Either way, let us know how this turns out for you.

13 months for the belt to break? Any unusual noises during that time? What was the mileage in July 2003 when the belt was replaced?

When the block was replaced, was it replaced with a 1992 short block (same as your heads?)

As someone mentioned, the t-belts, sprockets, pulleys were changed twice since introduction in 1992. After 1995 they had a 70k mile change interval.

Was the timing belt Tensioner replaced? You don't specifically mention the tensioner being replaced and the car has 170k miles on it. They are usually replaced long before then (~140k miles on some miles).

Re: the coolant, I have the same stuff in both reservoirs og our 95 and 98 so I don't consider that abnormal unless you are consistently loosing coolant or have an overheating problem.

The car is repairable, cost depends on whether you can do the work or need someone else to do the work.

DEWFPO
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1998 S90 070,050 and 1995 964 153,010

I am really sorry to hear about your missfortune.

I purchased a 95 965 with a broken timing belt. Removing the head revealed that all the valves were bent, the head cracked and a couple of pistons questionable. I swapping the engine out with a low mileage engine from 96 964. The engine cost $1,500 USD. I am afraid to speculate on the cost to have someone do the swap for you. (I enjoy this kinda work - after a difficult day with computers, its nice be able to work with something tanglable. Even so, this has been a lot of work.) That said, once I replaced the seals and the timing belt & related idler pulleys and engine mounts I was up to $2,000 USD. That is with me doing all the work.

HTH,

Dan
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I am sure the car is reparable, the question is, is it worth it? As for why the damage occured, you might want go back to the last shop that put the timing belt on and see if they are willing to own up to their responsibility. The timing belt should not have slipped and caused the damage that it did if it was serviced in July this year. You are probably looking at a 2-3000 dollar job to fix that motor. I find it hard to believe that there could be any other cause than a botched up repair job. Whether they own up to it is another story. If they warrantied their work, that would be a big plus in your column.

These are very nice cars, but they are not problem free and I think most of the people here who have nothing but nice things to say about them either do most of the work themselves or have found a good indy volvo mechanic that they trust to do the work they cannot. I am definately in that category. I also think that you have to be sensitive to what is happening with the car and catch little problems before they become big ones. Folks that don't like the car have had problems and I think dealt with the dealers mostly and were disappointed.

The issue with the crap in the coolant is a telltale that there was something happening with that engine and that something needed to be done. Same goes for the noise from the timing belt before it went south. You took it to a dealer and they F***ed you over with their "NO Problemo" attitude and I think this last shop did you no favors either. My car is on 175K on the original engine and it runs as smooth as it did when new. I keep after it and the volvo dealer hasnt touched it in a few years now. What work I can't do is done by a good volvo shop next town over that I trust completely.

My advice to you (its worth what you are paying for it...) is to get really involved with the maintenance of this car or get something japanese that wont need nearly as much TLC. If you can get the last place that worked on it to cover the repair costs then you are way ahead. This board is an excellent resource to bounce potential problems off people who have been involved with these cars for awhile, before those problems become major headaches. Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.
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97 S90 with 175K miles still going strong

Wow that is very weird to have a T belt go that quickly. Did the serpentine belt also break along with the timing belt? What year was the engine that was installed. Volvo changed the timing belt design every year from 92-95. The timing gear between short block and the head might not have been compatible if they were different years. I am very sorry to hear about all the head ache. I think you might be a good candidate for a V8 swap at this point. Check out http://www.converseengineering.com Maybe that will catch your attention.