Oh, shucks.

Noticed an occasional smell of coolant in the last week, and finally determined that coolant is coming out of the block/head joint near the right front of the engine. Tried to retorque last night but I just made it leak more.



So, I'll be pulling the head off this weekend.



Any pitfalls or tips in this job? EX: What's the best gasket set to use? Should I replace the head bolts? Seal the new gasket at some weak area? Difficulty pulling the head if it's stuck?

Prices on gasket sets vary all over the place. $145 from the Volvo dealer. $125 from NAPA. $70 from IPD. $43 for the Elring set from FCP Groton, $35 for ScanTech.

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Oh, and this is a transplanted engine. The dizzy cap is on the left front of the block, not on the rear of the camshaft. But the car still runs the OE Rex-Regina FI system.

 

Tip #1. Start soaking the exhaust manifold nuts NOW in PB Blaster or Kroil. I leave the exhaust manifold attached to the headpipe, remove any brackets that are attached to the engine or tranny, undo the exhaust manifold nuts, pull it out and let it drop down and out of the way.
On the gasket sets, the Volvo one is nice.....and expensive. The IPD, NAPA and Elring are fine. The Scam-Tech is[:'(]. Some like to get the cheap Elring set for the rest of the gaskets and buy just the head gasket made by Fel-Pro , because they feel it is of better quality. I have used the Elring with no troubles. No sealer on the head gasket, goes on dry. Check the head bolts for stretch or other problems. Even though they are torque to yield types, Volvo says you can use them up to 5 times if they are not damaged. On top of having a good machine shop check it out for flat ,burnt valves, bad seats etc, install the new intake seals and put a nice finish on the mating surface, the only other caveat I would have is to make sure and install the rubber water pump donut gasket when you put it all back together. Ask me how I know this.

Edit to add; It is also a good time ( and easy) after if comes back from the machine shop to do the valve clearances, if they do not. My shop does not. I take them in with the cam,shims and buckets removed and numbered. Oh, and do not forget the new hushers.

 

Done. I like Armor All, it soaks in fast and doesn't smell as much. Hard to grip your tools if you get it on your hands.


Thanks. Good tip, I would have wasted time trying to leave the brackets connected.


I though Elring was the factory maker of gaskets?

How do you check for stretch? Length measurement? Is there a spec published somewhere?

The head bolts released OK last night when I retorqued, but they obviously are not applying as much torque as before. It's leaking faster.

HeeHee, is that something I have to replace in addition to the usual head gasket set?
OK I'll bite, What's a Husher? (Better not be like a "Piecost"...)

++++

Seriously, is there any danger of dislodging the cylinder liners if the head is lifted off? I read a warning about that. I assume that once the eight head bolts are removed, a few sideways taps with a rubber mallet will unstick the head. Best to do it that way instead of lifting (or using the Rope Trick like we do on Triumph engines)?


Thanks


Atwell Haines
With somethin' to do this weekend.

 

Preliminary surgery: [sm=gears.gif]

All the exhaust and intake nuts have been broken free. [sm=icon_cheers.gif]The heat shield is cracked, a big fender washer on each side will take care of that on reassembly.

The timing belt cover (plastic) has lots of cracks too, I'll be repairing those later. The Timing Belt isn't that tight. It has square section teeth. Isn't that the older style?

Along with my notation about the transplanted engine in the first post, how do I tell if this is an early B230F (up to 92) or a later one? Is there a date code somewhere on the block? The gasket kit is the same for all years but now it looks as if I'll be replacing the timing belt as well...

I'll be working on this later in the weekend, right now I have to get the radiator back in one of my other cars.... <When it rains it pours>

 

Yes the square drive timing belt is the earlier ones.

Im not sure how to tell the early ones from the later ones.


Keep us posted.

 

Hello Atwell; Hope the head job is proceeding well. You should have found out by now that hopefully it does not have any liners, unless someone over bored the block. The factory manual just states on the head bolts to examine the necked down area for signs of stretch or fatigue, and replace if dubious, and adds if re-using just make sure the threads are clean, and chased inside the block also. If it is a later engine/block, it will have a K stamped on it, but with the square type belt it does not sound like it. The hushers are the little top hat shaped rubber caps that fit on the top of the valve stems to help with noise. They get mashed down over time, and the valve train gets noisier, even though they are adjusted to spec. The Armour All is a new one on me! I thought that one of my buddies use of Diet Coke as a penetrant was the most creative one that I had heard of. Good luck!
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That's a relief, another Black Mark for Chilton's![:'(]


OK, thanks. I talked to the P.O. of my car (my brother) he didn't know the details of the replacement engine, so I've ordered the head bolts. I think I'm going to replace the timing belt & tensioner also, the age is unknown. It looks OK to me (nice square teeth and all, not fraying) but there is rust inside the plastic cover so I'm leery of the tensioner.


Thanks again for that, I'm using a machine shop recommended by my Volvo repairman & SCCA buddy, so they know Volvo heads. I'll mention it anyway..

Diet Coke draws ants... An aquaintance revealed the Armour All thing, he had windshield scews on a Triumph that were reluctant to move, tired various penetrants for several years, and the AA did the trick! I've used it ever since.

Will be working on the Volvo today, yesterday was spent replacing a radiator in another car I have (mid-engined, so not a trivial repair)---- Today it's the Volvo's turn!

Cheers,

Atwell (tired of working on cars instead of relaxing in the hammock)
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Did the head removal yesterday, took me about 5 hours. The most trouble I had, was removing the starter so I could jam the ring gear and release the crank pulley (I'm replacing the timing belt of course). The upper bolt resisted my ratchet on a loongg stick. :roll:



Does the Collective think I should replace the two sensors on the head "just because"? The forward one (that's the temp sensor correct?) looks as if it's seen better days...kinda corroded.

 

Hello Atwood;The gauge sender at the front is about $10 and it is easy to get at even when it is back together, so not a big deal either way. The ECU coolant temp sender at the back is about $50, and a PIA to access after the head is back on. Flip a coin? If you have time before the head comes back from the shop, treat yourself and spring for the Volvo tool (#5384) that holds the harmonic balancer stationary for crank bolt removal. They have them for about $40 at IPD and FCP Groton, worth every penny. Almost makes it fun, and no having to remove the starter( and the possibility of buggering up the ring gear), or resorting to the old 'rope trick' to bust the crank bolt loose.

 

Ah, the Rope Trick. Didn't have to do that, this time.

I ordered both sensors. Everything else near the head also.

My only gaff this job was to neglect to loosen the camwheel bolt before I removed the timing belt.


Atwell (who wishes he was paid by the mistake...)

 

Oh man, if I could be paid by the mistake, I could have retired rich years ago. Won't even touch the subject of marriage.

 

GRIN

See, I lucked out in marriage. My bride/helper of many years loves nothing better than to disect and clean intricate assemblies (like carburetors). She did the flywheel jam while I broke the crank nut free.

She's a keeper. [sm=kissykissy.gif]

Atwell the Lucky.

 

Next time if all else fails make sure you have a long bar and tap the key and use the starter to loosen the bolt.

 

I've done that on other cars in the past...I just don't feel in CONTROL with that method...

On old Triumphs those nuts are torqued to 150 ft-lbs...so the "bump" method is the only way.
The Volvo's didn't really seem that tight once the crank was immobilized.

 

Alot of people I know use that method all the time when they are working on cars at home.