My 2004 XC90 2.5T AWD w/193,000 miles has a burned valve, apparently. I was driving on the interstate and the CEL came on. Lost a cylinder, hoped it was a coil, but, sadly, no. I love the car. What would you do? Should I have a valve job done, replace the engine with a used one, or part it out and move on? So annoyed and sad. I could kick myself for not pulling over immediately.

 

Not sure what you mean by "blown valve". Not sure how you would know unless you pulled the head.

I'd recommend pulling the cylinder head if you believe that a valve is at fault. Go from there.

It is not a terribly difficult job and it is a good time to replace the crankcase system, etc.

 

did you do a compression test already to confirm the valve? Did you look the the connetor to the coil for any cracks etc? If it turns out to be a valve, you can price a used head via Car-parts.com - not sure of the book time for replacing the head (ie like doing a head gasket), maybe Tony knows but I'd guess in the 10 hour range for a shop x$120 an hour (meaning a long weekend for a competent DIYer). That suggests the whole job can be done in the1500-2000 range - certainly the car is worth more and the bottom end should be good for 300K+ miles (assuming it was properly maintained with regular oil changes). Doing the head would allow you to do the PCV and timing belt/water pump so you'd be covering all the major maintenance for another 100K.

 

This is a 3-day job for a DIY. One full day to pull the head and two days of assembly.

The hardest part is going to be pulling the turbo and associated lines. I just did one on a 2.4 T and the job was not bad. You get a natural pause in the job waiting for the head to be done and you can spend that time cleaning up parts, replacing the PCV, etc. I had everything ready to go when the head showed up.

You will also need the proper tool to hold the cams and to release and install the upper cylinder head cover. I have the tool and have rented it out several times. PM me if you need advice but this is a job that you can do. It is mostly just nuts and bolts.

You will need a complete head gasket set, head bolts and of course the special cam cover sealer that Volvo sells.

Oh...buy just the valve(s) that you find bad if they are burned. They typically last the life of the car so unless the machine shop tells you that you need a new valve, go with what you have. Valves are not that expensive on these cars.