Al,

Thank you for your response. My mechanic looked at my 850 yesterday. He said where my old radiator cap split, is where they typically fail and is not an indication of excessive internal pressure. He also looked at the expansion tank, and said the “bulge” is a result of age and not a sign of excessive internal pressure. He did not think I had a blown head gasket. His recommendation: replace the expansion tank and that will be the end of your problem. I purchased a expansion tank from my local Volvo dealer and will install it today.

I lucked out on the replacement door. I found a ’96 850 sedan painted the exact same color as my car (Silver - Color Code 419). My auto body guy installed it and said it matched perfectly. If he repainted the door, the “fresh” paint would not match the rest of the color. Of course, he could try to “blend it” but it appeared the door off the “donor” ’96 850 has developed the same “patina” as my car.

Also, the while my Volvo was in the auto body shop, I asked it if it could weld the metal tab on the gas tank flap where you hang the gas cap when you are filling up the car. They said they couldn’t and I would be better served buying a used gas tank flap. That is exactly what I did. Fortunately the “donor” 850 that provided the rear passenger door for my 850 still had its gas tank flap, so I purchased it. Although I wish I hand’t destroyed my rear passenger door, it did lead me to a replacement gas tank flap.

Hugh