Head Gaskets??
 

Are Turbo 850's prone to blowing headgaskets. Reason for asking is due to someone mentioning that to me about my '96 850 Turbo Wagon. I'm not sure if he was refering to a 850 with a bigger turo/more boost. But he said they will typically go at around 200k since the gaskets are made of the same material as non turbo and cant hold up that long with the added pressure. Is this true? I do alot of road trips and this is not something I need to worry about. If its true, are there any signs I can look for to predict the failure, and do they make a better quality gasket? I have a hard time believing Volvo would produce a car with that potential problem. Mine shows 147k but I did replace the odometer gears already, but true miles are not much higher than whats showing (according to carfax). It runs excellent, just had it up to 115 the other day getting the cobwebs out (since i usally drive it like grandma) and it doesn't leak any fluids, although I do smell coolant fluid form time to time but that seems to only occur when the heater is on...and no the heater core isn't leaking. With all this said..is this something I should worry about if my car is stock and I USUALLY drive it responsibly?

It shouldn't give any problems under normal conditions.

RSI sells Cometic MLS Headgaskets.

I can't say how common that problem is, but I can say that I have a good friend with a 96 850 Turbo that has 350k+. Original engine and tranny. Neither have ever been touched by a wrench.

This is the first I've heard of any of the 5-cyl Volvos having problems with the head gaskets. Mine is n/a, but has over a quarter million miles and is still going strong.

If it's bone stock, I wouldn't give it too much thought.

i have just found white smoke, 97 850 wagon, does anyone have info on changing the head gasket, I saw a guide lapwizrus posted for timing belt, I've already done that, where do I find online guide, also saw note about changing head bolts? Why? Is there something I do not know?

I haven't seen any online guides for doing the headgasket.

The head bolts have to be changed because they are torque-to-yield, aka stretch bolts. Once they have been torqued they cannot be reused. Kinda like a spring that gets stretched too far that no longer springs back.

thanks, I'd of just reused them, are there any other bolts that should be replaced when doing this job? I did gaskets on the 245 series, but, this is the first thing I've done on this engine, not even sure why I'm having this problem, but, just my luck, did see the note about the black box(?) under the intake, oil something, copied that link and will address it then, I've driven 800 miles since last oil change, and no trace of water at that time

The first warning was milky dip stick, found this thread from "JPN";

The emulsified appearance on the dipstick is probably of no concern; it is a known symptom for the 850s. It seems more pronounced in colder climate + repeated short trips combination. Take her for a good half-hour freeway driving and get the engine up to the normal operating temp.

I just changed oil 800 miles ago, will change again to note colour
I've seen abit of dialouge here about compression test / head gasket, can you tell me what the compression should be wet and dry?
I'll pull the plugs first and note their appearance ..
what is this about removing the cam covers?
Any good tips for finding a manual to guide me through this job, or a link to something online?
THXKS