Follow-up post. The problem I hoped was a coil or plug turns out to be a burnt valve. My mechanic, whom I trust, tells me it's either a valve job, a new engine, or time to part it out. 2004 XC90 w/193K miles. It's a 2.5T engine. I am considering my options, including trying to, perhaps, do the valve job myself. Is it a DIY job for a person with basic skills? I have done brakes, wheel bearings/hubs, PNP switches, and other things like that. At's a good car, but I don't want to jump into a money pit. Seeking advice!

kcookvt,

I've personally replaced three heads, two on a 1998 V70, and one on a 2007 XC70.

I used:
https://www.cylinder-heads.com/

The above guys for the V70 and the price was about $500 to $600 each time.

For the XC70, I attempted to pull two valves and install two new ones that I successfully relapped, however someone convinced me to pull the rest to see if they were bent, thus other valves started leaking. I quickly abandoned this and found a wrecked 2006 S60 in the salvage yard and pulled it.

Once pulled, I checked, to the best of my ability, to see if the head was warped. It was not and it came home with me.

The casting number was not the same, but the engine was the same as mine, DOHC, DCVVT, etc.

I did an over night water leak test on the five combustion chambers, followed by a simple green bath to remove all oil, followed by one more water leak test on each combustion chamber. The head was marked usable and is now sitting on my car running very nicely.

So there you have it. I've spent between $700 to $1000 on each one of these procedures, and all have been successful.

It is not an easy job, but if you take your time, and I do mean take your time, you wind up saving a ton of money and you get your car back on the road as well. It takes me about 2 to 3 days working after work to finish one of these.

Any other question, please do not hesitate to ask.

Matt

Thanks Matt!

Robert is correct. Your XC90 is 18 years old.

Replacing a valve or four is not parts expensive. But labor can be a lot. The head needs to be removed, so you need a new head gasket, new head bolts, glue for the valve cover, probably a new stud or two for the exhaust. In my case, a box of bandages.

It is a difficult job, experienced DIY guys can do this in a couple of days. The head is usually sent to a machine shop for cleaning/refurbishing. With close to 200K miles, I would put in new valve guide/seals (20).

Cost: $800-1200 at a shop.

Engine replacement will be about the same amount of money, but a junkyard engine is no guarantee.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

If it were $800-1200, I could live with that. Do you think that's realistic? I was looking at closer to $2500, but not sure if I want to go there.

That was my labor charge, which varies depending on location. Obviously, getting a reconditioned head from a company would be ideal, for $500-600.

Keep in mind that this is not like doing brakes or suspension work. You will need a cam locking tool, $150?, a good torque wrench, a gauge for tightening down the head bolts, and a chiropractor for your back - lots of time bending over the engine bay!

Replacing the head with a "good" one requires the same labor as above, but no guarantees that the head will last another 100K miles. Plus the time to remove the head from a donor car.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

You probably have already; get the cylinder compression test readings from the mechanic. Compression test and leakdown test can tell you the condition of the cylinders, including valves, piston rings, head gasket and cylinder head. You’ll be able to make more informed decisions then, about what to do.