Hi there!
I don't know much about cars, but I sure got attached to my 1996, Volvo 850 Turbo wagon! I only had the car for a couple of months, and put quite some money into it... (new timing belt, new breaks (rotor & pads), axle got sealed, etc...) Well, it seems like the head gasket blew now! As I said, I don't know much about cars... But I was told that it pretty much means that my car is dead! Does that mean it's all trash? next stop junkyard?! I remember needing a matching rim and paying almost $200 for a used one... Everything (except the motor, I guess...) in the car is in good shape. Do you suppose I could sell it to a "hobbyist mechanic"? If so, how (and where) could I find somebody? I just feel like it's a waste to trash this beautiful car... What do you think?!?

 

One more thing... Is there any chance to actually fix the problem?!? Any idea how much $$$ that would be?

 

You might be able to find someone to do it pretty cheap.
How much are you willing to put into it to get it repaired?

It will probably cost about $900.00 to $1000.00.

 

Welcome to the forum, and sorry about the problem.

Head gasket itself is not that expensive, take a look:

http://www.fcpgroton.com/volvoeng850engine.htm

FCP Groton is an on-line vendor that sells original Volvo parts (OEM-Original Equipment Mfg, they are the ones that supplied parts at the Volvo's assembly plant, and OEMs are usually the best parts for your car) for a lot less cost than the dealers so many of us here have been happy with them. As you can see, the gasket set is $89 + shipping.

However, it is the labour that hurts your wallet. Many of us here would do the job by ourselves, but if you do not know much about automotive servicing, it may be challenging though I do not believe it is impossible. If you were to do this, you would need a basic set of tools, a few of them may be expensive such as a torque wrench (a wrench that lets you tighten nuts & bolts at designed strength so it wouldn't be too loose or too tight). Andin addition totools, you will need a servicing manual, do your homework and must know what safety precautions & dangers are involved. Also, since the car would be grounded (or garaged) for quite some time, you would need a 2nd car.

If you're willing, we canprovide you step-by-step assistance (especially if you have a digital camera), but if you feel this is overwhelming, it is a job for the pros. After spending all that money into the car, I personally feel that it is sad to bring it to a junkyard.

See what others would have to say.


JPN

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/F33884283C3A48DCBD32FBF5E50CB6EF.jpg[/IMG]

 

The gasket itself is not too expensive, but what drives the cost up is the labor to change it. Did the car overheat when the gasket blew? If so, you most likely warped the head.How many miles are on the car, and is it worth it to you to sinkup to a grand into it? IF so, definitely fix it.

 

yea, in our motorsports arena, when a headgasket blows, we always deck the head to make sure everything seals back up properly. It is possible your head is warped, so... that would suck.

anyways, find a competent mechanic good with european cars, and he probably can get it good as new.

 

Based on the miles on the car another alternative is to find a used motor and find a mechanic to swap engines. It will probably be cheaper in the long run.