I've owned a silver 1990 240 DL for almost 3 years now. I love my car and have sunk about 4K into replacing the entire suspension, new exhaust, and half of what's under the hood, etc.

Last week the timing belt broke at 5mph pulling out of a parking space so I had it towed to my regular shop. After researching online, I have the SOHC engine so my valves should have been fine after the belt broke (i.e. replace the belt and ride off into the sunset). My shop put a camera up the engine and is telling me there are dings on the piston and the valve.

I told them to replace the belt and tensioner and am crossing my fingers she'll run until the end of December until I can buy a new engine for them to install.

My questions:

1. Why would there be dings in the piston and valve considering I have the SOHC engine? The guy I bought the car from told me he installed a newer (how new I have no idea) engine when he bought it in 2009. Is it possible the engine he bought already had dings in the piston/valve and that's what my mechanic is now seeing? Or is it possible the piston hit the valve when the belt broke even though it's not supposed to.

2. Should I buy a stock used engine for my car, or should I upgrade to a different model engine for my 240? I can spend about 2500 bucks total for the parts and installation. I plan to pay cash for a new car at the end of next year but would like The Tank to continue running for a long time.

Your thoughts are much appreciated!

 

I would FIRST verify that your engine is in fact damaged--I rather doubt it. You'll be surprised how full of it many mechanics are.
Is the head off the engine?
How does he know that there are DINGS in piston/valves?
The replaced engine you have may have been modified (a stock b230 should not suffer damage after a broken belt).
If you have to replace the engine, just get a good used b230--there are many available... Not a lot of other choices.

 

I've been going to this shop for 4 years, it's run by one of my best friends. I trust them implicitly. I was told they took the spark plugs off and then one other thing to get the camera into the area of the valve, I don't know if they took the engine head off or not.

They should be done with the belt on Monday, I'll know soon enough whether the engine runs after that. They told me it should run, but would have a miss.

The variable here is that I don't know what shape this engine was in when the guy I bought the car from installed it. He could have bought a super cheap engine that had valve dings in it already, I really have no idea.

 

i've never heard of a b230f american tune (low compression) motor dinging its valves on a broken timing belt. a compression test would tell for sure.

 

If the car would have had bent valves, you would have known it. It would have run very bad. A 115 HP 4 banger with a bad valve, yikes!

 

I don't know how it runs yet, they aren't done with the belt, my car keeps getting pushed back. Should be done on Monday. I'll let the thread know what happens!

 

It SHOULD run the same it ran before the belt event. The valves get bent when they meet the piston, they don't usually get "dings"... Some superficial dings won't matter. Just wait to see how it turns out and post.

 

Our timing belt broke way back when and all we needed was a new timing belt. These valves go straight into the combustion chamber, so if they could reach the piston, then they would stamp a circle into the piston crown and not really make something that I'd describe as a ding.

 

One frustrating thing about this is that I don't know if I have a B230 or the B234 engine. How can I figure that out?

This is the relevant conversation I had online with my friend who runs the mechanic shop:

Shop: We are going to pull it back in to take the spark plugs out and look inside the engine in about an hour... make sure there is no internal damage.

Shop: Ok- So, one of the valves were hit

Me: How is that possible when my engine type doesn't allow that

Shop: He stuck a camera in there, its been hit. Your engine is one of the ones

Me: SOHC engines don't allow that to happen I thought... (I was told I have a 2.3 SOHC)

Shop: Well, he can see signs of it getting it..so, we can try to repair, but it may not run afterwards... if thats the case then you need an engine.

Me: how much is a new engine

Shop: SOHC... which is a tolerance motor... when I talked to S&G they said the same thing, interference motor... sorry
I can price one

Me: yeah because this says that all SOHC engines from 1976 to 1995 are the kind of engine that does Not allow the pistons to hit the valves. so I'm confused.

Is the Volvo b230 engine safe if the cam belt breaks

Shop: I am just telling you what the mechanic that looked at it said... it looks like its been hit. might be fine still but it would be a gamble. so, its up to you

Shop: My dad (he owns the place) said that he looked at it too and saw the dings. if you want to come down and look you can

He said that just because there are dents we can still do it, could be fine.

Shop: He saw some dents in on the pistons. He would recommend doing an engine which would be over 1000

 

Nevermind, I found the WIKI explaining Volvo VINS. According to my VIN I have a B230GT or B230FD engine. So UNLESS the guy put in a Different engine (like a B234) than the same model that came with the car, it should run just fine with the new timing belt.

I hope!

 

Sorry, but my earlier assertion that this is an incompetent shop stands. At least as far as Volvos are concerned. This may be your best friend, it doesn't mean they run a good shop. I'll bet your engine is fine after the belt, providing they put it on correctly.

 

there'd be no way to miss a B234F 16V, its got a huge valve cover that says 16 VALVE all over the top.

 

Thank you.

 

oh, and the B234F was never used on a US model 240. the last turbo 240's in the US were much older B21FT engines.

 

I'm picking up my baby later tonight. They replaced the belt, the tensioner, the camshaft, intermediate shaft seal and crankshaft seals because there was leaking oil onto the belt. They said she's running even better than when I brought her in woohoooo! Thanks for all your help!

 

Keep the friendship, find another mechanic.
The things they told you are plain wrong and a competent shop should know better!
BTW, how much?

 

427.00 for the belt, the tensioner, the 3 seals, labor and an oil change (oil change at my request).

 

Hmm, not much of friends, either... Pretty steep. They certainly didn't do you any favors.

 

I'd think replacing all 3 front seals is a fairly big pain on these, as the pulleys all have to come off. I know $427 would be cheap for around here.

 

Yeah, $427 doesn't seem to bad to me. I figure around 200 in parts and 3-4 hours in labor. Still, that doesn't make up for a couple thousand misdiagnosis that they almost sold you on. If they were teal smart, they could have stuck their camera in at TDC and spun the cam shaft by hand and proven to themselves that is doesn't make contact.