Just looked at an 850 GLT (dark green) that blew a head gasket when a radiator hose came off and the driver just kept on going til it bonked (she was almost home and went for it). There doesn't seem to be any coolant in the oil. She got it to start, but I suggested she shut it off right away. Then I checked the oil, it looked o.k. and the hose has since been repaired and it's refilled with coolant. She tried to start it again and it turns over but battery is low and wouldn't quite catch.

Underneath, some oil residue around axle seals, not wet though. She does have a new rack and pinion that didn't get installed—was losing fluid from pump reservoir so someone told her it was the rack. That's not included in the $500.

Dash is clean, no special trim. 212k on the odometer. Seats not bad, kind of dull grayish.
Engine light has been on—she's been told it's no big deal and has been driving it that way.
She said no other dash lights have been on and heater controls work.

She seems honest and said the car didn't have other issues. All electrics seem to work. The body has a couple of small dents, not too noticeable.

Rotors look o.k., she said pads are fairly new. Two new tires. Sport wheels look o.k.

Radiator and fan are new, hoses, control under the radiator shroud, t-stat gooseneck, all new. MTF(?) air flow sensor looks new. Intake filter box and the corrugated duct to the engine look new.

Lower interior is pretty well worn. Would need new front carpet, drivers side interior door panel is partly missing and door handle from outside doesn't work right.

So is this worth $500.00 as a fixer-upper? I'd be going on the assumption the engine can't be trusted as it ran completely out of coolant and she kept going until the head gasket blew.

I took a quick look online for crate engines: seem to run about $1200 to 2500.00, for a long block. So, all suggestions welcome!

What do you think?

JB

 

If it's a 97 I would say yes, but for the other years I wouldn't. Reason being 97 GLT had the low pressure turbo. The older ones did not so you would be getting a non turbo Volvo.

 

I got my 95 turbo wagon for $400 with a bad HG at 144k. The interior is nice but the exterior has some dings and dents. So if the body is clean I would say the price is fair.

 

If it's listed as $500, offer $300 and go from there. Every dollar you save on buying means you can spend it on making the car better. Or just have more money in the bank!

 

Am I overreacting about how much damage running it out of coolant might have caused? Reading a couple of other posts about blown HG's they don't mention engine damage, other than rusting if water sits in cylinders for too long. Is it safe to run this engine for a short time to listen for knocking or check for oil burning? Wouldn't an engine with no coolant distort pistons, score cylinders?
BTW: It does have coolant now, since the leak was fixed, but I did hear the gasket leak when the owner ran it briefly.
JB

 

Man, if it was ran till it stopped I would assume the motor has a warped head. Get it if you need other parts. Other than that, $250.

 

Yup; the cheaper the better. She's had some lowball offers already and refused. I told her I'll call her on Monday afternoon and if she still has it make an offer. One thread I read on blown HG's noted that if the engine got really hot the tranny fluid could boil and damage the trans, too.

It did start when she first tried, even though the battery is low. There's oil in the engine that doesn't look too dirty and doesn't smell burnt. Coolant apparently isn't getting into the crankcase, so maybe we'll get it started and run it forward and back a couple times to check the drive train and brakes. I'll pull the tranny codes and have the list with me. The others, too, while I'm at it.

Then, we'll see.
JB

 

Heck, give her the 500 bones, part it out and use that pile of loot to get a car with a working engine

 

Either way, I would say yes also. As long as you can fix the car yourself. If you need to pay a mechanic, then I would just get a running Volvo for a grand more.