The old faithful has finally blown a head gasket with 180,000 on the clock. Recon engine, where ? Second hand, where ? Suggestions please, useful ones. In for a cylinder pressure test next week but meanwhile ? UK
Changing a head gasket is a far easier and cheaper option than changing the engine.
Are you handy with a spanner? You could do the whole lot for around
100 quid, including head skim, new timing belt, oil change, et cetera.Thank you Stewart. Yes i have done it before on other Volvos but i was, considering the mileage, thinking of going a bit further. What do you think ?
If it was mine (175k miles), which I'm pretty confident is otherwise sound, I would change the gasket.
If you have doubts about the rest of the engine, then a known-quality second hand, or reconditioned one, might be worth considering if you are up for the work involved.
Why bother? :))
Just fixing the HG should tide you over for a while.
-- alex
Why not just replace the head gasket? It's certainly much easier and cheaper than the other items you listed.
Thank you Stewart for all your advice. The Parker site is really useful, under archive reviews. A local breaker has a B200F engine. Will that swap with mine, I have fuel injection ?
i agree...just do the head gasket...i fixed mine at 225,000 miles...it has been fine since... now w/245,000 or so....i blew my head gasket driving the car a bit on the "hard side" ..... it was a pretty complicated fix...i am a shadtree mechanic, so i had a volvo mechanic do it...i think it took him, like 8 hrs.....we also took the opportunity to shave the head and clean up the valvs...did the timing belt as well....
TBH I'm not sure. I'm not intimately familiar with the B200F. The engine will be the same basic unit, but may have differences around the head, for example.
Anyone else responding needs to be aware that you are UK based, as this may make a difference to spec. particularly WRT the fuel system.
The age of your car and the other engine may be relevant, too.
Major difference between B200E and B200F is that the F was designed to run with a catalyser and LambdaSond. It also has a lower power output in conjunction with it's intended use in America/Canada (emissions control).
Cheers, Peter.
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