I am thinking of buying a 1988 740 turbo wagon with 130,000 miles on it for my son. The price is right, $1,200, but the owner tells me he thinks it might need a new head gasket. Can anyone give me an estimate of how much a head gasket repair job costs on one of these vehicles? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Hi Deeph8,
I bought a similar 745t last fall with a bad headgasket for $800.00 from the Special Olympics. I had the head checked, shaved, valves done and gaskey set for $370. Also did t belt, all seals, power steering pump, water pump all hoses and heater control valve, new oil separator and other misc small stuff. It is my wifes daily driver now and is a great, fun, fast car (when I get to drive it). Btw, FCP Groton supplied most of the parts very competitively priced.


Dan

p.s. recently put Amsoil Supershift into the m46 for smooth shifting....thanks Pablos

Did you do this work yourself or did a shop do it? If you did it yourself, how hard was it take out the existing head? I am a little nervous about breaking a bolt off or something on a car this old.

Hi again,
I did the disassembly and reassembly myself as well as all seals, belt,etc. in the driveway. Mr. Foster from the board recommended a machine shop here in Ma. that did the actual headwork. It went very smoothly and fairly quickly with no problems. However my 745t is in very good condition with a clean engine bay that looked as if it were very well maintained which could have been part of why it did go so smoothly.
I was very lucky with the exhaust manifold studs...all came out easily except for one which stayed in the head throughout the machining process. I was able to work the head back on with a little prying to get this one stud back through the exhaust manifold.
I wouldn't hesitate to do this job again(hopefully not on this car) if the need arose.


Dan


p.s. the head bolts were no problem at all to remove

I have an 87 740 Turbo wagon sitting in my driveway that I bought with a "bad head gasket". When we got it apart we discovered the turbo failed and cooked the head, and all of the sensors. I am about ready to junk the car. Head and turbo at a junk yard $750. It is time to cut my losses.

Good luck.

If the head gasket failed because of a loss of coolant and overheating, then you will have to ensure the head is not warped or cracked. If it is a normal failure due to turbo heat and pressure, then all you need do is replace the gasket. Tell the owner that you can replace the gasket, but what were the circumstances of failure? Probe for overheating and ask about new radiator, hoses, etc.

The seller replaced the radiator about two years ago after it failed. He said the car drives ok, but that a mechanic told him it needed a new head gasket, and he lowered the price by about $500. If it needs a new head in addition to the gasket how much do you think it would cost? I would like to buy the car and get it fixed because it is otherwise in good shape and has reasonable miles.

Boy, this sounds all too familiar....

http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=423647

I finally got all the gaskets and the head in the mail this past weekend, but haven't had time to do anything with the car. That's this weekend. Then I should have a good running brick.
--
Turbo Brick owner in training.

HOw much did the new head and gaskets cost? where did you buy them? Let me know how tough the job is. Thanks.

head was $125 and it included everything (head, cam, rockers, distributor, etc.) I bought it off e-bay. Shipping was $40 I think.

head gasket kit was $39.50 after shipping off e-bay.
timing belt kit was $51.95 after shipping off e-bay.

Search for volvo 740 in title and description. I'm sure they are up there all the time. I saw several different ones when I was looking.

Other than that, here's a few shops I was told about or found searching...
http://www.autohausaz.com/
http://eeuroparts.com/
damn, thought I had more. Have to look on another machine I guess. But those were the big ones I decided to bookmark.

Anyway, I didn't look prices up before I bought, so they may be cheaper elsewhere. Good luck if you decide to get it.
--
Turbo Brick owner in training.

It costs nothing if I do it myself. I'd say about 4 hours off and on. Damn that'd be a sweet deal for someone who can fix a car.

Anyways, if they say 'might be a head gasket' there is also a decent chance its a cracked head which = more money and a mechanic won't know the problem until the head is already off the car which = money spent. IF no other problems beyond a gasket or a head (buy a good used head from a junkyard if possible), you've got a good deal. I'd definitely buy it. Can't tell you a price on the job though since I've never had a mechanic touch my Volvos. If you want it done right...
--
Isaac Babcock - '83 245DL 'Borkie' and '83 244 turbo project

I have done a fair amount of work on my old mercedes and bmw but have no experience with volvos. Is there a book that you recommend? For example for BMWs there is the Bentley's manual which is great.

Props to you for the DIY work. There are a few manuals out there for Volvos. The bentley seems to be the best, though I don't have one. I've been using haynes for a while, though it doesn't help much in figuring out the tough problems. The head gasket job isn't nearly as intimidating as it looks. Most of the work is in removing the intake manifold. I say go for it, or better yet, teach your son a good skill. Be sure to have the head looked over for cracks from a machine shop, and if they say there are cracks, make them prove it. Good luck with the project.
--
Isaac Babcock - '83 245DL 'Borkie' and '83 244 turbo project