Our upstate NY summers are pretty comfortable, but I had my (non working) AC system looked at yesterday when I got my state inspection. They said there was NO refrigerant in there. And because of that it's likely a really expensive repair. Any thoughts on this?

I'm kinda used to no AC- last 3 cars had non functioning AC. But I can dream can't I? Oh- it's a 95 850 wagon with 200k. Thanks, Dave

 

You really don't need the AC unless it voids you from being in compliance with your state inspections.

Some of the guys on VS have done an AC delete and there running just fine.
I'll be doing the same thing when I have the free time to pull the entire AC system out of the car.

 

Every car I have purchased from up north had broken ac. I would not recommend removing the stuff.

 

Just out of curiosity, why not?

 

If you ever want it (or someone that has the car after you), it would be a real pain to add it.

It gets 115 degrees here. I had to get every ac working.

 

How expensive it is to repair and get functional depends totally on what it is that's wrong. It might just be a small leak at an O ring and a new O ring and a recharge would get it up and running. It might be a trashed out compressor and it would be big bucks to get one, get it installed and recharge the system. If you want to know you pretty much need to pump some freon in and see if you can hear or see a leak. If you do try to pressurize it use freon with a dye in it so if you can't hear it you can take a black light and find a slower leak. One fifteen dollar can and you'd be closer to finding out how expensive it would be to fix. One can will not get the system operating but it will help you find out where you are leaking.
Or you can just go without, your choice.

 

Took me about 15 minutes to remove condensor, AC lines (all of them in the bay) and the accumulator.

If you don't want those things, it won't take anymore time to put them back in.

Take the car somewhere and have them put in some dye and test it to see if it's leaking. If it's not leaking anywhere, just might need a recharge. My evaporator leaks which is behind the dash, therefore, removing the AC was easier than removing/replacing the dash.

 

Its not uncommon to lose the freon over time. You have a 17 year old car. How long ago did it work? If it never worked, as Gabe said, it just may need to be charged and will last you many more years.

Your A/C system is used for more than just cooling the interior. It also removes condensation from the interior....fog on the windshield. When you put your system on Defrost the a/c compressor turns on. It pulls the moisture from the air so you do need it even though you dont need it for heat, if you get what I am saying.

The compressor pully is a light weight, free spinning pulley thats puts almost zero load on the engine(when not engaged). Its pointless to put any effort into remove the system, working or not. Your not saving gas or performance. The only reason I could see to remove your A/C is to have a clean engine bay.

 

The biggest loss is the effeciency of the window defogger setting. Without blowing dry air across the inside of the windshield, those damp evening and mornings can be tough driving.

 

I believe I just said that.

 

Original poster here. Well I've owned the car for exactly 1 year now and in the short time I've owned it AC has never worked. I've never heard the radiator fan come on either, but that's another story.

No prior history. The shop where I got my inspection (In NY, a 95 is exempt from an emissions check- bet a lot of you can't say that!) said it was totally out of refrigerant. Could it ALL just leak out over time? Dont think I want to pay to charge it up just to have it all leak out.

I like the dye idea. I've done just about every repair myself, but have never done a dye test. Is doing my own dye test on this 850 easy and safe? Dave

 

I'm with BoxPin. I forgot about how often I use it to clear my windows. It's real humid here and I use it a lot for that, especially in the winter.

You can go get a gauge and can of freon with dye and charge it yourself. If you follow the instructions on the package you'll be fine. You can fully charge the system, purchase the dye freon, get the black light test kit to track down leaks and all that will likely cost you less than $30 (unless you want to get serious and get a fair set of diy gauge).

Changes are (90%), you have a leaking evaporator. You likely have a good clutch because the system hasn't been used enough to wear that out. But a worn clutch is also likely, about a 50/50 chance.

I just helped a guy install a compressor, it took us about 1 hour and 45 minutes, first time for both of us. We pulled the radiator fan but not the dryer.

Also, my scan gauge shows that the ac compressor doesn't pull a load when not on. The load meter is at 1%. When I turn the compressor on the meter goes to 2%. My gas mileage drops about 5% with the ac on. Instead of getting 27 mpg I get 26.

 

rspi- guess to see dye leaking out of a bad evaporator I'd be taking the bottom pieces, (maybe the glove box?) off the dash and crawling up under there to have a look. evaporator is inside the car, yes? My Volvo to do list is already pretty long. This task might have to wait a while due to time and of course money. Dave

 

It can leak anywhere, hose o-ring fittings, hose permanating(sp). Dont think your going to be heading for the hardest part to find.

 

If this were my car I would pump it down and charge it. Its a $30 gamble with the result being...you have a leak or you have A/C. There is a sticker on your passenger shock tower that says how much freon to add. On an empty system I believe its 26oz.

Just as a little hope and success story. I bought two more wagons, one for the wife and one for the kids. Both A/C systems did not work. I pumped them both down. Jumped the pressure switch and charged them back up. Both cars work great.

I dont know if you caught the 'pump down' phrase. That means to evacuate the system by sucking out all the air to -29hg. You do this to get all the air and any moisture out of the system. Most of the time you will not have moisture in the system provided its never been opened. You can charge the system back up without evacuating it but it will be colder if you did. I use a Harbor Freight gauge set with an old Freezer pump.

 

The evaporator can be seen in 5 minutes. You take off the passenger side lower kick panel, then pull the resistor out of the ac housing and you can look through that hole to see the evaporator. If the evaporator leaks, no big deal. Mine leaked down a can every 45 days. That's $5 per month. I only need air 6 months out of the year so we're talking $30 per year. I'd have to service the car for 30 years to pay for a evaporator job. Most cars will leak a lot less than that.

If your car does have a cabin filter, you should change it yearly. If it doesn't have a cabin filter, get one in there. They help keep that evaporator and system clean.

 

Guess just filling it up a couple times a summer wouldnt be too bad. Maybe just get through July and August. We could have snow by October.

It does not have the cabin air filter, but that actually is on my Grand Volvo List. I bought a plastic filter frame out of a V70 at my local u pull it (couple bucks I think) to hold the filter, just havent bought the 20$ filter yet. Thought the charcoal one would be the one to get.

When installed, It looks like the filter will be touching that plastic top cover, seems like there wont be room for air to really flow. ? Does it take a different top cover if it has the filter in there? Course I really should have the filter in there b4 I make any assumptions you know. Dave

 

No, I think it sits on an angle and will let enough air in. The filter housing fits in there and should allow clearance. Not sure if all the housings are the same, I can compare my 850 with our S70 next week. I guess you can also check airflow.