So my idiot friend both mis-interpreted my advice and is an idiot. He bought a 170K miles V70XC without records for "cheap". He then drove it to overheating and decided to make it to a "safe" exit (this in semi-rural Tennessee...all shoulders are safe) before stopping. Motor (per a professional shop that I am not 100% confident in) says 0 compression on all five cylinders, no steam cleaned spark plugs and timing belt intact and in time.

He decided he would rather follow with a refreshed motor by me than just do a head gasket and take his chances. I found a good donor that passed both my visual inspection and the carfax test. I got it out of the donor and into my truck after five hours (I hate pulling a motor solo) and in the process observed it was in time, PCV on both ports clean, cam cover free of oil, all five plugs identical and the intake and exhaust valves through the ports look good.

Car has 180K miles and is a 1999 V70XC that failed emission and got towed as abandoned (not hard in Chicago). It probably failed partially because 4 of five injector seals were totally toast. I am pulling it apart next weekend to do a head gasket preemptively and inspect the bearings. Outside of a catastrophic event, can I expect the same bearing longevity of the red blocks (virtually infinite) and the same with oil pump? Any need to replace a pickup tube o-ring, etc preemptively?

New timing set with idler, water pump and tensionor is a given. In the yard, could not break the flex-plate bolts free. Again, what are the odds the crank seal on that end needs replaced because I am guessing it will require heat to break them loose which guarantees the need to replace the seal if not that specific bearing.

Thanks,

Onkel Udo

Engine it back together save the flex plate bolts being tightened, one missing sensor that was not on the original motor (as brought to me) or the donor motor and the upper inner timing cove because none of them matched the post 1998 inner and outer cover (the original motor cover was all little shards).

I was pleasantly surprised how easily the 130 degrees final torque for the head gasket went. On our race cars all the DOHC motors had the (industry standard) 90 degree final torque and creaked and groaned through the last 30 degrees.

I never did find the one port the main swap thread was talking about that needed to be plug so I checking again in the morning. It might be one I have the banjo bolt in now.

Front mount did have to be retrieved from the yard as the bolt spacing is larger on the 1999 motor.

Manually timing it was a breeze. I can see how it would be challenging in the car without a "special tool"

Never did figure out how to get the exhaust cam phaser pull off to do the front seat so I told the owner if it leaked from being cocked he was on his own.

Never found the flex plate bolt torque spec except one that kept calling it a flywheel (and was in NM so might have been a flywheel) so just didn't do if after replacing the main seal. Owner is having a European specialist do the install so I told him that was on the list.

All in all, less orrible than I expected but still needlessly complex.

If the new engine has 180K on it, I would remove the oil pan and replace the pick up O rings. Much easier with the engine out of the car.

PCV easier to refresh when out of the car. Make sure you clean out the PTC nipple on the intake, assuming it is a turbo.

The rings and bearings should be just fine. They normally last forever.

If the head comes off, replace the valve guides. They start to wear at around 200K or so. 20 of those little buggars!

If the engine is separate from the tranny, replace the RMS.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

"If the head comes off, replace the valve guides. They start to wear at around 200K or so. 20 of those little buggars!"

Just to be clear, replace the guides or the stem seals? If the guides, are they press-in?

Last question for now, the '99 motor is going in a '98. The donor motor has the exhaust cam phaser but my assumption is the '98 does not. I assume we just do not plug in the phaser, correct?

Valve stem seals.

The 1999 head is different from the 98. VVT and coil overs, which means the wiring is different. You cannot keep the VVT and still have the 98's computer. Large problem.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

Crap...I was hoping it was a just leave it unplugged thing and it would "revert" to stock exhaust timing.

I don't know what happens if you 'unplug it', never tried that. All I know is that the computer goes nuts and the engine runs terrible - that could be a combination of the ECU and the VVT trying to control timing.

If you remove the VVT and the cam sprocket, replaced by the sprocket from the 98, that 'might' work. I don't know if the cam lobes are machined differently between the years.

Finding an automotive engineer or technical mechanic is in the works.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

FYI, this is more for the general forum than a specific respondent.

Ok, at this point the research is inconclusive on some points and definitive on others:

Just capping or unplugging the VVT is an option but it will adjust cam timing randomly. Will NOT normally throw codes on the Motronic 4.3/4.4 but is a performance issue.

Bolting up the 1998 sprocket should work but we may have a cam seal issue.

Best answer is a custom machined hub for the 1999 VVT sprocket (separate from the VVT hub) as the 1999 seal that comes in timing belt kits will fit fine.

All sensors fit.

Intake manifold "should" mate up.

Distributor to cam interface might require a hole drilled for the rotor (I am not understanding this part yet).

I am not just doing this so I do not have to pull a second motor (which is a serious issue) but everything about the 1999 motor screams clean, well cared for. Pulled the exhaust manifold today and the exhaust valves are as clean as the intake, PCV ports are perfect, timing belt was in time and even the motor and tranny mounts were like new (so must have been replaced).

The 98 and prior 5 cyl intake cams have 3 holes to hold the rotor in place. The cam covers also had 3 holes for the distributor cap.

The cam sprockets do not touch anything except the end of the cam, so the cam seals should be just fine. So long as the 3 holes for the sprocket are still in the proper place, should be.

Of course, the 1998 ECU never heard of VVT, so there can be no error code if the sprocket moves a few degrees. You are correct about performance.

I wonder if the intake and exhaust cams can be moved from the 1998 to the 1999 engine??? The cam covers should be the same in that regard. That would save a lot of machine work.

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Keeping it running is better than buying new

Cams and cam covers are different, sadly, to allow for the flow of the oil to and from the phaser.

The head/cam cover has the holes for the distributor but I have seen the back ends of the cams only in pictures they are the same (long slot slightly off center and a notch at 90 degrees'ish) but tear in more Sunday the cam sensor apparently fits fine.

Right now, no confirmed machine work but likely something for the dizzy rotor. If the cam seal does nothing in regards to the sprocket, the only concern is stock timing.

I found this interesting note:

"Re +99' motor swap, it can be done without a whole lot of work, basically the ignition cam end on the new motor must be drilled to accept the distributor shaft, it's already threaded just needs to be widened out a mm or so to recieve it. VVt can be left unplugged and use the mechanical intake manifold. done. easy peasy."
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

Yeah, a few disagreements on that approach but it is the fallback position. I have a buddy that does occasional fabrication for our race team that told be just to bring the VVT sprocket and mechanism plus the non-VVT variant and he would make up a hub for the VVT sprocket if needed. The advantage of this is that the VVT cam at "rest" is retarded an additional 2 degrees and this would allow me to rotate it basically half a tooth to correct for that.

This has been an interesting learning experience. I will probably have the confidence (if not the interest) to won an 850/V70 NA manual by the time I am done. I have been racing FWD cars for a few years now so a bit of my anti-FWD bias is wearing down but I would miss doing 4-wheel power slides on snow tires in the 940 or 240 on my way to work in winter.

This thread is getting interesting...

http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?169436-NJGB-s-1998-V70-AWD-Project-Good-Grief-Needs-Headgasket-and-More/page3

Starting at post #104, he decides to forgo the 1998 engine and goes to a 1999 or later engine. Keeping the intake manifold from the 1998 because of the ETM and other junk.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

So general rebuild parts questions assuming this is going to used for the next 50-75K miles:

Unless there is a better/equal option I assume Volvo head gasket
I have always had luck with the Contitech seals...still a good option
Same on timing belt and whatever idler and tensioner come in the kit
Water pump?
Rear main?
Valve stem seals?
Anaerobic Sealant?
Head bolts?

Likely going to ordering from multiple sources to either get what I want or the price I want so not particular loyalty there.

Edit: And with no timing cover, where do I find the engine serial number to know if I have 6 or 7mm valves?

Volvo head gasket, water pump, and head bolts. The Contitec belts are just fine. Whatever for the non critical parts. Rear main seal and tranny seal, your call, but OEM fits.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

Parts on the way. Disassembling the head tomorrow for the machine shop. What do you think the odds are it is flat? On a B21/23/230 I would bet you c-note it is.

Unless the engine severely overheated, the odds are 99/100 it will be flat. The B series engines were never that good.

Have fun!
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

And you were right, Klaus. Machine shop was incredulous (they do a lot of VW dealer work and lots of old school American V8 stuff)...head was dead flat. He touched up the seats, ran the plug holes and hot tanked it and the cam cover.

After much fiddly work got all the exhaust valves in but was so annoyed by the end I did not get back to the intake. The wells are so deep and cam bearings so intrusive I finally started using a little axle grease on the inside of the keeper piece one, sticking it place then rotating it around before slipping on the second keeper half. I am sure there is a better way but I could not figure it out.

Intake valves go in Saturday or Sunday but I have a personal project that has me less than motivated...this followed me home this weekend and we will begin the transformation into a 24 hours of LeMons endurance racer by mid month.

Never go the image linking right before so bare with me...

Actually a Jim Perry picture...
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

LeMons is a bit different...but we do have a P1800 but it got mixed up in in a K-wall...

http://forums.24hoursoflemons.com/viewtopic.php?id=28029

Head is finally apart and looks really good except for excessive deposits on the exhaust valves which surely have compromised the bottom of the guides. Doubt it is an actual issue but won't know until it is hot tanked. Decided to just have the cam cover done as well.

Interestingly I found no instance of the aerobic sealer outside of something orange around a few bolt holes.

Also of note, even with a fairly high end valve spring compressor, I had to use the minimum "swing" of about 1/4" to break the keepers loose from the retainers. I then went back around with about a 3/4" compressor to pull the keepers.

I don't think I have ever had that problem. Did you whack the head of the valve to pop the keepers out of the retainers ? Or am I missing the oint entirely ?

Greg

No, just the initial "pop" with the spring compressor to break the keeper taper to retainer interface. I then go back the the same compressor dialed to a normal (about 3/4") throw that allows the removal of the keepers. After I figured it out it did not take that much longer but still minorly annoying.

Finally got through a lot of it. Now I am confused about the front motor mount part. I will grab that when I am grabbing the cam sprocket.

I tear into the motor later this morning.

Top end is torn down and 99% good news. Two issues that might not be real issues:

Intake cam has what appears to be old surface rust between the two lobes on cylinder 1 (assuming they are numbered from the "front" to the back) while all other areas have normal oil or varnish.

Slightly uneven carbon deposits on the exhaust valves with shiny bits in the carbon on cylinder 2.

I am assuming the first one is likely condensation. In my experience the second can only be detonation or foreign object ingestion, but I am open to suggestions.

Head gasket was Volvo. Timing belt was Volvo. Water pump was perfect as were both the idler and tensioner.

Another unexpected set of findings:

Tiny bit of what looks all the world like orange RTV on the cam cover bolt holes (both cover and head).

6-point "standard" head bolts for the head bolts.

What type of keeper is used on the valve spring retainers? The stem seals do need replaced and want to make sure I have everything.

I started on it tonight but looks like most of what I need for final modification. Sadly, the month closing at work has driven me to heavy drinking so further reading is unlikely.

Thanks again Klaus. I am a research guy so this is my bag. I can redneck my way through it but the coolant port (as one example) would have stumped me for a while.

Did a bit more research and have a couple more things to check on my end. The claims are that the intake cam end is the same so the distributor drive will work.

The less complete claim is that the pulley from a non-VVT exhaust cam will bolt right on. Only one person is claiming that. Either way, I got myself into something more involved that I had planned.

Thanks for the input. The last time I considered the a FWD Volvo, yours were most of posts I read for education.

I will say, the needless complexity of the few of the things make me glad I did not buy one. I can, with enough instruction, refresh about any motor and rebuild most. Some are better and some are worse but all are mechanical systems assembled by humans (or the machines they program). This is a really looking like an 8 out of 10 due to things like:

Cam cover as cam bearings
Weird fasteners
Angle torque not matching bolt diameter
Gaskets made from fluids (pet-peeve more than difficulty)

Other things I have not found will continue to frustrate me I am sure, but this is not what taught me to love Volvo. Not saying any of this is inherently bad because it is where the industry has gone..just annoying.

If it is any consolation, BMW Vanos motors are much more frustrating. Conversely, Saab motors of the same era (pre-ecotech) start to remind me of the old Volvo red block.

Steps off soapbox...

I forgot to mention, don't touch the knock sensors unless you really have to.

Volvo's first intro to the aluminum block was a disaster. The V6, god awful, and the straight 6 wasn't much better. Who knew that the wrong kind of antifreeze would lead to pin holes through the metal?? Plus, the cooling systems were not up to par.

I agree with the liquid gasket junk, why? It just leads to complexity that isn't needed.

The cam journals, bearings, are quite good until the engine over heats and warps the cover. Then a new head is required - a guy in New Zealand found out the hard way.

But, when you take the head off a 5 cyl, you will realize that the machined grooves in the cylinder liners are still there! The crank bearings only begin to wear if the oil pressure gets too low. Very few ring failures have been brought to our attention.

The heads also do not tend to warp even after 200K miles. Head gasket failures are more common than I would like, but I also attribute that to incorrect use of cheap antifreeze and a lot of 'cold' running with regular gas.

I also like the very old Volvos, pre fuel injection. They require more maintenance than the new engines, most shops don't even know what a carburator is much less what it does. Timeing??? A choke? Only 4 fuses?
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

Hey, Klaus, could you elaborate on "wrong kind of antifreeze would lead to pin holes through the metal?" Was there something unusual about the early white blocks, or is this still an issue (especially thinking about coolant contamination of the transmission fluid). Does that mean I should go to Volvo for antifreeze, even though our water is pristine? Yikes!

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-- '96 850T at about 230K, 2005 XC70 at 96K; gone but not forgotten '97 850T5, '83 244 DL, '81 245 and '64 Amazon

I was referring to the 960 blocks, the wrong kind of antifreeze created acid that actually was known to eat through the block.

The substitute for the Volvo antifreeze is Zerex G-05 Formula (Phosphate Free) and a gallon of distilled water.

Tranny fluid only gets contaminated when the pipes in the radiator corrode and leak.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

Like the red blocks, the bottom end of the engines are very strong and will run a long time with proper maintenance. It is most likely fine.

Unlike the red blocks, the valve seals can wear out with high mileage. My 249k 850 has just started to burn some oil. Not bad, about a quart every 2000 miles. Make sure the valves are good.

If they leak, the usual places include the PCV/breather and the rear camshaft seal. I've never heard/read about the crank seal leaking...

Surprisingly he opted for the most basic of refreshes so I am likely just inspecting the bearings, replacing the head gasket and all the seals that come with a timing kit (including the water pump and idler). I am hoping the head is flat enough not to have resurfaced but won't know until I get in there.

I did tell him to inspect his existing PCV system as now would be the time to replace it. I also urged him to get a new crank sensor and consider new knock sensors as they do not come with a junkyard long block and I know they can be finicky if removed.

Yeah, I figured the valve guide seals where an issue since every head gasket kit includes them. I gave my idiot friend there version of freshening up this motor:

Head gasket and seals, check the bearings and new timing set...epect to burn some oil

All of the above plus bearings, valve stem seals and front crank seal

Full disassembley of both head and engine, machine of both for true flat, hot tank, re-hone, fresh rings and everything listed above.

As I mentioned, he is an idiot but I was clear that I thought the first option was the most reasonable. I expect he will pick the second thought I believe it overkill.

So not advice on the oil pump or pump pick-up...which normally makes them an unlikely cause of failure.

Glad I`m not your friend being described constantly as an "idiot" Is he really that bad??

Mechanically, yes. You know that relative, friend, co-worker that should only own new cars and specifically ones with oil monitors and TPMS because otherwise they would not check their oil or would drive with a totally flat tire while complaining about the ride...that is him.

Maybe a better frame of reference, he owns and loves a Fiero. His greatest automotive regret is selling his Aztek.

In all other ways, great friend and co-worker (when our paths cross). That said, he did get us detained and almost arrested by the Iraqis at Baghdad airport in 2011 because he was pissed off about the constant bumps to our flight to Erbil and spit on the feet (ultimate insult) of the airport manager.

Your automotive reference & especially, Aztek........OK, I get it!

what a wealth of information although most all of it way over my head, mech. ability is not my field. But very great to read just the same Thank Everybody for posting to BB. Still have my '90 745T and the '98 V70 awd, benefited a lot from esp. Claus several years ago and value everything here