I'm fairly confortable doing breaks, tune-ups and what-not, even willing to do a timing belt myself. However, my water pump recently froze, threw the timing belt and the local Volvo shop says 99.9% sure the valves are bent, even though they didn't open it up to check. They want $3200+ to fix it. Am I crazy to think I might be able to do this myself? I have the time and are not in desprate need of using the car. My other questions would be, is it worth attempting and is there a comprehensive parts list so I can judge the cost of parts. And, would I need any special tools to do the job at home? Any advice would be deeply appreciated.

Bret in TN

P.S. my other option would be to part it out here or on eBay. Crazy?

Some of your valves are bent, I'm 100% sure of that.

Before going any further, what is the car milleage?
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Jack

I read that Volvo offers a replacement head intact for these engines, and is not offering individual parts such as valves, guides, etc. that would be needed for a rebuild.

If true, it might be reasonable to purchase and install the head yourself. Perhaps the shop can give you a detailed breakdown of the parts and labor costs.

However if an engine needs valve/head work due to a problem like leaking valve guides, though, rather than a catastrophic incident, then there's no special risk that the bottom end of the engine has damage beyond wear-and-tear. Since you did have such an incident, the advice of replacing the engine (or the car) might be best overall.

Did the pump quit while driving at speed or when trying to start up? I would think the impact and damage would be much less if it occurred while starting the engine.

Better off (and cheaper, even if you do it yourself) buying a new engine from my reading of several different forums dealing with the same issue.
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1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.

Go to the local Volvo dismantler, and find a engine with low miles. Have your trusted indie mechanic install it, and you are good to go. This is what I did for my father's 850, after he put 340k on the original engine. I found an engine with 60k for $750. I then bought all the necessary parts(which I can enumerate if you wish) to give the car a complete tune-up, and the car is running like a dream. I think with parts(including the engine) and labour, the total was around $2,000. I hope that this helps. Have a splendid evening :)