Spring is in the air, and I am again trying to puzzle out how to get the "fresh air vent" working on my 2001 v70.

This should be simple:
Turn off A/C (no green light, orange light instead)
Turn off Recirculation (no orange light)
Turn off "Auto" Climate control (no green light)
Turn on whatever duct openings one wants, with an orange light for each (windscreen, face, feet)
Turn temperature ***** to coldest setting (just to be sure)

So why is the air that comes out hotter than the air that would come in the windows? Should I expect ANY fresh air at all, or must one run the A/C to get anything other than pre-heated air?

Is there a possible stuck "barn door" ductwork diverter?
I have no complaints about climate control from VIDA diagnostics

Any hints or speculation on this would be welcome - I am baffled!
My 1982 240DL would happily blow nice fresh air in my face my simply running the fan (with heat off and A/C off).

 

Have you cleaned or replaced the cabin air filter?

 

Yes, cabin filter replaced.

 

I have the same issue I think, hot air comes out of the vent at any time it feels like it wants to. Usually on the hottest day of the year, and cold air comes in when it is winter and I have the heat on. Stealer Ship said I had a leak in my heater core, even if I did not put coolant in ever, that was two years ago still no coolant needed. So I too need some help, I am in the process of removing the dash this weekend to see if I can figure this out.
bondoman

 

The ultimate answer here is to realize that the "climate control" system on a P2 Volvo does not draw a whole lot of air in from the outside world.

Starting from the cabin filter (behind the glovebox), one has a length of ductwork that runs to the base of the windshield. This air is heated by the hot engine and hood before it gets to the duct intake.

So, if one's A/C compressor is not up to snuff, one will not enjoy a cool car, even when at highway speeds, which would be expected to supply large amounts of fresh air for the air intake. But this air is slipstreaming over the windshield, as a P2 Volvo is NOT a brick, so what little goes into the duct is blown in only in amounts allowed by Mr. Venturi and Mr. Bernoulli.

Perhaps a small flap sticking up from the rearmost lip of the vent would capture more air, but this would be a kludge.

 

I am correct in my theory, that in my case the heat/cool control was not working correctly. I opened the under side of the dash, driver side, passenger side, and the glove box housing and door. I now could see the heat/cool controllers, started the car, and operated the control. The passenger side opened and closed with the temperature setting and stayed in place where it was set. The drivers side moved with the temperature dial, but, would not stay where you set it. It was hunting for place to set, when I touched the *** the controller started to hunt again. This explains why it would just go where it wanted to go, most likely from bumps in the road. So how do you fix this? I suspected this was what was wrong sometime ago and I purchased a used AC/heater panel assembly from a salvage yard $20.00. You can not use the one from the salvage yard because the fool thing is program to the car. Call the Stealer Ship and you will find out a used one can not be reprogrammed. A new panel is $800.00 no thank you. So the fix is to disassemble the used panel (practice, there are three of these controllers inside the panel all have the same part number on them) and remove the heat/cool temperature soldered to the circuit board. Then do the same to the one in your car and remove the bad heat/cool temperature controller and replace with the other heat/cool temperature controller. This worked just liked I hoped it would and the car now functions correctly. P.S. I used the temperature controller from the passenger side of the used part, as I am sure it does not get the use the drivers side does.

 

The air is drawn from the large pressurized area at the base of the windshield, not from the engine compartment. The seal between the hood and engine compartment prevents most engine-compartment air to be sucked in through the fresh-air intake.
This pressurized area is why there are (were) cowl induction intakes.