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Is the volvo 2.9 I-6 a good engine ?

jv_72_jv

New member
Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Location
krum, texas
I'm looking a buying a 1992 960 with 210,000 miles and in great condition. My question is: are the 2.9 I-6 good reliable engines ?


John
 
main problem with an older 960 is that the timing belt has to be changed very frequently because this was probably the 2nd overhead cam shaft design volvo had and thus it puts a lot of pressure on the timing belt. on the early ones i heard like every 20k miles. check out this spot http://www.swedishbricks.net/700900FAQ/960-90Info1.html#960-90 Series Information

i dont know if i would buy a 92 with its original block..
 
In a nutshell, no. We recently had a Volvo tech in our shop looking at an insurance claim and came across the job I was working on. I was pulling a I6 block out the was cracked between cylinders 3 and 4. He said they have had some bad castings and he has seen it a bit. Of course there is more going on with 6 cyls instead of 4. But then I love the b230. simple.
 
I just bought a 96 960.. the engine has 66,000 miles on it, and it has terrible compression numbers. Not sure exactly why.

Some people like these engines, but I don't think anyone can disagree... they generally give ALOT more trouble then an average engine. Yes, they need to be maintained properly.. and that has alot to do with it. But still.. you find alot of 960s with bad motors, or strange cylinder head problems.

I will probably replace my engine with another I6, hopefully it'll hold out well. But even finding another one of these engines make me nervous.
 
The late ones are fine. I pulled the engine out of my scrap yard sourced V90 with 344K miles on it. The bores are unworn. Most seem to get killed by people allowing the timing belts to break.

The early versions did suffer from porous castings.
 
The early blocks are prone to leaks and cracks. I have a 97 960 with ~150k and it still runs strong. It has been taken good care of. Timing belt always changed on time and tune up stuff, etc.. The only complaint i have about the 960/s90 is that it EATS brakes like nothing.
 
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