" My Volvo died today and left me all alone, the finance company came by and reposesd my home, That's just a drop in the bucket compared to losing you, and I'm down to seeds and stems again too"
Seriously, I have little or no compression in cylinder #3 in my 2000 V40. What are my options(read cheapest)
Bill

 

Valve sticking open, damaged valve/valve seat, broken piston rings, leaking head gasket.

Best case scenario;- sticking valve lifter.
Worst case scenario;-the rest of the list.
Head gasket may seem trivial, but a head gasket does not blow for no reason, there's always something spooky that caused it.
Damaged valves/seats require a new or fixed head.
Broken or worn rings usually also require boring the cylinders.

A good second hand engine may be just as cheap as letting a workshop fix your engine.

 

+1 on the valve issues. if you can find an inspection cam and can see a burnt valve, then you may opt for replacing the head. Used heads can be found for about $300 and shop cost for the install should be about $1200. Downside is if you pop the head off and see cylinder damage, you now need to replace the block. If you can do the work yourself it may be worth doing - but if your car has a book value under $2000, your best bet may be to sell the car as is (say for $500) and buy a replacement for $2000. Dunno the cost to drop in a replacement engine but you can price out the long block using car-parts.com.

 

Should I try a gunkout(for turbos)for a stuck lifter before giving up on my engine?
Thanks for the responses!!!!

 

If you have an Autozone or similar by you, you may want to inquire if they rent a cylinder inspection camera. Have you done a full compression test (dry/wet, all four cylinders) or is the low/no compression an assumption?

 

Yes, and no. I did the test without any spark plugs in, I assume this is the dry test. Cylinder 3 barely registered. The plug looked dry and a good color in all cylinders. I can drive the car with little or no difference in preformance except at idle. No noticeable change in the exhaust.
I am looking now for another v40 at around 2500. I have alot of new parts for my car that I may be able to change out.

 

Dry / wet compression test:

Wet Compression Test Results Explained