Hola bricksters:

My son's 83 245 is stalling, losing power and stumbling while driving. We've replaced the main fuel pump last week, ran OK for a while. Now it is spewing white smoke out the tailpipe. Runs a little better after warming up , seems to me to be a blown headgasket. Am I correct? How to tell?

The wiring harness is also suffering the common deterioation, even though I've patched up some wires. Could this be it?

Thanks in advance.

They usually dont go often unless the engine has run too hot. Check for a milky white residue on the inside of the oil cap. That isn't always a definite indication, but along with other signs, it could tell you whats going on. If you have to replace the head gasket, use only an "Elring" head set. This means going to a foriegn auto parts store or the dealer. It should run about 100-125 bucks. Dealer will be substantially more, but worth it if you cant get it anywhere else.

I would look for other problems first. Blown head gaskets are pretty rare on the 4 cylinder Volvo's. Has it been blowing white smoke long? Could be some bad gas or maybe something was put in the tank.

One more check for headgasket problems, Anti freeze in the oil. Is the dipstick milk white?

As rhaire says, if you are blowing coolant, you can smell it if you stand in the white cloud. Very distinctive odor. If you are not sure have a Peugeot owner sniff it for you.

Is your coolant level going down? If not, there are many other things that could be the cause, including wiring, O2 sensor, AMM, fuel pressure regulator and so forth. Check coolant level and what your tank contents look like.

dick

Does it smell of antifeeze at the exhaust? Any traces of oil or extreme pressure in the coolant bootle? Remove all the sparkplugs and look for one that is very different from the other three, maybe cleaner. Lastly, a compression test is in order. I would not rush to conclude it is a head gasket without some recent overheating event, although repair is only a weekend and a $100 down the drain (OK maybe $400 if the head is warped) so it is not teh end of the brick.