head gasket

[3ccc's]

i have a head gasket leak.my motor is a kamd44. a cerified volvo shop gave me a ballpark price of 2500$ to fix.i know if that is his ballpark number i'll be paying probably 1000$ more.my question is has anyone tried those coolant leak stoppers,sounds to good to be true.80$ permenant fix is what they advertise.what is the over all opinion.

[jawz12]

i have a head gasket leak.my motor is a kamd44. a cerified volvo shop gave me a ballpark price of 2500$ to fix.i know if that is his ballpark number i'll be paying probably 1000$ more.my question is has anyone tried those coolant leak stoppers,sounds to good to be true.80$ permenant fix is what they advertise.what is the over all opinion.

in a word...NO ! these products should not be on the market...ever hear of a free lunch ??? honestly,do you really think there's a product that can repair this ?? ask yourself the same question about diet pills and pills to regrow your hair-you know the answer...

[3ccc's]

yea i know,i felt alittle stupid typing it.3 weeks before christmas, the wife doesn't want to hear about a couple thousand dollar boat repair.does the price sound right to you

[Capt.Troy Crane]

3 ccc's

I feel your pain...........just replaced one on my B- series Cummins two weeks ago but not for that much. It's been my experience from listening to others that Volvos aren't cheap to work on.

As for the leak stop..........I agree, not fond of it but I do know two seperate cases where guys used it and it worked.

I for one, just have a problem putting a patch on something unless I am in the ocean and need to get home

Good luck,
Troy

[seapower]

You need to pull the head to find out why it is leaking in the first place. They leak for a number of reason's, you have to fix the problem. Make sure the head gasket that goes back on is the lastest version for that model and SERIAL number. Yes I know it may sound expensive but the alternative is way higher. Leaking head gaskets only get worse, there is no band-aid. Ask your Volvo tech about re-torqeing your head after you run it for a period of time (valves wil have to be re-set aswell). This is a very commonly overlooked. If this is recommended for this engine and it is not done, it will come back to bite you later, I promise. You might ask if the estimate includes having your head serviced. May not be a bad idea to have your injectors serviced also. Anything done properly now will save you money and aggrevation later. Frank,SeaPower

[seapower]

I believe you said earlier that these were 2000 yr model engines. How many hours on them? I put on an earlier post about using "Volvo" coolant, USE IT!!! I know it's way more expensive than brand X but it works in Volvo engines. I had a line of boats that came from the builder with another type coolant in them. I told the builder he was asking for trouble, he didn't (wouldn't) listen. Guess what every one leaked somewhere, head gasket, tubo joint,pump seals or all of the above. After proper repairs were made and the system's were flushed, 50/50 mix Volvo coolant was put in. End of problems.If you have Volvo's get used to high dollar parts, they're painted green for a reason. But on the serious side if you adhere to proper maintainence schedule and proceedures you generally make out pretty good. Frank,SeaPower

[hubris 1]

when i had the 3116 cats in my blackfin i had the same issue. only i didnt know it. BAM! the gasket leaked sending coolant into the #6 cylinder. bent the valve, but it made it home. anyway, joe baker toke it apart with me in cape may and the gasket didnt just fail but there was a small amount of pitting in the top of the block. one thing worked against another, compromising the gasket after 1100 hours and the gasket failed. but the root cause of it was more than a gasket failure. caterpillar told me it wasnt really worth fixing, buy a new short block. well by the time i did all that, it was cheaper to buy two new 3126 cats. so it really is more than just "gasket failure" you need to know what is going on. unless you dont really care and want to blow them up. but the fuse is lit now, fire away!

[3ccc's]

been on the phone alot today with volvo mechanic. he told me that when volvo increased the horse power from the 43p(235hp)to the 44p(260hp)they didn't change the gasket andit pretty comon problem.now volvo has since went to a differant gasket and torque procedure.i just hope when the head comes off there isn't any other damage.i had the boat exactly 1 year ago,at the time of the purchase i had volvo survey the motor and got a clean bill of health.i only put 60hrs on the engine this season.the coolant lose didn't happen start to happen untill the end of august.i check all the fluids every time i start the engine.it wasn't a slow leak,one trip every thing was fine the next outing no coolant.the motor still seems to run perfect.i have a friend who works on john deere tractor motors, i'm going to have him look at it first,it will only cost me a steak dinner.i'll keep you posted.thanks ,oh buy the way these head gaskets really blow.

[hubris 1]

cat does the same thing. new head gasket every time you turn around. Its a big job to get the head off too but, its the only way. Another thing to think about, expansion bottles. they tell a story. If they dont react as expected to, believe me....something is wrong. If you see fuel in them, something is wrong. Every picture tells a story. Thats why art is so important. With out art, life is meaningless.......with out life, art is meaningless......Thats the Ethos of life.

[seapower]

Volvo coolant, Volvo coolant, Volvo coolant!!! After your repair, run, flush and yes Volvo coolant. Do the torque procedure as stated with your new head gasket set. They used to send a new procedure sheet with the new gasket set. If it calls for a re-torque after so many hours, do it (valve set will have to be done again at this time). Be careful Volvo uses some practices that "generic" mechanic's may not be aware of. These newer diesels are not old Chevy 350's. Engines are made to be run, it does one no good to sit. Gaskets and seals dry out, rust starts etc... Frank,Seapower