Head Gasket, 1992 Torslanda
 

I had an overheating problem and it was apparently caused by water entering no. 1 cylinder. The car's in for a new gasket, and they're getting the head skimmed followed by pressure test. Even then they can't guarantee the repair but it's all that can be done, the car's done around 240,000 miles, if that's relevant

I had a new thermostat last year and since then the gauge needle has been pointing higher than horizontal, is it possible that the wrong thermostat was supplied and if so might that constant running hot have contributed to gasket failure? As far as I know the thermostat was either from local Volvo dealer or reliable motor factor. Could it be that there are two possible thermostats available and the one supplied was the higher temperature one? I don't want to risk further expensive repairs, if the gasket goes again I might have to dispose of the car which would be a shame as I've spent a lot on regular maintenance over the years and it's never let me down.

Any help would be much appreciated. They expect the skimmed head to be back tomorrow then they'll finish the work.

Thermostats are generally 87 or 92 degrees:~
Not a great deal will be noticed regarding running temperature but the heater may benefit from the higher one.
Stats normally have the temp reading stamped on them so easy enough to check & remove/replace.
(A head skim is the correct procedure)

Is the radiator and engine block clear of scale or debris? they should benefit from a descent flushing out.

Central heating descaler is a very useful product here- not expensive and goes a long way as it needs diluting.
The product can be used for dissimilar metals so fine for a car.

Bring up to normal temperature and circulation- allow it to work for as long as you can before doing a final flush.
Back flushing is also beneficial particularly for a radiator.
Good Luck.
Bob.

Break in the head gasket will explain the overheating / water loss issue.

Tstats come in 92 for non turbo and 87 for turbo models. Provided the gauge is sitting in the normal position (little below the red) then there is nothing to worry about

Provided the work is done correctly there is no reason for the gasket to fail again. To have done 240k is very good going

Garage sent the head to local engineers for skimming and they were told it wouldn't be worth doing, so I agreed to a complete overhaul, nearly £500! It took ages so without the car for a few weeks, during one of which I was unwell and in no fit state to drive anyway. With the reconditioned head fitted the car is transformed, more power (though at slightly higher revs) and much improved fuel consumption - as I quipped to friends recently, if I live for another thirty years the saving on fuel might compensate for the cost of repair! It really is much nicer to drive, quieter too, so over all very pleased even if my bank balance has suffered mightily.

My original question about the thermostat has sort-of been answered; I think they must have refitted the old one, which was fairly new anyway, but the gauge stays fractionally above horizontal almost constantly, it had fluctuated quite a lot previously so I guess the gasket had been causing trouble for quite a while.

I don't know if I was sensible to spend so much on a car which has covered 240,000 miles but for what I might have sold it for as a non-runner I couldn't have hoped to have bought anything useful so I bit the bullet! As my wise old Dad used to say, 'Better the devil you know!'

I now have to sort out a few niggles which I shall ask about on the forum in due course.

Great, good to hear it’s back on the road and noticeably improved… my dad had the same approach as you to maintaining the family 240, which is why it got to 320k on the original engine and gearbox (which were working fine when I removed them to make way for a turbo engine). It also had a fairly expensive cylinder head overhaul once.

Cheers

Thanks for words of encouragement!

I don't think mine is likely to get above 300,000 in my ownership, but I'd like to eventually be able to sell it as a well-maintained example with a few miles still in it. I need to start getting the little niggles sorted out, I like it when things work properly (engineer father, you see).

Glad you have it sorted. I would not worry about 240,000 miles being too low to be worth spending on and being reliable.

Cars under 100,000 miles are a worry as they suffer from not having had the use needed