I've got a B20E engine which began showing signs of a bad head gasket. After running the car for ~10 mins, coolant would appear at the head/block interface on the side of the motor a little forward of the distributor. Upon draining the oil, it was clear that coolant had entered the crankcase somehow.

So - I replaced the head-gasket, which had been done by the previous owner only ~10,000mi ago. The old head gasket showed no signs of damage.

I reassembled everything according to the manual and it seemed to go smoothly. I was optimistic at this point... However, after the first 20mins of running the car, I can see coolant appearing in the same location on the side of the engine. I haven't checked the oil for contamination yet, but I suspect I'll find the same thing as before...

During the process, I made sure to clean the head/block very well, and I followed all of the proper head-bolt tightening sequences. What I DID NOT do was to have the head checked for flatness. I guess it is possible I've got a warped head, and I wish I'd had it checked... Additionally, I did not feel confident in the alignment of the head and gasket upon reassembly. I centered everything the best I could, but I was surprised by the lack of alignment features at the block/head interface.

Given your collective volvo wisdom, can anyone shed some light on my situation? Do B20E heads commonly warp? Is misalignment of the head/gasket something that would cause my problem? Do these blocks/heads typically develop cracks that would cause my symptoms?

Any help/recommendations would be greatly appreciated - I'm a newcomer to the B20 world...


Thanks!