The exhaust manifold studs can back themselves out. It's probably rare, but it happened to me. My #1 exhaust port, forward stud fell out. Vanished without a trace, which caused the gasket to blow, directing hot exhaust onto my timing belt cover, in turn melting it and singing the timing belt.

Upon removing the manifold (I'm fortunate enough to have had to deal with a turbo being stuck to mine) three studs broke off inside their sockets. Using a reverse drill bit didn't work and I wasn't even about to try an ez-out. So I proceed to take off the head. I mean, what other choice did I have? I had to get those studs out so I could replace them. Now taking off the head was no cake walk either. I had to use a 1/2" breaker bar and a 6' (that's right SIX FOOT LONG) lead pipe cheater bar to get those DAMNED bolts loose and the funny part is, they didn't break! Hell, they weren't even stretched! I was putting some *** behind that pipe too let me tell ya. I thought I was going to flip the car.

So, I finally get the head off and the studs removed by a machine shop, and they tell me that they had to install helicoils because those studs were frozen in there something good. He even griped at me about how difficult it was to install the helicoils. Something about the threads not matching. I don't know I wasn't listening. Now it's time to re-install the head! Fun fun! Or so I thought. The plot thickens.

I get the head on, intake manifold all connected and hooked up, fixed the throttle position indicator that I knew wasn't adjusted right in the first place but never got around to fixing it till then, got the shiny new exhaust manifold studs installed and went to inspect the manifold/turbo assembly. What's this? The turbo is cracked halfway around the radius of the turbine housing! WTF man? Back to the machine shop. They couldn't help me they don't do welding. Go to this welding shop they say. OK so I go to the welding shop and the guy says "sure we can fix it".

three days later I get the turbo back, take it home, and before I go to put it on my car I decide to scrutinize it a little more. Now what? The damn turbine won't spin. It's frozen solid! So I go BACK to the welding shop and ask them what the hell they did to my turbo and the owner says "Oh yeah we don't weld on turbos" What????? Why the hell did your apprentice so zealously accept the job? Well, you messed it up so you fix it or replace it I say. So we cut a deal, they keep their 30 bucks and see if they can fix the turbo. The next day they call and say they found the problem. I go in (by the way it's a 30 mile drive there) and there's my turbo sitting on a table in 2 pieces. The owner says "here's what's wrong" and places the two halves together. "See, they spin now" OK I'm happy, but where's the clamp that holds those two pieces together I ask? The guy shrugs and tells me that it was never on there in the first place.


I find out later that it's in a bag in my trunk. Nice. So I put the clamp on and WTF again? It won't spin! Now I'm more frustrated than a one legged cat trying to bury turds on a frozen pond. So I tinker with this thing and find that the turbine is rubbing on some swelling caused by the weld. So already accepting the fact that this turbo is already floating down the river Styx and will need to be replaced anyways, I break out the dremel. Yeah the dremel, and I mill the living hell out of that swell. I get it back together, it spins with a little resistance. Screw it I say it's good enough to get me by till I get a new turbo to throw on here. So I get the turbo assembly on the head which is not even remotely user friendly. See you got this little tab that has to line up, while you're battling oil feed lines and the studs that are sticking out of the head. Once you get the manifold/turbo assy on you gotta hook up all those lines and the oil drain line. Those 5mm hex bolts are not easy access. They make me want to punch bunnies and make bald eagle soup.


Now it's time to replace the timing belt. To do that you have to remove the starter which, compared to some other vehicles I've worked on, isn't that hard. After you get the starter off you have to find someone or something to jam that flywheel while you simply remove the bolt that holds the pulley on. Simple my ***. I have nobody to help, so I find this front bracket that holds the exhaust pipe steady. You know the one, it's the first one, I found it in my tool box and I jam it up in there and take my 22mm (if I remember correctly) socket and breaker bar to it. Ping! The damn bracket springs out of the engine bay like it's got drug dogs chasing it. So I have to retrieve it and find a way to make it... well not so springy. I decide to take a hammer to it and beat the crap out of it till it's more flat and I jam it up there again. This works better. It fell out a few times but I eventually got the bolt out with the breaker bar and a 3 foot cheater pipe I had laying around with a moderate amount of force. I forgot to mention that you have to make sure all the pulleys are lined up at TDC #1 firing as indicated by marks on the pulleys.

So I finally get the pulley off and the timing belt replaced. Now is time to replace the pulley. See, there's this little indent on the pulley that you have to line up with the sprocket but as soon as you touch the pulley to the spindle it's frozen and you have to beat it with a hammer to get it on so you only really know if it's on right when you start the car and see if it wiggles. Well I wasn't really that lucky. I have yet to fix that and don't worry, I used a rubber mallet to beat the crap out of it. Looks like I gotta try a few more times. Damn those accessory belts and their tensioning mechanisms! What were they thinking?

So while I was at the pick and pull looking for some parts I thought I could replace ( basically stuff that looked to be in better shape)
I ran across some brand spanking new looking fuel injectors! Score! Hell yah bro those fit right into my pocket. Grab a hose and pay for it they'll be none the wiser eh? Yah karma's a bitch though let me tell ya. Oh yeah I forgot to mention that while I was removing the head, taking off the hose taht goes from the thermostat to the top of the radiator, the radiator nipple broke off in the hose. So I had to get a new radiator from the pick and pull as well. They got their money's worth. It looked new, no cracks. Just a little tweaked but no biggie.

Allright time to start this thing.

Crank Crank Crank, no start. I find out that there's this sensor thing on the distributor... looks ripped to shreds. F**K! So I break out the soldering iron, pull back the harness on the car, study the color on the wires, notice that the wires sticking out of the distributor are the same colors. Cool! I take the distributor off, find an old computer power supply in the closet and dike off the floppy power dongle. Hmm, red black and yellow. Got it, I mangle the connectors out of the dongle, smash them to duplicate the pins that plug in to the harness, solder, heat shrink and hook up the wires matching the colors. God I hope that works I think to myself. With the distributor on and the main lead disconnected I continue to "prime" the system by giving it some dry cranks. Finally it starts and runs like twice reheated dog sh*t. It won't sustain it's self on idle and it has no ***** whatsoever. go figure I got the timing wrong.

Fixed the timing. now it runs and idles but idles poorly. I disconnect the AMM... idle improved. Still no ***** though, I hit the gas even a little and the car just sputters and dies. I barely touch it and it eventually starts to slowly climb the RPM scale. OK I've made an improvement this is good right? I get on here and Tech brings me to light that I put the wrong damn injectors in my car. >< Oh yeah, I did notice those injectors were out of a non turbo volvo. Same engine, just not turbo. I changed out the injectors and Vroom! Muuuuch better. Still takes 2 cranks to start but no biggie, still get no boost but whatever. I can drive it now. Not that I'm going to until I get a new turbo, manifold, fix the crank pulley and secure that distributor harness. Oh yeah I need a new AMM too.


All because of a feckin manifold stud that went AWOL.

This whole ordeal has become more F'd up than a soup sandwich.

Anyone want to buy a good reliable work car? J/K Just thought I'd share my experience with y'all. I call it "A day in the life of the guy who knows a lot but not enough and has bad luck but makes up for it with enginuity which is offset by his lack of attention span".

Thanks and happy Volvoing.



Deemo Diablo

 

wow.....................

 

And I'm now proud to say I have it all running and driving nicely now. Would I do it again? Maybe..... but probably not.

 

I feel your pain. I hate it when you go to do one "simple thing" and it turns into a huge PITA ordeal. Great writeup though, definitely gave me a laugh.

 

A-mazing.

Glad it runs.