I just looked at a nice 91 740 non-turbo, 150,000 miles. Excellent service records. Interior in very nice shape, no cracks or broken bits. Exterior very good. Drives very nicely. Asking price $1400 US. Several people were lined up to look at it after me so I gave the seller a $100 deposit, and deal will close later this week. Things that he indicated need to be done to the car: front disks, and exhaust system (including cat. converter). Will need emissions testing.

The mechanic that has worked on this car for several years recently pointed out to the seller what looks like a coolant leak on the front right part of the block. The water pump was replaced 20,000 miles ago, but when I looked at it, the leak didn't seem to come from there, more from the head gasket area, and the block is wet beneath it.

I like the car it's in very nice shape, and want to buy it, but now I'm seriously concerned about the coolant leak. I have read some posts about it, and it doesn't sound like a cheap fix (head gasket - if indeed it's the head gasket's that leaking).

I will call the mechanic tomorrow to get his opinion.

Should I back out of this deal? Or take a chance and move forward to closure?

My ’85 740 had me concerned about a possible blown head gasket. The car has 460k so I didn’t think it was too unreasonable. When I spoke to my Volvo mechanic (owns his own repair shop and is very experienced with Volvos) he said it is highly unlikely it’s a blown head gasket and the only time he’s seen one with this problem was because the motor overheated.

By the way, turns out it wasn’t the head gasket, just a minor problem and she’s runin’ great again.
--
Michael - Melbourne, Fla 1985 740 460k, 1988 780 Coupe V6 190k, 1992 745 200k

Just to close the loop on this one, in case anyone read and was interested: after speaking to the seller's mechanic, who confirmed that the car had developed a head gasket coolant leak, which would require at least $1000 to repair (involves resurfacing the head), I decided to pass on the deal and request my deposit back. I had hoped the leak may have been from the water pump gasket, but the mechanic also concluded it came from the head gasket, which is not good. If I was a younger man, I might have offered to buy the car for a much reduced price and taken care of the head gasket etc. myself, but with passing years, my leisure time has taken on greater importance, and wrenching on stuff like this is not as satisfying as it once was...

Bottom line: if you're looking at a used Volvo and see traces of coolant coming out of the head gasket, be wary, be VERY wary... I had always heard that B230F's were indestructible engines, but this goes to show that even an apparently well-maintained car (this one saw annual tranny flushes etc.) can develop a serious problem from wear and tear. Caveat emptor indeed!

The head gasket change is not a $1000.00 repair except at a Volvo shop. It is highly improbable that the head needed resurfacing for a gasket leak to the outside, considering that the escaping coolant will not score the head surface. Of the three that I have removed due to a blow out in between the cylinders, none of those needed surfacing. I think you missed a deal.

Regards,
--
Will Dallas, www.willdallas.us, www.willdallas.org, www.willdallas.com, www.dallasprecision.com 86 245 DL 222K miles, 93 940 260K miles, 88 765 GLE 152K miles, 88 780 246K miles

Been mulling this over, and if the seller is willing to reduce the price to reflect the headgasket replacement costs, I may buy it, park it for the winter, and fix it in the Spring. We'll see... Thanks for the thoughts/advice.

p.s. I have read that a way to check severity/impact of headgasket leak is to (1) check coolant overflow bottle for oil, and (2) drain some oil from sump and check for coolant. From what I read, (2) is more serious, because if oil is contaminated with coolant and engine is driven too long, reduced lubricity of the oil can damage bearings, reducing oil pressure, and eventually wrecking the engine. Relatively easy checks to make.

If it were me, I'd have taken that chance.

I did a head gasket job on my 1990 740gl last weekend. The head was warped but I did some shade tree machining with sandpaper and a flat block. Also replaced only those gaskets that were easy to get to and were included in the set. Should I have done a more thorough job on the valves? Maybe. But all-in-all it turned out real well and it was very easy in my opinion. It can be done in one day with good preparation.

I had been driving it with a gasket leak for a few months. All the experts advised me to stop tempting fate and park it until ready to do the job. But what is a guy to do when its his only car? I'm too cheap to get a rental while in the shop too.

The cost was suggested by an indie garage that the owner has been getting service from for years. That included machining I suppose. The mechanic said he would never replace the gasket without getting the head resurfaced. You may be right, who knows. As far as missing a deal, I had thought of offering the seller a discounted offer, but the car has other issues (needs complete exhaust and cat, front discs, and some minor quirks), and I have a running 240 wagon. If mine was dying I might have been willing to take it on, but with winter around the corner (up in Canada here) I wasn't too keen on acquiring a "project" car and have it sit in the driveway under a pile of snow. I have the knowhow and tools to replace a headgasket, but no longer the time nor gumption for that kind of wrenching. I figured I have the luxury of time to wait for a nicer specimen, in top shape. Maybe even a 940, who knows. Thanks

You should come to the South for clean bodies. A B230F can be had anywhere and will run forever, but no rust coachwork is only found down here. The car pictured was my first Volvo for $500.00 with original paint and body. I bought 6 for $800.00 and kept an 88 765 that has become the daily driver.

Regards,
--
Will Dallas, www.willdallas.us, www.willdallas.org, www.willdallas.com, www.dallasprecision.com 86 245 DL 222K miles, 93 940 260K miles, 88 765 GLE 152K miles, 88 780 246K miles

Yeah, you guys down South certainly have that advantage over us northerners, when it comes to rust-free coachwork!!!! :-)
I did manage to buy a Mercedes-Benz 240D sedan that had originated in Arizona and is one of my prized possessions: I don't drive it in the winter and it is virtually rust-free, original paint. As many people have said, it's a lot easier to sort out mechanical issues than to deal with and repair a rusty body and/or undercarriage...
Cheers!

Just to play devils advocate, are you sure it was coolant not oil? I ask as my 92 940 had what appeared to be a leak at the head on the right side by cylinder #2 and going back towards rear of engine. Turns out it was just the clogged breather box blowing oil. Once it gets along the ridge where the head meets lower end it just kinda runs along it. I changed the breather and cleaned everything up and lo and behold no more "head gasket" leak. And BTW in the stack of reciepts was also a local Indy garage that had also diag'd the leak as such, but at least they suggested "no repair at this time".
Matt

Well, the block was wet on the right front, below the head, and there was greenish color evident. The guy's mechanic was quite sure it was a head gasket leak, and it sure looked like that to me. I suppose strange things happen in this world, and mechanics can occasionally be wrong, but this did not look promising. No point taking a chance on this. I mean, it WAS a very nice 740 wagon, but not pristine. THere have been and will be others. Just a week ago, there was one advertised locally: 89 740 wagon, dealer maintained, only 60,000 miles. I called the next morning and, of course, it was already sold... One reason I'm considering a 740 or 940 wagon, is that I own a 92 240 wagon that's accumulating mileage and wear and tear, so I figured I would look for something a little less mileage, more creature comforts, working AC. This 740 had all that, if not for the head gasket issue... Now I think I'll get my mechanic to do a good mechanical assessment of my 240 wagon and see if I can't get another year (or two) out of it. Sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don't... ;-)

These motors are indestructible, as long as you do not overheat them. change the oil and coolant at regular intervals

The seller let me look at the receipts and records of this 740, and they were extensive. Evidently, it had seen good and regular maintenance for the last 10 years (oil changes, transmission oil changes, etc.). Come to think of it, what I didn't notice in there were coolant changes. The other thing is: the water pump was replaced 20,000 kms ago, so perhaps the water pump had been failing or did fail, possibly resulting in engine overheating which, some time later, resulted in the head gasket failure? Hard to say, but a real shame, the rest of the vehicle being so good (mind you it needed a new exhaust system and had a few slight quirks)... Good thing the head gasket issue surfaced BEFORE he sold the car, and not a couple of weeks after - now that would have been a bummer for the buyer (which could have been me!)

I paid $200 for a 89 745,,runs just great,,I overheated it last winter on a real cold dasy,didn't realize that the thermostat seemd to be stuck&i left it running to go eat breakfast.
I came out&the pointer was up in the red range!!!!!,,,drove it to get the air moving over the radiator&cool it down,I drained the antifreeze out flushed it thoroughly&put in a can of block sealant&then refilled w/water.
ran it for 15 min.shut it down.let it cool for an hr.
ran it for 30 min. shut it down for an hr.&then ran it for I think an hr.&then let it cool.
drained it&completely flushed it&then refilled it w/fresh antifreeze&water pump lube.
has been running great now for a year.no compression leaks.

I paid $200 for a 89 745,,runs just great,,I overheated it last winter on a real cold dasy,didn't realize that the thermostat seemd to be stuck&i left it running to go eat breakfast.
I came out&the pointer was up in the red range!!!!!,,,drove it to get the air moving over the radiator&cool it down,I drained the antifreeze out flushed it thoroughly&put in a can of block sealant&then refilled w/water.
ran it for 15 min.shut it down.let it cool for an hr.
ran it for 30 min. shut it down for an hr.&then ran it for I think an hr.&then let it cool.
drained it&completely flushed it&then refilled it w/fresh antifreeze&water pump lube.
has been running great now for a year.no compression leaks.

SOunds like you got a heck of a deal. Up here where I live, safety inspections and emissions testing preclude acquiring beaters worth a few hundred (unless one is willing to spend the time and money to bring them up to snuff to pass inspections for licencing). It's different in other places. Sounds like you had a good approach to deal with the overheating issue. However I've read in many places that sealants of any kinds introduced into the cooling system are not always a good thing... Glad it's worked for you.