Arg! Timing Belt Failure

Did not need that!

Wifes 98 Volvo V70 decided to snap or strip its timing belt the other night. It's an interference engine, with Volvo complexity and engineering. Oh happy happy joy joy! Just what I want on the cold dark days of December.

Trying to decide if I should even bother to try, or just replace the car. 230k on it now, though it otherwise has run just fine.

This is at least the 2nd time this car has had a timing belt failure. When I got it (168k miles) it had just had the head redone due to a failed belt.

Ugh. Unless it's a creampuff, I'd probably punt. Personally, I don't have time for that E36 M3, especially around Christmas, so 5 $100 bills toward a new car would sound way more appealing than hours pulling the head, dropping it and some $100 bills off at the machine shop, scraping old crusty headgasket off the block, throwing more money at a belt kit, spitting and cursing buttoning it all up....

...only to end up with a $1,000 volvo. But that's me.

agreed with poopshovel. with headwork and new valves, even DIY that's a $1000 repair by the time it's full of fresh fluids and gaskets.

Given the 230K, the overall value of the car, I'd just part/scrap it for an additional $500+, take the $1K saved from not doing the repair, and go buy something else if you have the means.

That said, you're not going to buy a substantial replacement for a V70 for $1500, so if you can't stomach new payments or more cash, that might lean me towards the fix it category if the rest of the vehicle is well maintained.

Sorry about your luck.

Replace.
Maybe replace with same. Harvest the best parts off yours for the replacement such as take your tires if yours are good and then scrap Old Volvo but first take off some good parts to sell for profit.
Samples:
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/3410736231.html#.UMdh86wSRH0
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/3438740315.html#.UMdg36wSRH0
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/3433955457.html#.UMdhfawSRH0
If done right, you could have less than $1k in net expenses.

Yea, I'm pretty inclined to say to heck with it. It's a lot of work just to find out how badly damaged things are in that engine.

I know she'll want to stay Volvo. I'm going to see if I can talk her into perhaps a Subaru. Something with relatively low miles. I'm getting rather tired of spending time and money keeping older bombs going. Rather waste my time and money on other things that are more fun.

Luckily, we've got three road worthy vehicles, so she's driving the truck until I find a replacement car for her wagon.

what colour and what state... if you decide to part it. I have wanted to "update" a few things on my 850 to S/V70 standards

It's a black GLT in Maryland.

you have my attention if you decide to part it.

punt... definitely punt... send it to the yard where all FWD Volvos belong...

If it has a cargo cover, I'd be interested in it for Robyn's wagon.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/200x-classifieds/brick-wagon-cheap/57972/page1/

Ian F wrote: punt... definitely punt... send it to the yard where all FWD Volvos belong...

So mean .. my poor little 850 sniffles inconsolably.

Did one throught the shop last month. 20 valves, 10 guides, OE gaskets and timing components, $3200 out the door.

I don't know how people can afford to pay me sometimes.

How many miles were on the belt that failed? 60k? What is the service interval for those cars?

I believe the service interval is 70k so the belt did go early. That's too bad. Maybe they did something wrong when they did the job the last time. Or lied about how recent it had been - maybe it had been 20k+ miles previously.

Streetwiseguy wrote: Did one throught the shop last month. 20 valves, 10 guides, OE gaskets and timing components, $3200 out the door. I don't know how people can afford to pay me sometimes.

GULP. Ouch! Thank God for people with more money than sense!

dculberson wrote: So mean .. my poor little 850 sniffles inconsolably.

You'd be mean too if your 850 had given you as much grief as ours has.

Right next to my E30...

Ian F wrote:

dculberson wrote: So mean .. my poor little 850 sniffles inconsolably.

You'd be mean too if your 850 had given you as much grief as ours has. Right next to my E30...

Believe me, I relate. I have a major love/hate relationship with this car. It's been great to me lately though, knock on plastic wood.

I had bought one that jumped the belt s70 only bent 2 intake valves. I put new ones in, lapped them in, and reassembled and drove it ran great.

Chances are the belt diodn't fail, the tensioner did. The belts in that vintage are generally good for 100 k.

Well, whatever failed, the camshafts aren't spinning, which isn't a good thing. And the job is horrible to fix. Heck, it's horrible just to disassemble enough to figure out how bad the damage is.

The more I read of the Subaru's, the more I'm liking them.

well.. let me know if you decide to part... I will get a list of parts for you:)

I will keep you in mind.

I swear, I've got backwards control of the car markets. Now that I'm thinking Subaru, I can't find them for all the cheap V70's in the way.

foxtrapper wrote: I will keep you in mind. I swear, I've got backwards control of the car markets. Now that I'm thinking Subaru, I can't find them for all the cheap V70's in the way.

Maybe there's a reason for that?

Let me know if the car has a cargo cover and you'll part with it.

Late to the party, but I agree with poop.

I do not have a cargo cover, sorry.