A couple days ago, about 10 minutes into a drive around town I started to hear a clicking noise in the engine. When I pulled it over and put it in park it was idling really hard but would mellow out as I revved it. I had it at one shop where they did a compression test (30 on 1 and 2, 170 on 3 and 4) and told me it was a blown head gasket and quoted me $500 for parts and 5 hours labor. Uh. No. Towed it to a Volvo exclusive shop and they called today to tell me very matter-of-fact that I'd thrown a rod in the engine, based on the noise alone.

I've been in contact with my trusted mechanic back home (I am a grad student going to school out of state) and he is baffled and unconvinced. As I understand it, throwing a rod in 240 is extremely uncommon.

My question is, what would cause a thrown rod in this car? And would this cause/these causes have had an warning indicators?

my mechanic came down to Eugene and he did all the work in my driveway- auto shop #1 was correct, it was indeed a blown head gasket between 1 and 2.

Still glad I went through the process I did though. It's nice to have some insight on a couple shops in town. And I'm happy to have a running car again.

blown head gasket with maybe the start of some slight piston slap?

Thanks for the input so far, everyone.

The oil level is normal and has always been maintained and changed regularly. Never ever had the oil light come on. I've treated and maintained the car normally.

I was curious about the blown head gasket myself because it sounded reasonable, but I'm not very comfortable having it at a shop that told me flat out they "don't do much work on older Volvos." Their quote seemed too low, not too high. I just don't really believe that a shop that doesn't work with Volvos could get in and out in five hours. But again, a thrown rod seems highly unlikely based on the facts.

This Volvo-only shop seemed very intent on proving the previous shop wrong about the blown head gasket and were very definitive about the fact that the engine is shot and I either need to start over with a new car or replace the engine. When I asked about cause they said it would be because I was either driving without oil or maybe because the oil pump failed, and we know the former isn't true. But the whole thing is rubbing me the wrong way.

I heard again from the Volvo shop today with their used engine quote ($550) and when I told them that I was really skeptical of the possibility of a thrown rod they began to back pedal but assured me that "there is something knocking around in the engine". ... We butted heads on the phone a bit (I really don't like it when people cut me off mid-sentence) and I asked if they would do a compression test so I can assure that the numbers are the same. He also told me that he checked my oil and that it was apparently over-full "by a quart" which is certainly substantial although I'm not familiar with the problems that would cause.

I found yet another shop that does a lot of 240 work that sounded promising but my beloved mechanic from Seattle is strongly considering making a house call down here this weekend as he is really intrigued by the situation (and has done nearly all of the work on my car since I've owned it). Either way I'm towing it again because I'm still not comfortable with where it's at currently.

So you're in Eugene and are from Seattle? There are some very good shops in OR, but I don't know them offhand. I can find out.

"Overfull by a quart" The only reason for that is too much gas, from bad injectors etc, or coolant,from a bad head gasket; these could have thinned the oil so much that the bearings weren't lubed properly, thus the bad rod.
So checking the overfull oil for gas or coolant would be wise IMO. The compression test shows a bad head gasket, at least. A coolant system pressure test could be helpful here. Is there anything in the coolant tank? Any smell?
If these are the case then a new/used motor is not a bad idea.

Hi mollytatertot,

Can you tow back home and have your mechanic look at it? I know it's silly question.

One of my friend had very bad accessory bushings causing knocking sound. The alternator pulley was hitting the lock nut. Her mechanic wasn't able to find it but he took about $1000 from her in the process. I know that this may not the case but I hope you can find someone you can trust.

Try this web site to find your new mechanic. Good luck.

http://www.cartalk.com/mechanics-files/search?city=eugene&state=OR&radius[search_units]=mile&radius[postal_code]=&radius[search_distance]=10&keyword=&field_makes_tid=All

I'm leery about the shop that says they "don't work much on older Volvos" -- if it's a small shop and they're all young, they may not have even seen a red-block. Not a good sign.

On the other hand, the Volvo-only shop is clearly trying to sell you a rebuilt engine (or worse, a unreconditioned, used engine that they've just pulled out of another car). They don't even want to do the $500 worth of work needed to change your head gasket. This shop is an even worse horn (of your dilemma).

Keep looking for another shop.
Best of luck.

I'd take it back to shop A that said headgasket... ask them about the rod bearing thing. I expect they'll quickly debunk that theory.

Then give 'em the head gasket job. Under all the fuel injection stuff, there resides what is basically a tractor engine. It should not be a problem for any competent mechanic.

--
-Matt I ♥ my ♂

I'd take it back to shop A that said headgasket... ask them about the rod bearing thing. I expect they'll quickly debunk that theory.

Then give 'em the head gasket job. Under all the fuel injection stuff, there resides what is basically a tractor engine. It should not be a problem for any competent mechanic.

--
-Matt I ♥ my ♂

We'll give teh 'Volvo only' shop benefit of doubt and assume they made a simple mistake, albeit a really ignorant mistake to make.

The bad running, the course of events that led up to the issue, and the compression results totally scream bad head gasket.

I expect you're looking at $100 in parts, and quite a good bit of labor time. $500 is totally reasonable, and totally worth it if the car is otherwise in good order.

Of course, as others have said, we're assuming you're not out of oil and that you were not driving in an abnormally abusive manner.

--
-Matt I ♥ my ♂

the compression results would strongly suggest a bad head gasket sealing ring/s around cylinders 1 and 2.

the price quoted is NOT and unreasonable price for a quality mechanic to perform the job.

as for throwing a rod!

if you don't race it, redline it hot or cold throwing a rod on that engine is pretty close to impossible.

you have not mentioned the oil level in the engine. are we to presume you have not now or in the past run this engine with little or no oil in it for any length of time?

I have seen a few red blocks that had thrown a rod. In every case it was due to a lack of oil and was the #1 cylinder and resulted in a hole in the block on the l/s down low. The $500 quoted by the first shop for the head gasket was reasonable--cheap in fact for my area with typical $90-$125/hour labor rates.
If a rod was thrown - that piston will not be going up and down - remove the spark plugs and use a thin screwdriver or stiff wire to feel if the pistons move while you crank the motor by hand from the front pulley.
If by "thrown rod" they mean a severe crankshaft knock the oil light will likely remain on--or at least take many moments before it goes out when starting the motor. -- Dave

Check this forum's search feature (little wagon at extreme upper right) -- I doubt you'll find a single reported case.

What would cause a thrown rod? Have you put a supercharger or turbocharger on the engine? Have you reved it to redline when starting it up on a cold morning? Have you poured some liquid into the cylinders (it's called hydrolock)?

If you've treated your car normally, you haven't thrown a rod. The blown head gasket, however, is a definite possibility -- it happens often, I'm afraid. But it's eminently fixable, and therefore much more preferable to a thrown rod which would probably mean that you have to trash your engine (and maybe the car if it's old).