Hey guys,

My first post here and it won't be the last if I buy this car.

I am looking at getting a 94 volvo 850 Turbo Wagon (white). I really like the car and I know the owners took good care of it. It looks very nice on the outside as well as the inside. The problem is they took it to the dealership and were told that the coolant is contaminating the oil. Basically they lose coolant very quickly and have to refill it often. They are not driving the car anymore so as not to damage it anymore. I testdrove it once and everything else seems good. Also looked for obvious signs of obuse and everything looks good.

Anyways, my question is how serious is this problem and does the car need a new engine or is it a relatively simple/inexpansive fix. I am handy with tools (work on my motorcycles) but I doubt I would be able to do an engine drop myself.

Thanks in advance for all the help.

 

Probably needs a new head gasket. It's not really that hard to do on the 850 either. My son in law and I did it with help from this board. Taking my head off, taking the head to machine shop, replacing two valves and having the head planed cost me around $1500 doing all the work ourselves. The gaskets are very pricey if you go with all OEM. I also had all my fuel injectors recalibrated at the sametime. Also bought all new head bolts which is recommended.

I would figure around $3,000 if you were to pay an independent mechanic that knows Volvo's to do the job. Make sure you get the timing belt right when you put it back together. We didn't and had to take the head off a 2nd time.

 

+1 on the head gasket.

Jim, I'm curious about how you reached $1500? I changed the head gasket on my Chrysler and the gasket plus the bolts did not cost more than 300 in parts. I guess Volvo OEM gaskets are probably a rip off.

Regards

 

What about this product?

http://www.rxauto.com/blocktest.htm

That apparently will tell you if the gasket is blown.

 

Thanks alot for all the replies.

It seems the car is worth roughly $4500, that is if it didn't have the engine problem. The old owners were told new motor so I am guessing I can get it for $1000.

I called an independent car shop that does good work and they said $1500 for labor and parts to replace head gaskets. They also said that it is a possiblity (although unlikely since its a low milage car at 100k mi.) that it has a cracked head. In that case it would be more expansive and a new engine might not be a bad option.

A new engine swap would cost as much as the car is worth.

I am just not sure if it is worth it. What do you guys think?

Ohh and also how much is it for just the head gaskets?

 

No way a new "used' engine costs 4500. At least not from what has been posted lately on this forum.

 

From FCP Groton:
p/n 275254 Head Gasket Set 1993-1997 Non Turbo Models USD 89.00

This comes with several gaskets you don't need. You'll also need adhesive and new bolts. Parts should not exceed a couple of hundred.

I'd get the quotation from the shop and subtract it from the seller's price, and do the head gasket myself with instructions from the forums. I don't know if that is doable for you.

Regards
Axel

 

Greetings,

Do a pressure test on the cooling system to see if the system loses pressure. If the head gasket is gone, the pressure will surely drop without obvious external coolant leak. Also, if there is a crack in the head, coolant may seep out when pressurised. Some dealers seem to "rape" customers once they figure a customer doesn't know much about cars.

It seems to me that the car may not be worth it, if it does need a new head gasket. But listen to JimKW & Axelm, as they have great amount of knowledge on 850s.

I personally feel that you can find a better 850 if you do a bit more search. JimKW knows a great way of doing this, though I forgot what the service was called.

Don't be an impulsive buyer. If you can wait, then wait a bit.


JPN

 

If the car is worth $4500 with a good engine and you can get it for $1,000 it's not a bad deal even if the engine is shot. I would probably just say heck with it and replace the entire engine. If you start tearing the existing engine apart and find the head is cracked, you will spend as much on a new/used head as you would for an engine.

I just did a quick search for used engines and found them anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. If a guy will do a head gasket for $1500 I bet he would swap engines for around $750. I'm just guessing of course.

As far as me spending $1500 in parts, that includes the machine shop repairing the head for around $400 and I bought all OEM gaskets and parts all from the dealer.

 

Jim,
Thanks for the info.

Regards

 

LOL, you gotta be kidding. I've been following the 850 forums for about a year and the problems are always the same. I just repeat what the others say and try to use common sense. My own 850 is also all screwed up and I think it has won the battle. I am no longer interested in throwing more money and time at it. I am thinking of getting rid of it and getting a 2002/2003 Accord sedan.