My daughter's 2000 S40 with 225000 miles blew a head gasket last night. Not sure if it cracked head too. Is it worth fixing? The body has some rust and of course little flaws here and there.

If not worth fixing, who recycles Volvos or buys a volvo like mine?

 

Hi there. I repaired my own blown head about 4 years ago on my 2000 S40, which had 125K miles on it at the time. Took a few weeks (total of 30 hours?) in a friend's garage, using his tools, and I borrowed a few of the specialty tools from my local shop. Took about $600 in parts, plus $100 for the machinist who shaved the head flat again. Not a job for the faint of heart. If head gasket is blown, then the head likely has warped a bit as well. If you are just pulling the head and replacing the gasket, that is one thing, but it the head is cracked or warped, the car may be done (at that age). When I did the job, I also replaced the thermostat, the plug wires, the plugs, the head bolts and other hardware, and the other items that I had to remove to get the head off. As to the head bolts, get new ones. Volvo will want a fortune for them, so get replacements from the Fastenall Company. Look them up. Great head bolts for 1/5th of the Volvo price! Got most of my parts online. Good luck. Chris