Volvo xc70 engine is toast -- Replace engine or buy new car?

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by 95avblm3

We currently have an '05 V70 with 150k that is going strong. Before moving overseas, my wife had an Elantra GT. It was great... good fit and finish, reliable, not too bad to drive (although it was a slushbox). ...And they don't have poor safety ratings: Here's a link for the 2018: 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT

It's a "Top Safety Pick".

That's what I drove. Hyundai 6 speed GT sport. It was pretty nice. The mazda was a top safety pick as well, but once you've seen one crushed, it's hard to get out of your mind (although I'm still driving them ) I also looked at the link provided but couldn't find a rear end rating. I wonder if one even exist?

The pedal position on the hyundai wouldnt allow double clutching (the mazda could- both in dress shoes)- but the synchronizers on the hyundai were incredible, so I guess you wouldn't even need to double clutch. You could switch into any gear from anywhere at anytime. It was a "tad" bit faster shifting than my sc (as in I could shift through all 6 speeds in the hyundai faster than I could get from first to second in the 911!!) The hyundia was also peppier than the mazda-3, but the mazda overall interior was much nicer than the hyundai. Perhaps it was just how the cars were optioned.

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by aschen

I just bought a focus ST for 7k off msrp at 19k. They are giving them away. 250 hp 30 mpg and 6mt. I dont love buying new cars either but a decent used car was going to be 15k. It is more fun to drive than i thought

How the heck did you do that?

[aschen]

Originally Posted by WPOZZZ

How the heck did you do that?

Thats what they are going for around here i didnt even negotiate 19.1k. There is a 3500 ford incentive and the dealer matches it. Not sure how, there must be heavy incentives to move them. Maybe manual only makes them hard to move?

The dealer i bought it from sells 20 f150s a DAY, and the guy didnt even know what an ST was, even though they had 15 of them

An example:

https://m.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=468022337&zip=77384&endYear=2019&pageLayout=list&sortBy=relevance&startYear=1981&searchRadius=50&offset=105&transmissionGroup=MAN&mmt=%5BFORD%5BFOCUS%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D

Also im no safety expert but i would think a 2018 car would be safer in just about everyway than even an old volvo. It has airbags everywhere and latest rollover regs compliance

[greglepore]

Me, I'd find a used engine and swap it in if you really like the car. Geez, 2500 bucks is the down on a leased ST.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

I spoke with mechanic back from Amelia Island:
Me:
"I heard it was just a fouled spark plug"
Him:
"No"
Me:
"I know, your wife told me about the compression, what did you find me at Amelia"
Him:
"Nothing, it was all overpriced"
Me:
"I need a quote on a new (used) engine. I want a new water pump, new timing belt, new lower end seals on both sides, and a new pcv system"
Him:
Okay


Tomorrow we will know the damage.

As an aside- he mentioned #3 wasn't zero compression, it was 30 lbs, which rules out (I was hoping a broken valve spring and a scuffed up piston from spanking the dropped valve (who cares...) and basically a new head)

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by greglepore

Me, I'd find a used engine and swap it in if you really like the car. Geez, 2500 bucks is the down on a leased ST.

Thanks- I think this is an interesting thought process on the matter.
My wife is upset I would consider dumping 2,500 into a car now worth less than 2,500.

otoh- Let's say a new car payment is 500 a month. In 5 months the car pays for itself, and no additional payments are necessary until it breaks again potentially long into the future. With a new car, the 500 payment into perpetuity is a mandatory given, as well as higher insurance and property tax.

I don't think there is a right or wrong, just different angles from matters of priority.

She said "but something else will break"
I said "yes, the water pump, the gas pedal module, the plastic radiator, the computer, etc..."

Ironically, the transmission- which is a know weak point in these cars, I messed with this summer. As it crossed 200,000- I said screw it, and cut into the return transmission cooler line and added an external filter. The darnest thing happened- The car started shifting smoother and smoother, until it felt like a new transmission. All hard shifts disappeared by about 95%. It is like a new transmission.

Go figure.

[911boost]

We had a 2002 S60 that survived a nasty crash by my ex that she and my toddler daughter walked away from. Replaced with an XC90 that a was a great vehicle that she slowly destroyed after the divorce. I would buy another in a heartbeat....

[95avblm3]

It's a tough call. Some days I miss the reliability of a "new car" but we made a conscious decision when we first moved to Germany to not spend much on a car until we better understood the nuances of driving (and parking) over here. We had a $700 rusty BMW that I sold for $250 after it wouldn't pass inspection. Then, we were high bidders on both the P2 V70 and an '01 E46 318 wagon. The 318 was a stick and was a hoot to drive but was starting to suffer from the same rot that took out our E39. So it got some TLC and sold to a new home. I put a new timing belt, rebuilt the PCV/oil trap system and a few other odds and ends on the V70 and we really like the car now. It's not perfect but it's rust free and has the leather of some very rugged cows, unlike most new car leather seats.

Sorry for going off-topic but my point is, I can empathize with your desire to fix the XC70. I would buy an engine, refresh it and install it myself, but that is because I am a glutten for punishment and don't know when to stop. I've found the car pretty easy to work on (surprisingly). Ours is a 2.5T but is only FWD.

While the pull of the Elantra GT, Mazda 3 or a new Focus ST might be great, I think you'll find they pale in comparison to the ease of loading/unloading and the amount of crap the wagon can haul. Now, if they offered the Elantra Wagon or the Focus ST wagon in the States like they do here, my tune might change

[maler928]

I did not notice what type of engine your car have, but here are a used D5 for sale in Sweden:
https://www.blocket.se/dalarna/VOLVO_diesel_D5_motor___lada_D5244T_2002_2005_3829 0193.htm?ca=4&w=3

Regards
Tommy

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Show and tell, and a bunch of questions.
After my dad's funeral last week, it was time to get to work on the volvo.
The repair estimate was around $5400 for getting a newer engine and doing all the things you do in there "while you are there." That's a lot of change for a car that would be worth 2-4 k at most. It was also a lot of "while you are in there" (at my own request). That's also assuming no surprises during the process.

I drove the car back and did some test of my own. No compression on cylinder 3. about 145-150 on all the others. Seemed like a burnt valve. I pulled the head this weekend and this is what i saw:





I also checked out the low end and it looks like the original honing marks from the factory in all the cylinders? or is this how rings wear?



So I guess my questions are as follows- Should I just buy a new valve and lap the old ones myself? or send this to a shop? I guess i still need to pull the valves to check for wear, but I'd like to keep it simple. Also- at 200k, should I replace all the exhaust valves? I guess I need to look at them first.

As for the cylinder linings, they seem smooth with no lips or such like I've always seen on the few 'not so well sorted' 944 p-cars I've messed with. At 200k, can that really be original honing marks? There was no damage to the cylinder bore on 3 from the broken valve.

Also- some antifreeze spilled into the cylinders when i was removing the head. How should I dry that out? air? pour oil around rings? both?

I'm fairly confident in my technical skills, but I am inexperienced with engine rebuilds. I don't have the background to know what is normal.
Any input appreciated. tia.

[herr_oberst]

If that was my car, and all the cylinders look that good, I'd be getting the head rebuilt. While I'm in there, I'd probably do the timing chain and the water pump.

I mean, it's already apart.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

If that was my car, and all the cylinders look that good, I'd be getting the head rebuilt. While I'm in there, I'd probably do the timing chain and the water pump.

I mean, it's already apart.

Agreed, it's due for those anyway. All new tensioner/idler pulleys, etc. Those were some of the "while you were in there" things. I might do the turbo as well (at least the seals). I think I can get to it from the top with the head off. I need to go check.

[pavulon]

Did that chunk come off all at once? If so, shouldn't that have taken out the turbocharger too? If it didn't, where did it take up residence?

[95avblm3]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

Agreed, it's due for those anyway. All new tensioner/idler pulleys, etc. Those were some of the "while you were in there" things. I might do the turbo as well (at least the seals). I think I can get to it from the top with the head off. I need to go check.

Yup, I’d say head job, new timing belt, WP, tensioner and idler and put it back together. Why not do turbo seals at the same time? Ours has 157,000 miles and there is always just a little oil in the charge air pipe, so I imagine some refreshing will be necessary in the near future.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by pavulon

Did that chunk come off all at once? If so, shouldn't that have taken out the turbocharger too? If it didn't, where did it take up residence?

Arghhh!!! Crappola...

Well, now I've got another reason to pull the turbo.. Next week I'll pull it and see if it got gutted. The good news is that now the turbo access is actually fairly decent. It's accessible, and the bolts don't seem to horribly rusted on.

Another thing I was wondering about was the residual oil in the head. On the supply side of the head, it's as clean as a whistle. As you go to the other side, the crud starts to build. There is no oil feed on the cruddy side. The bearing wear seems even all the way across, and not worse on the cruddy side. I am assuming this is normal?

[RANDY P]

.... should load the sumbich with Restore brand engine fix, trade it in.

[beepbeep]

Frankly, I would just pop in a new valve, hone it and re-fit with new head gasket. Also, pull the turbo and check turbine for damage/shaft play (that piece went somewhere).
Yes, those are original honing marks. After re-assembly, you can run some flushing oil to remove eventual coke. Also, you can de-carbonize the heads by revving it and letting it suck some water into intake (not too much).
Other than that, I wouldn't do much more. At 200k, something else will fail before engine does again. Those engines are know to run >300k miles in our taxis w/o major issues.

[beepbeep]

P.S. If you are in the hurry, you can try to poke a borescope (one of those 20$ chinese ones will do) into shortest port in the header and inspect turbine. That way you do not need to remove the turbo unless it is stuffed.

But that chunk has nowhere to go except turbo or (if you are really lucky) thru wastegate.

I reckon 70% chance turbine is stuffed.

[fastfredracing]

I have all the tools to set the head back on . You can do it without them , but tricky at best.
Id be willing to lend them to you if you need. I have the doo hickey, that pulls the valve cover back down evenly, and the tools to hold and time the cams .
Good luck, !

[LEAKYSEALS951]

PM being typed right now! LOL!