Hello,


I just finished the valve job on my new 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon. It took a good week or so to do everything in an attentive manner, working a few hours each day. I cleaned all the gasket surfaces pretty well, but I am having an issue with the integrity of the cooling system.

I tried to light it up last night for the first time. I engaged the starter motor for about 20 seconds. No ignition. The compression is low, because the valve stem is sitting higher in the head then before; I had the valves ground. I opened the cap of the cooling reservoir only to be greeted by a loud belch, and a spray of water. I repeated the episode, just to make sure.

I have not been able to visually observe if the compression is leaking through the head gasket (Watching for bubbles in the coolant tank, as an assistant cranks the engine.)

I do know that there are big blobs of new oil in the coolant tank.

Could the oil cooler have collapsed, or maybe the turbo casting has a hole in it? Or am I just grasping at short straws? There was no mixing the fluids before the teardown. I did raise the car 1.5' with the floor jack on the subframe, twice.


Please advise,
Goatman

So here is one in the Twin Cities:

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/cto/1675260620.html

I can't have it, my wife already told me that 4 cars in a 3 car garage is the absolute limit. And if my daughter comes home after graduation, that means 5 cars!

So for $500, you could drive it back to NM!!

Klaus
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Praying for Cynthia Amendt, heaven bound

I finally got everything patched up. The lifters were ticking for a while but it quickly went away once the engine warmed up. I punched it on the way home from the car wash. It was quite delighting!

I am going to scrub it up with some Dawn and a brush, then eat lots of ham. Yum! :)


Goatman

Be very careful washing the engine bay. The spark plug cover does NOT keep water out, when I washed one I had 3 inches of water in the plug holes which I then had to wick up with a shop cloth. It will not run with a lot of water in the holes and will not get hot enough to boil the water out rapidly. And you cannot just pull the plugs, the water drains into the pistons and you are in deep doodoos then.

Have fun with your new toy. There should be lots of money under the rear seats :)

Klaus
--
Praying for Cynthia Amendt, heaven bound

Klaus,


I blew the top of the engine off at the car wash without the plastic cover. I wasn´t too worried, as the new Bosch wires seal it nicely, I didn´t point it right at the plugs though, I´ve been there and done that.


Goatman

Hi,


I know not why, but the problem of the coolant tank charging while I attempt to start the engine has gone away. Maybe it was just a burp?

I am still stumped why the engine will not start. I added propane, but it still won´t light.

I used an old wire and connected it to the coil, then I installed an old plug into it. Grounding the plug and turning the engine over yielded no spark.

Where to check first? The check engine lamp lights, and then goes out as I continue cranking.


Goatman

Crank position sensor plugged in nice and tight and the wires do not go across the plug wires?

Check the wire from coil to cap. Use a test light to check the coil for incoming power.

You didn't go there, but check the wires at the alternator anyway.

--
Praying for Cynthia Amendt, heaven bound

Klaus,


Would the cam sensor keep the lamp lit in the dash if it were bad?


Goatman

Probably not. I am surprised that the CEL even goes out without the engine starting. I was just trying to think of what gets unplugged when the head is removed.

Is there any voltage at the coil?
--
Praying for Cynthia Amendt, heaven bound

Klaus,


The CPS was faulty, thank you for your assistance! The car ran for ten seconds and then ran out of gas. It is amazing I made it home when I bought the car.

I am searching for a safety can and will advise when I purge the cooling system and attempt a road test.


Goatman

LOL All of this sitting and it ran out of gas? When you get it started again, let it 'warm up' for about 5 minutes. That will get the oil wherever it needs to be, then drive it sadately for a few miles.

Good luck,

Klaus

PS I hope you find a good buyer for the 130.
--
Praying for Cynthia Amendt, heaven bound

That's not what we wanted to hear. Don't blame the turbo unless you mixed up the pipes, and the oil cooler cannot collapse. The car can safely be lifted via the subframe which is attached to the frame.

So here are a couple of possibilities. The headgasket is not on correctly. There are different gaskets for turbo and non-turbo. The torque was improperly applied and not even. While you were pouring oil on the rings prior to assembly, some oil dribbled into the water holes.

As for the no ignition, you need to check for spark. If you didn't add oil to the rings, there might not be enough compression to ignite the fuel. Grinding the valves should have been measured in micro meters and almost immeasurable at the valve stems.

Klaus
--
Praying for Cynthia Amendt, heaven bound