T5 - headgasket blown - what to do?

[mrpink]

99 V70 XC - great car with only 120k on the clock and other than the headgasket very reliable and has served me very well - especially when towing.

Problem is repairs have been quoted as much as car is probably worth (£800-£1k)

just seems a shame to scrap it but, if fixed, would only be kept as a spare 3rd car,(only required 2 new tyres for last MOT 250 miles ago)

fleebay shows complete engines for less than £300 or head + gasket sets less than £150 but I just don't have the wherewithal to undertake the work.

I think I already know the answers but any suggestions would be appreciated

[magpie215]

K-seal and keep your fingers crossed!!....assuming you are running it as a bit of a banger??

[mrpink]

yes will be kept, if I do, as a bit of a banger for going to the tip etc

do you mean radweld etc - sorry for my ignorance - if so I tried that.

Fuller story:

had been losing a bit of water for a while (but never heated up even when towing 1800kgs)but no signs of where it was going except perhaps out of the exhaust - tried the radweld but made no difference so just kept topping it up.

then it overheated big time - AA man (who owned same car) took out / modified thermostat and it ran back home 60 miles or so on M/way at 70ish with no problems but as soon as I hit the 30mph roads it overheated again and has been parked up ever since.

thanks for your reply

update - just googled K-seal mmmmmmmmm interesting - how does it compare with radweld etc? may be worth a try thanks

Edited by mrpink on Wednesday 30th March 23:44

[FM]

I`d be looking at securing cheaper quotes for the repair from a variety of garages. Sounds a little steep for a head gasket job..

Myself, as a last resort, I`d break out the spanners with a haynes manual before calling any scrap merchant..

Best regards..

Good home mechanics available through your social network can be pure gold when big bills hit if you are fortunate enough to know any.

[mrpink]

years ago I did headgaskets etc on cars like hillman imps and cortinas but nowdays i hardly know what i am looking at under a bonnet, if I had a garage and a better toolset i might well of had a go - nothing to lose really and was an option I was cosidering

regards and thanks

[Valentin]

Aren't there any DIY Garages in the UK? Here in Switzerland, and even more so in Germany, you can rent a Garage with lift and tools for €100 per day. There is always an mechanic, who isn't supposed to do it for you, but will gladly help and answer your question.

So my advice would be to buy the parts from eBay and do it at an DIY Garage.

[Allandwf]

I've just done the head gasket on my T4, £700ish were the garage quotes. Don't underestimate the amount of stuff to remove just to get to it, took me 3 days! also the special tools etc needed to get it all back together. Can be done, but not something you would do quickly , the first time.

[matthewg]

mrpink said:

99 V70 XC - great car with only 120k on the clock and other than the headgasket very reliable and has served me very well - especially when towing.

Problem is repairs have been quoted as much as car is probably worth (£800-£1k)

just seems a shame to scrap it but, if fixed, would only be kept as a spare 3rd car,(only required 2 new tyres for last MOT 250 miles ago)

fleebay shows complete engines for less than £300 or head + gasket sets less than £150 but I just don't have the wherewithal to undertake the work.

I think I already know the answers but any suggestions would be appreciated

KSEAL

Buy another engine and fit it with a mate if kseal dosent work

[mrpink]

many thanks for the replies gents

will definitely try the KSEAL

have a mechanic friend that has kindly offered to assist so, if KSEAL doesn't work, i might just take him up on his offer - but I don't like taking liberties with "mates rates".

Seen engines on ebay go for less than £300 - would an engine swap be much more time / hassle than doing the head?

cheers

[matthewg]

mrpink said:

many thanks for the replies gents

will definitely try the KSEAL

have a mechanic friend that has kindly offered to assist so, if KSEAL doesn't work, i might just take him up on his offer - but I don't like taking liberties with "mates rates".

Seen engines on ebay go for less than £300 - would an engine swap be much more time / hassle than doing the head?

cheers

Can be done in a day with 2 folk if you know what youre doing and no real issues.
Since he is a mechanic it shouldn't take longer than that.
Let us know how you get on
Cheers

[Valentin]

A friend of mine who races old Volvos once changed a head at the site of the racetrack in 30 minutes, apparently. Finished the race and wasn't even last. But then again I tkink there are only 8 bolts (4 for the valve cover and 4 for the head itself. a B18 btw).

[morgrp]

mrpink said:

years ago I did headgaskets etc on cars like hillman imps and cortinas but nowdays i hardly know what i am looking at under a bonnet, if I had a garage and a better toolset i might well of had a go - nothing to lose really and was an option I was cosidering

regards and thanks

It's a big job no doubt about it (we've done a few - although not that common on Volvo 5's)
They are genuinely a pleasure to work on though - everything is of high quality and therefore comes off and goes back on as it should.

800-1000 is a fair price on a HG job provided they use genuine parts and clean everything - Anything cheaper than that and you'll be getting a half arsed job.


You'll need a head gasket set, waterpump, Cambelt and tensioner kit, at least a gallon of coolant and if its a T5 7.5 litres of oil and filters. Of course the oil is optional but if its been cooked up (may not have of course) it'll need changing.

As for swapping the engine? well 300quid is cheaper but once you've chucked in fitting, servicing it (would need prob need a cambelt too) you'll be looking at around 500-600 quid - In my opinion its a case of better the devil you know and have the top end rebuilt on your current engine - at least you know its been looked after and if its had the top end done properly it'll be good for another 200k - There's nothing to say a replacement engine wouldn't blow the HG a few month later down the line.