Well i'm not about to do this in my appt complex so i'm going to take it in. I need my exhaust manifold gaskets replaced (the number 1 cylinder gasket is breached). I assume all 4 should be done while in there. Also i want the spark plugs changed out as well since i dont think they've been done in some time (and they were hard as hell to turn even a bit on my own).

Any thoughts on what how much an indie volvo/import mechanic should charge for this, in terms of hours or dollars. At least the parts cost is minimal in relation to everything. I assume all the exhaust manifold studs should be replaced at the same time, right?

Thanks

Ex.mfd studs, if the nuts come off OK, can be retained. I'd say about .5 to 1 for the ex.gskt (yes, all have to be changed), about .25 for the plugs. Plugs are a couple of bucks each, ex.gskt should be under $10. Round it up and say 1 hour of labor and $20 of parts non-guarantueed (ie. you'll be charged more if there turn out to be unexpected problems), or 2 hours and $40 in parts for a hard quote.

Bram

Cool, whats worst case scenario...a bolt or two break off, how much time does that take to fix in addition to the original estimate? Anyone know what a good local labor rate is in Indiana....specifically Bloomington...there has to be a lot of import mechanics since i see a ton of Volvo's around campus

Turbo or non-turbo? If it's a non-turbo you should have a bit of an easier time getting some wiggle room with the exhaust manifold. If it's a turbo, you also have to remove some $$$$ studs to move the exhaust manifold. I found it impossible to put new exhaust manifold gaskets on with the head in place and the manifold all bolted up. I'd say give about an hour plus parts (you want to replace the 8 lock nuts as well, and possibly the studs). Worst case something breaks off or gets stripped and you've got to repair it. If that happens (somewhat likely that you'll break or stuff up a stud) it can probably be repaired head-in-place (which shouldn't cost too much). If something really goes wrong, you'd have to pull the head (which could theoretically add 4+ hours of labor).

Spark plugs are cheap and easy, should only take ten to fifteen minutes to do. Expect a shop to charge you for more than that tho, maybe half an hour. Worst case you strip the spark plug thread and need a heli-coil or something (again, this can probably be done head-in-place).

As for labor rates, I'll take a wild ass guess and say $60-$100 is an acceptable rate, depending on the cost of living for your area.

I'd say spray the spark plugs liberally with a decent penetrating lube (like P'Blaster) whether or not you change them yourself. Ideally you'd go out and buy a torque wrench ($20 - Craftsman beam type 5-65lb-ft or so, 3/8" drive), 3/8" drive ratchet ($12), appropriate spark plug socket ($6 - Craftsman 3/8" drive u-jointed socket), the spark plugs ($2/ea - NGK BPR7ES) and change the plugs yourself. Torque to about 15Nm (IIRC). You should not be able to remove a spark plug by hand.

- alex

'85 244 Turbo
'84 245 Turbo

One of those Volvos running (mostly to texas roadhouse and applebees) around the Indiana U campus is my niece's 740 wagon that I maintain religiously.

Sort of curious myself what kind of garages are available over there, as thi is her first year. I understand that the Volvo-only garage just went out of business after 25 years (owner passed away?) not sure of the location, but they were selling stuff on ebay.

The funny thing is that I almost bought her a 1991 240 off of ebay this weekend, but wasn't sure I could find a quick buyer for her 1988 740. Turns out all the girls in her dorm (honors)love her wagon and two want to buy it - go figure?

Actually, I have changed the exhaust manifold gaskets myself and it was not too bad - but I never broke a stud! I give free Volvo advice to any IU or Miami U. (my alma mater) students or grads! LOL

Bob Weber
48 Volvos since 1979
Hamilton, Ohio

Well i just went to some shops and they're all raping me on the price.....I mean they were talking about 80 dollars in gaskets alone....i just started laughing. And none of them sounded like they really know what they were doing.....and they all know the one shop closed when the owner died.

But on a plus side i found the best/cheapest muffler place ever (in case your daughter ever needs regular exhaust work done. They are replacing everything from the cat back for 120$ including tax...thats doing both mufflers and the pipes from the cat back.....not bad in my opinion (using non volvo mufflers) but do i really care?

Sorry, not familiar with the Bloomington area, so I can't help you there with either question.

Worst case could be a stud or two breaking off, fixing that could potentially take almost none to a lot of work depending on how it breaks off. Other problems could be a warped or cracked manifold (which would not, BTW, be covered even under a hard quote), bolts being unexpectedly tight, plug threads needing to be cleaned or retapped (or worst case, helicoiled, again not covered even under a hard quote).

Having worked on and parted out quite a few of these, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If the mechanic is careful and knows what he's doing stuff breaking off is fairly unlikely on an 940. Maybe a stud or two will come out of the head with the nut rather than the nut coming off, in which case it's usually a good idea to replace the stud, that kind of thing.

Hey, even though I'm not a shop (yet) I do some maintenance for others, and if they ask for a hard quote (ie. I _will_ perform the work for no more than that price) I usually tend to add a generous margin for unexpected problems. Which by the way is exactly what a shop does. Hence the two numbers. Lets face it: If all the nuts are good that manifold will be off in minutes. If all the nuts (nominally needing a 13mm socket) are corroded and start rounding off the moment you touch them with a spanner or socket, it can be a much longer struggle to get everything off intact, plus new nuts and possibly studs added to the req'd parts list. Especially the front two nuts (subject not only to heat but also to every type of liquid thrown up from the road) can be corroded down to having to hammer a 1/2", 12mm or even 7/16" impact socket on to them to get some grip.

Bram

Thanks for the honestly. Time to let the fingers do the walking. I assume they'll want me to buy their parts. Do you know what size the fittings are on the radiator for the tranny cooler? I'm going to put a stand alone cooler since the plastic ones scare me to death.

This is a 240, for which parts are easily available. Assume they want to buy their own parts. That way they deal with parts from a known supplier (in case of problems that is much easier), and can put the "list" price on the bill, while wholesale is about 30-50% lower (at least around here. I get about 30% on all parts, and I know the larger shops can get 50% on some high-turnover stuff like brakes, ignition parts and exhausts). Anyway, discuss that with your mechanic.

Sorry, don't know the transmission cooler fitting size. Automatic 240s are rare enough around here that I haven't recently removed a rad from one.

Bram