine.
Or do I have to search for a replacement gasket (they do not seem easy to come by) ?

I would love to have opinions on this question. I am a beginner level mechanic, but I learn fast.
If needed, I could upload some photos.

Thank you all in advance !

 

The b230 engine was used in the 740,940 and 240. The distributor was mounted on the end of the camshaft in a 740/940 and is mounted on the block (near the thermostat housing) on a 240. A 240 simply has a cam plug where the distributor would mount on a 940.

So I'm not sure what your questions are - and not sure what gasket you are referring to - perhaps a picture or 2 would help -

Warped head are fixable with a process called straightening. The head is bolted to a flat surface with shims in the right places and heated for a period of time. Certainly takes specialized equipment that might not be available near your location.

 

Thank you for your reply.
i do not know about the heat straightening process. I live in the French countryside, I doubt i Will find this service around…
The gasket I am talking about is the cylinder head gasket.
My question was can I adapt my distributor on the 240 cylinder head, or a 240 distributor + 240 cylinder head on my Volvo 940 B230FB.
But if I understand well, it is not doable…
here are some pictures : the 240 cylinder head on the first pic, my 940 head on the second.

 

The 240 head pictured is from a B21 engine. 2.1 liters. Used from ~1976-1985. I would not count on it being compatible. (there's certainly no way to mount your existing distributor )
Technically you could mount the 240 distributor on your 940 block, the drive gear is under that cap on your block.

The gasket set you would purchase would be based on the engine - b21, b23 or b230. If you are Mixing a head from a b21 onto a b230 - don't know if hole spacing/valve sizes/ etc is the same or what you would need! The valve cover gaskets are certainly different between a b21 and a 23-230.

It would be best to find an automotive machine shop that can repair your head. (the B21 head probably needs a valve job anyway if you were to try to use it)

 

Thanks for the reply hoonk.

I have found a scrap yard which sells a B230FT with 180000km.
Apparently from an accidented car, the engine still worked before being dismantled a year ago. He is asking 400€ for it.
It seems that the FT is the same engine as the FB but with a turbo, is that correct ?
My questions are : would the cylinder head fit on my B230FB ?
Would it be worth it to swap the entire engine ? Turbo and all ?

What would you guys think ?