Earlier this week as my wife was driving up hill she noticed a drop in power and upon stopping the car idled roughly. After a trip to my mechanic, including plugs and new injector, here is what I know. Electronically everything checks out. The center cylinder is at 80 pounds of compressionand falling as the car warmed up, significantly lower than the rest. I checked with a foriegn auto speed shop/garage and was told that I probably needed a new engine. My question is, are their design problems that would make the 5cyl engine less robust than the previous 4? How close is he to a real assessment. The service history is basically unknown but I suspect that the elderly previous owner followed Volvo's specs. I do know that the turbo is nearly done for due to oil consumption. I am looking for a brutally honest assessment. Thank you for your time

 

I would say possibly burn't valve.