Just a "heads" up that I recently replaced the head on our 1997 960 with a rebuilt unit from Clearwater Cylinder Heads. I bought the head on Ebay and they shipped it to me in two days. The install went relatively smoothly and the engine is back to running like a Swiss watch. I know they seem to have hit or miss reviews, but so far so good.

The primary symptoms of head gasket failure were the cooling reservoir remaining pressurized after the engine cooled, and an external coolant leak down the side of the block under no. 5 and 6 exhaust ports. Having never done any major engine work, we debated scraping the car, but I decided to bite the bullet and attempt the repair.

I used a Victor Reinz head gasket kit from FCP that had all the seals and gaskets. Victor Reinz head bolts. I also took the opportunity to do a complete replacement of the PCV system and a few other repairs while the intake and exhaust system were removed. It took me a long time, but the repair went smoothly.

I used an ABN Volvo cam tool kit to lock the timing and draw down the cam cover. I also bought the Volvo special tool for the rear cam seal, but I didn't need to use it. I used permatex anaerobic sealant on the cam cover and it hasn't shown any signs of leaking. I used a 3/4"breaker bar with half the handle of my floor jack to break loose the head bolts as my 1/2 impact would not budge them. I used the breaker bar, cheater pipe, and a Lisle angle indicator to install the new bolts.

The head came pretty much ready to install from the shop. I oiled the valves and lifters, and applied a little additional assembly lube to bearing surfaces and lifter tops. I cleaned the sealing surfaces with brake clean and acetone. I had surprisingly little gasket material adhered to the block. What little there was I removed with a plastic scraper and razor blade.

I was thrilled when I turned the key and it fired right up. All in all, I am very pleased with this repair and although it at times seemed overwhelming, I didn't have any major issues. We will see how it holds up long term, but right now the car is running better than ever.

I would really like to thank Robert Spinner for his videos, which I studied for quite a while before attempting this job.