FIRST: Thank you "Aye Roll" and others who advised me on my engine problems. I saved a ton of money, thanks to troubleshooting and repair steps found here! (Cylinder head resurfaced, new thermostat, water pump, head gasket + misc gaskets + seals, NGK plugs, voltage regulator, Boge shocks, turbo 23/21-mm swaybars.)

Last weekend, my 240 overheated (cracked thermostat, stuck in closed position) and blew the cylinder head gasket. I went to the BrickBoard for expert advice, took my time, ordered parts online (www.importec.com), and followed the manual carefully. With a few squirts of PBlaster, all the exhaust manifold bolts came off easily! I tore the engine apart on Wednesday, and dropped the cylinder head off at a machine shop for pressure testing and resurfacing. I picked it up on Thursday morning, and had everything reassembled and running by the afternoon. The engine started on the first try!!!

NEW PROBLEMS: Now that the engine has been run for a few hours, I see a few new problems. It has trouble cold starting, and needs to be given gas to keep from dying in the first 20-30 seconds. Also, it now has an extremely rough idle.

Why doesn't the engine run perfectly smooth? My thoughts are:
- Manifold Vacuum Leak - retorque the intake and/or exhaust manifold bolts;
- Cylinder Head Leak - open the cover and retorque the cylinder head bolts;
- Timing Off - check/reset the engine timing to 12-degrees BTDC.

Is there anything else I have overlooked? Thanks again for your help fixing my Brick Oven!

[[ southern fried volvo - '91 240 132k mi ]]