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Headgasket ? help me please.

WAGONRACER said:
RIGHT just compression tested the engine (cold) and... 165 psi on every cylinder :wtf: so the head gasket must be sealed, i suspected it again due to some water being in the clean oil and steam from the exhaust + bad running. should i be suspecting a cracked head as this may not show up? or something else ? if so what
=
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Some suggestions:

All a compression test proves is that the fire rings in the headgasket have sealed.

So, chances are waterjacket is letting coolant into the exhaust, since you can reasonably assume at this point that it isn't getting .


Check the plugs. Is one of them steam cleaned? If so, you have a cylinder head crack in that cylinder.

If they are all the same - do you have a watercooled turbo?

If so, temporarily disconnect the water lines and plug them. Try it again. Watercooled center sections like to crack a dump water into the exhaust.

This should help narrow it down.

Buy a cooling system tester if you don't have one and pressurize the cooling system already.




Do you have a watercooled turbo?
 
WAGONRACER said:
Thanks nathan , no ive used the old ones the last 2 times but they all measured up ok (I borrowed a new bolt from the local accessory shop), I think this time for the sake of it its gonna be new ones though. the threads have been wire brushed and very lightly oiled both times previous.
Im about to go take the head off again Ill post my findings later hopefully, It certainly wont be going back together 2 nite thats for sure.
Anyone got a good 531 head ? LOL
Click to expand...

yeah sat on a motor i`m never going to use, no cam in it re-bult less than 1000miles~ ago no cam off a B230ET never boiled history of the car known FROM NEW, also still got them M90 parts if you still need them

just as a side note you didnt use your B200 head on the B230 did you?:-P
 
I was going to question whether a B200 530 is definitely the same as a B230 one. I wouldn't normally dare to question the walking encyclopedia that is Mr Ravennexus, but it's niggling at me. The 16v heads are definitely different, but that doesn't mean anything re: 8vs.

Sounds like Cappy is onto something with the cooling system tester.

Edit: Good to hear from you Ozzy :)

cheers

James
 
Right . the head is off the car and the head gasket is blown, again. the headgasket is identical last time hang on ill take some pics...

02052008299.jpg

02052008300.jpg

01052008295.jpg


the brighter looking gasket is the one I removed last night, the other gasket pic shows no4 cylinder which was the worst both times, also number 3 is the best seal yet this had the cleanest plug .
the other pic shows the blow mark left on the head.
Ive examined the head and block with a microscope and there are no cracks. Ive also recleaned the block face, filled the threads full of degreasant over night and then airgunned/cleaned/tapped them all again. Ive ordered new bolts and a gasket.

These are the questions im asking myself.
could there be a problem with the dowles in the block ? allowing the head to move ?
could the heads be different ? the numbers are both 1000 530 and all measurements I can think of taking are the same.
Why did the compression test check out ok when the headgasket is clearly blown?
Why is the only cylinder not getting a steam cleaning the one with the cleanest plug ?
Ozzy how much do you want for that head? and dosent a 531 nead skimming? (ill have to do some reading, PS. ive still got the whole wentworth, I found somewhere to leave it I just havent managed to strip it yet)
Is there any thing else I should be doing ?

Glad you like the mog, dont ever buy one though.
 
If it keeps blowing at the same spot, then either the block or the head is screwed up at that point.
 
foggyjames said:
I was going to question whether a B200 530 is definitely the same as a B230 one. I wouldn't normally dare to question the walking encyclopedia that is Mr Ravennexus, but it's niggling at me. The 16v heads are definitely different, but that doesn't mean anything re: 8vs.

Sounds like Cappy is onto something with the cooling system tester.

Edit: Good to hear from you Ozzy :)

cheers

James
Click to expand...

aye well i gotta get on with things and all (oh yeah had to have a new phone, smae number just dont have any in it:-()

ravennexus said:
204 and 234 have different head codes don't they.
Click to expand...

yeah and i`m pretty sure the B200 and B230's will have due to the different bore diameter, i mean you cant run a B234F head on a B200 BUT you can run a B204GT head on a B200:roll: kinda spells it out! :lol:

WAGONRACER said:
Right . the head is off the car and the head gasket is blown, again. the headgasket is identical last time hang on ill take some pics...

02052008299.jpg

02052008300.jpg

01052008295.jpg


the brighter looking gasket is the one I removed last night, the other gasket pic shows no4 cylinder which was the worst both times, also number 3 is the best seal yet this had the cleanest plug .
the other pic shows the blow mark left on the head.
Ive examined the head and block with a microscope and there are no cracks. Ive also recleaned the block face, filled the threads full of degreasant over night and then airgunned/cleaned/tapped them all again. Ive ordered new bolts and a gasket.

These are the questions im asking myself.
could there be a problem with the dowles in the block ? allowing the head to move ?
could the heads be different ? the numbers are both 1000 530 and all measurements I can think of taking are the same.
Why did the compression test check out ok when the headgasket is clearly blown?
Why is the only cylinder not getting a steam cleaning the one with the cleanest plug ?
Ozzy how much do you want for that head? and dosent a 531 nead skimming? (ill have to do some reading, PS. ive still got the whole wentworth, I found somewhere to leave it I just havent managed to strip it yet)
Is there any thing else I should be doing ?

Glad you like the mog, dont ever buy one though.
Click to expand...

check your PM's mate ;-)
 
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ozzy said:
yeah and i`m pretty sure the B200 and B230's will have due to the different bore diameter, i mean you cant run a B234F head on a B200 BUT you can run a B204GT head on a B200:roll: kinda spells it out!
Click to expand...

no you miss understood. the b204 and B234 heads have different codes on the head, so they heads are different.

B200 and b230 don't, there both 1000530 so the heads are the same
 
nejones said:
Any news John?

Nathan
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well ive got all the bits together to do it ie head bolts, gasket . The head is clean and flat, the block is clean, I need to check it is flat though as John v said. the threads are clean I have proper lube to put on the bolts. I have new plugs , oil, filter, thermostat, rad,for when it goes back together and Ive flushed the old oil and water out. on a side note I also got another exhaust manifold welded up (cracks) and I figure I might as well fit it at the same time just gotta port it for the 15g.

tomorrow Ive got to :
check the blocks flat.
measure the head vs bolt thread vs block depth to make sure the bolts are not bottoming out for some reason.
port the manifold.
hopefully im going to find out whats going on tomorrow.

ravennexus said:
there both 1000530 ... the heads are the same
Click to expand...

They are 100% identical in everyway shape,measurement, number, water and oilway all the same.

I think the reason the 16v 2l and 2.3l heads are not the same is because of the size of the combustion chamber and basicly a 8v has a huge squish area round the edge a 16v does not.
 
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WAGONRACER said:
check the blocks flat.
measure the head vs bolt thread vs block depth to make sure the bolts are not bottoming out for some reason.
Click to expand...


Good call on the bolt length/bottoming. Never know, eh?



I think the reason the 16v 2l and 2.3l heads are not the same is because of the size of the combustion chamber and basicly a 8v has a huge squish area round the edge a 16v does not.
Click to expand...

when you move the valve off of centerline the edges of the valves are a lot closer to the cylinder wall. A 2300 head on a 2.1 block will have the valves, intake especially, ramming into the top of the block, and its hard to get air/fuel in or exhaust out when the valve don't open.
Skoootching the valve nearer centerline would work but then its 2 sets of jigs and tooling, so Volvo dropped the valve head diameter a chunk to clear..
Compare valve sizes B234 and B204.

(Some of youse wise guys oughtter know this, I'm not even a fawkin Volvo guy, just an Outside Agitator and yet even I knew that,:neener::neener::neener:)
Click to expand...
 
so you mean to the Combustion chamber in the head is the same bore on a 2.0 as it is on a 2.3?? i find that hard to beleive as that means the few mm difference in cylinder bore either the 2.3 has the head narrower than the cylinder or the 2.0 has the head wider than the cylinder,

but if so does that mean i can use a 531 on a 2.0:-P
 
im suprised no one mentioned the coolant reservoir cap if thats not releasing pressure the coolant system will build up alot of pressure that just happened on my buddies saab and he blew several things out because of it(head gasket radiator and radiator hoses) just food for thought
 
Good News

Right its up and running ok ! have had it ticking over in the garage for 3 hours no problems so far. I also checked the fault codes and it came up tempreture sensor faulty or missing so I replaced that as well. Before I put the head back on I also checked the dowels in the block and they were ever so slightly off center so i sorted that out as well. basicly I took my time and replaced/checked/measured/cleaned everything sugested , I also refitted the head with the cam removed so "IF the journals are out of alignment...then installing a head with the cam installed means that the headbolts are not just tightening down and clamping the head gasket...they are TRYING to bend the camshaft along with trying to clamp the HG"
not that they appered to be out but better safe than sorry.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment and add advice none off it was ignored I can assure you, also big thanks to 'stealthfti' who emailed me with some very good advice and suggestions .
turbobricks FTW:volvo:
 
too much for me to read, but heres my 2 bobs worth, I hear on the 351 head like I have, skimming them to much is bad, because the coolant ducts are realy large, but I dont know about the 350
 
aussyvolvo said:
too much for me to read, but heres my 2 bobs worth, I hear on the 351 head like I have, skimming them to much is bad, because the coolant ducts are realy large, but I dont know about the 350
Click to expand...

351? you mean 531 right?

all 531 and 530 heads are small coolant passage heads.
 
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