I let my father borrow my '89 745TIC turbo+ M46, 128K mi.
He needed to haul boxes to his storage place and he and my mom wanted to double team with his '90 745TIC 200K mi.

I asked to use his DD '87 744TIC M46 230K mi. He replied "sure, no problem!"
I asked when was the last time the oil was checked in it?
He couldn't remember, so I got a rag and checked the oil only to discover that SOMEONE put mayo in the oil pan! Or...?

His B230FT needs a headgasket. Sigh....

I have done a lot of work on this car over the years to keep her running for him but I've noticed that rust is really starting to consume the car.
I've already done repairs to both rear wheel wells and the pass frt wheel well.

It can still be stopped but with a fair amount of work needed to succeed (It doesn't help that in our are the works dept. are using salt brine on the roads.)

The engine has no piston slap or serious issues although she is due for intake gaskets, etc.

I rebuilt the entire front end about 20k miles ago. I've replaced the fuse panel. Rebuilt the entire fuel and brake systems. Many, many other things as well; too much to list.

She does need a new rear main seal, flywheel grind and clutch.

The engine has NEVER been overheated or abused. Turbo seems good although there is blow by from what I think is the CBV (from my research on the BB.)

The delemma: My father has a lot of sentiment for this car but the necs. repairs are going to cost about $500. He doesn't take care of his cars anymore (he used to) and I quite frankly getting tired of putting fires out. I'm not going to charge him for the work; that's just for the parts to do the HG, RMS, and clutch. Might as well do both at the same time and get it done.

Would I be better off pulling the engine and tranny together an servicing them outside of the car?

Or.... Should I even bother?
Opinions about continuing repairing or (Gasp!) parting out the car?

I know all about the salt monster. What I look for is if it mostly just the doors & front fenders they are cheap (wrecker etc)& fairly easily changed.
When the main frame & suspension mounts go well it's time to say goodbye.

If the car is reliable you know whatever else you get can be a real crapshoot.

Plus a turbo/stick!!!!!

Are you sure it needs a head gasket? How does it run. The turbo heads usually warp down the middle and there's no water passages in that area of the block between the cylinders. The creamy oil could be due to alot of short trips during cold weather.

The oil was like thick mayonaise and WHITE. The coolant was clean and not contaminated but below the minimum level.

I haven't done pressure or compresion tests yet but from my previous exp. I would say that the headgasket is weeping between the coolant and oil passages.

I wouldn't think twice about repairing this car if it wasn't starting to rust from the "tinworm" Mainly, I'm starting to see rust bubbles under the paint on some of the doors. Aarggh!

My father is looking to me to "save" his girl. I can and I have successfully rehabilitated other cars before but they were for me and were unique cars.

If I do the headgasket, I'm figuring we will get about another 5-7 yrs before the rust is too bad. That translate into about 60K mi. on this car.

I feel obligated to fix the car just to prove the longevity of these old bricks and they are a finite source. Once they're gone that's it.

I see way too many of these cars in the boneyard because the PO didn't want to spend the money for engine seals or suspension bushings. They just don't realize what they are throwing away.

Plus, it IS a stick Turbo!

Just out of curiosity and to understand it better because may be I also have the same issue, did you drain the oil and found that the oil is full of white cream or you just checked dip the stick and found white creamy stuff. What about the oil fill cap , was it full of mayo.
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DD-1990 240 DL SW M47II FI 3.1 234 K miles

I only checked the dipstick. I didn't check the oil filler cap or drain the oil yet. I did check the coolant and it was a nice green color; a little low. About 1 qt. low.

I only found this out last night and the consistency of the oil is horrible to say the least. It's too pasty white to be a simple problem such as short trips causing condensation in the oil. My father also lives in the country and the closest destination is 7+ miles. So I would say that short trips aren't the problem.

I'm only going on my previous experience.

I will be changing the oil tom. to make sure that if there is water in the oil; so it won't rust out the inside of the block.

I will confirm then the full condition of the engine w/ comp and leak down tests.

If there is coolant in the oil system. Should I use Seafoam or kero to cleanse the water out of the oil system before rebuilding/filling with oil?

Would I be better off pulling the engine and tranny together out of the car to do the headgasket and clutch?

My father won't let us part her out and I guess she will have to sit until I have the time to fix her; which will probably be in late spring. He will just have to use one of his other Volvos.

Why not? I resurrected an '89 Nissan Pulsar that sat for 11 years and it runs great! That is the longest sitting car I have ever worked on. I had to jack up the horn and replace the whole car! LOL

To flush the crankcase, I would use used motor oil. It sounds like you have enough cars around that you can get some. I've been through this several times, most recently on Cummins that holds 11 gallons of oil. I changed the oil in everything I had, and it was enough to use as a flush. When you are done flushing, which might take two times, replace the used oil with new.

Unless your compression/leakdown tests definitively point to the problem, I would drive the car for a bit on the new oil to see if it becomes contaminated again. That would rule out any weird anomaly that could account for coolant/water in the oil.

If there were no work needed on the trans, I would leave it in place.

Five to seven years of life doesn't sound too bad for those repairs. Of course do what you can to slow the rust.

Charley

you have already drawn it or you would not be asking out loud, cut your losses.

There are so many 700 and 900 cars around with decent bodies that it would seem to me to make more sense to start with a decent body shell. Then invest in some good qualty underbody and cavity wax and preserve it. Almost certainly less time consuming too.