Replacing engine on 1999 S80

Discussion in 'Volvo S80' started by Jim Burke, Nov 19, 2003.

  1. Jim Burke

    Jim Burke Guest

    I need some advice, please. I have a 1999 S80 with 96,000 miles on it. The
    check engine light has been on for about a month. The car runs fine, but
    when I went to have the annual emissions test performed to register it,
    obviously, it failed. The failure code is random misfire. As I said, the
    car runs fine.

    According to the dealership, there are 2 cylinders that are not holding
    pressure. They say that this can't be repaired, but that the engine has to
    be replaced. Their quoted price was $10,000.

    1) Do you think there would be harm in driving as-is?
    2) Does this sound right, that it can't be repaired, only replaced?
    3) Does this price ($10,000) seem outrageous to replace with a REBUILT
    engine?

    All advice is appreciated.

    --
    Jim Burke


    Scrappin' since 2/1/03
    Pages done: 13

    To reply: remove REMOVE
     
    Jim Burke, Nov 19, 2003
    #1
  2. Jim Burke

    Mike F Guest

    Second opinion time.

    If there's a compression problem, first it has to be determined what's
    causing it. It could be something simple like a head gasket failure
    between adjacent cylinders, and the fix may only involve head removal,
    surfacing and reassembly.
    $10,000 is probably about right for an exchange engine from Volvo. I
    certainly hope you don't need anything that drastic at such a low
    mileage.

    As far as harming anything, if your engine is already scrap (as they
    think it is), how much worse could it get??
     
    Mike F, Nov 19, 2003
    #2
  3. I would look around for salvage S80s or engines on ebay. I would also take
    it to several places and play dumb and see what they tell you, for the heck
    of it.
     
    Jeff Lesperance, Nov 20, 2003
    #3
  4. Jim Burke

    James Sweet Guest


    Isn't this a bit drastic? Has anyone even done a leakdown test? Determine
    the cause of the fault, don't just replace the whole engine. My guess is
    it's a blown head gasket, driving it like this can wreck the block or head
    though.
     
    James Sweet, Nov 20, 2003
    #4
  5. Jim Burke

    Jim Burke Guest

    Unfortunately, I'm only going by what the dealership said right now. I am
    going to get some other opinions, but wanted to get some group feedback as
    well.
     
    Jim Burke, Nov 20, 2003
    #5
  6. Jim Burke

    James Sweet Guest

    Well if they're paying for it I'd say go for it, but if it's out of your
    pocket forget the dealer, they're only good for repairs done under warranty
    or those requiring very specialized tools.
     
    James Sweet, Nov 20, 2003
    #6
  7. Jim Burke

    John Horner Guest

    You need to find a good independent mechanic who specializes in Volvos or at
    least in European cars. Most causes of two cylinders having low
    compression can be fixed short of a complete exchange engine. If, however,
    the cause turns out to be a cracked block then you may indeed be looking at
    a new motor.

    One possible scenario is the engine may need to be partially disassembled
    just to find out what is wrong, and that could lead to several labor hours
    for what might be a pretty easy fix (headgasket) or might not be (cracked
    block).

    John
     
    John Horner, Nov 21, 2003
    #7
Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments (here). After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.