I know I asked this once before, and I know that the a/c design on this car is pretty bad. So I kind of want to make this thread multi-purposed....

How do I know if I need a freon recharge?
How do I know if my compressor is bad?
How do I know if my evaporator is bad?

My a/c does not blow cold air at all. I've realized how bad it sucks, because once the black leather's been soaking up the sun, it is hot!

 

Good evening Jimmy,

1-How do I know if I need a freon recharge?
a) The air coming out of the ventsis not cold enough.
b) The compressor keeps turning on & off.
c) Connect a recharge kit that has an in-line pressure gauge and check pressure on the low side.
*The correct system pressure is between 25-33 PSI.

2-How do I know if my compressor is bad?
It would keep turning on & off, even when the system has correct amount of R134a (Hydrofluorocarbon).

3-How do I know if my evaporator is bad?
The system keeps leaking R134a and cannot hold charge.

The evaporator & ABS module on 850 are guaranteed to fail.

If you don't have a recharge kit, buy one at an auto parts store. Make sure to get one for R134a, NOT R-12, though most likely you'll get an R134a kit, as R-12 has become obsolete. If possible, buy a kit that has long hose or the one that has in-line gauge. I bought one that had pressure gauge right on top of the bottle, which prevented easy attachment of the hose, as the gauge kept getting in the way.


JPN

The 1st pic is the one I'd recommend, and 2nd is the one I bought, which is the one I would stay away from. Make sure to read the back of the package to make sure that the R134a bottle contains PAG (compressor) oil in it (most do).

http://automotive.hardwarestore.com/...it-105036.aspx
http://www.google.co.jp/search?hl=ja...rge+kit&lr=

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/4989E0BDB66448DAA61779ABF52176A2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/190163B93CAC439998556B4A20B8DE4F.jpg[/IMG]

 

^Great info. So I just need to get the freon recharged and go from there.

 

Exactly. The low side port should be clearly marked; it is close from the ECU box, about in the middle between the ECU box & the radiator. It is like a tire valve and has a plastic cap on it. The longer the hose on the recharge kit, the easier it is to service. I would wear eye protection just in case. You don't want your eyes to get frost-bitten. Many R134a bottles need to be shaken right before you trigger it to mix R134a & the PAG oil, but while triggering, do not shake the bottle. Refer to the directions on the kit.


JPN

 

I think I'm just going to have the mechanic do it for me.

I'm leaking oil, and I wanna get that checked...

 

I was reluctant to do it myselff too, but I did and it was easy and worked. The A/C worked for about a week after I charged it and then quite again. I then sepent $1300 having the evaporator replaced. Now my son in law and daughter just bought a 95 850 Trubo wagon and it needs and evaporator. Has 136K on it, it's in very good shape and they got it for $3,000. Son in law is a mechanic, but not that familiar with Volvo's, but will be soon. He and I, along with Tech's instructions, are going to do the evaporator ourselves. He just ordered it from fgcpgroton.

 

^Whoa! I just checked the FCP groton prices and it's

$375 for a compresser with a clutch.
$295 for a compresser without.
$139 for the evap..

Very spendy..Would definetely be more worth it to install yourself....That's like a $1200 labor bill when you did it!!

Edit: I posted this in another thread, but if you have the time, if you could take pics to accompany Tech's instructions, that'd be great!

 

I need to find pictures to do it. I think either mathewsvolvo or volvospeed have pictures. I plan to have printouts of all three instractions when we do it. I was afraid to try it myself last year, so I was just going to drive w/o A/C, then it got real hot and I wanted it done now. The guy actually did my 94 a few years ago, so he was familiar. I think he said it took him the better part of a day to do it, and he does not work an eight hour day. He works out of his house. I asked if he would do one for another guy and he said it would be $200 more than he charged me. I think the dealer was getting $1600 at the time. I'll let you know how it goes, but not real sure about taking pictures. Probably take a few at various steps, but not a blow by blow.

 

^Yeah, I wouldn't need pictures of you unscrewing stuff and whatever, just things like the general area of different parts and whatever.

If you can't get your hands on a digi-cam, don't wory about it.

Edit: But it seems like it'd be a pain to install...
I sure hope my evap is ok lol.

 

It does look like a pain.! I read the directions once and decided to pay somebody else to do it.

 

lol. I just noticed that Tech actually has some pics up. I just read over the first couple paragraphs, and I stopped because it seemed too intimidating lol.

Edit: When you recharge the freon, do you need to drain the old Freon?

 

Draining (releasing) R134a is not necessary and is illegal; it has to be recovered with a special equipment. You simply add more R134a until the pressure gauge reads specified pressure.

I wouldn't recommend replacing the evaporator yourself; you have to remove much of the dash and if you do not have knowledge/experience with A/C system, it is possibly dangerous. The system must be empty of R134a before you can disconnect anything along the system.

Try following the A/C line in the engine bay to see if you can spot an oil leak. If not, the evaporator is probably shot. You may or may not need a new/rebuilt compressor; it may only need re-shimming as Tech has pinned an instruction.


JPN

 

Jim, and update to your project?

I got the a/c recharged today...Looks like it's leaking.......
It'd be nice if perhaps I could hold charge just for a summer.

My mechanic actually had a tool that could check for leaks, and there was something leaking out the inside vents...
From what I've read, I guess this is most likely the evap...

Evap looks to be a total PITA job. [:'(][:'(]

 

I have to charge my AC. Just to make sure I'm getting the low side, its right under the connectors/LED/button for the diagnostics that are used to reset the engine maintenance light, right?

 

^Yep.

There is a hose that needs to be disconnected. It's right down there. You can get it off using your hands. No tools needed.

 

Arg......I think my evap is gone.

My charge isn't holding and the air isn't as cold.....
When I'm running my a/c, I hear a dripping sound once in a while, and it's whistling. Does that sound like evap problem?

Jim, any update to the install?

 

My AC was acting up last summer. It would cycle on and off. I thought something was wrong with it but I decided to just out more freon in it, which fixed the problem. It works perfectly now.

 

↑Good for you, you're really lucky that the evaporator is still ok.

Someday when the evaporator decides to quit, you may want to go with aftermarket unit rather than genuine Volvo; genuine unit seems to be of defective design.

Have a "cool" summer,


JPN

 

Bump.

Today I had my windows open and my air on, and I realized there is a clicking sound. There is a click, and then in another couple seconds another click.

Does this mean that in addition to my Evap, my compressor is also bad?

 

Not necessarily... if you are losing your charge, you will hear that "on" and "off" clicking as the system tries to pump the pressure. Eventually over time as it continues to run without enough pressure you can damage it. Here's a tool that may help you monitor your system's pressure. It'll tell you whether the charge is too low, and if you choose to recharge it again, you canmonitor the rate that it drops. A few people out there have nursed an A/C system for some time by recharging it a little more often than they should...

http://cgi.ebay.ca/R134A-Auto-Air-Co...QQcmdZViewItem

... it's just a thought...