Not sure what this means but its happening to my volvo. Does anyone know what is broken if something is, or what I need to do?

 

Umm... what's happening?

 

I looked in the manual and it says that if the rec and ac lights flash for
20 seconds when starting up the car it says that there is a fault detected
in the ECC system. any ideas?

 

The flashing lights do indicate a problem but there is no way to tell unless you give us more information. Are there any noticeable signs (other than the flashing lights) that the system is failing?

The year of your car is also very important. If your car is a '93 to '95 model you can read the codes from socket B-1 and it will tell you exactly what the system is unhappy about. If you car is '96 or after the codes need to be read by either a dealer or a good independent shop that has a Volvo scan tool or its equivalent.

If the system is otherwise functioning OK then chances are you have a gob of lint in one of the cabin temperature sensors and the fan is stuck. On 850's the cabin temp sensors are located above the grab bars on both the driver's side and passenger's side doors of the car.

...Lee

 

did a little more searching for the problem and Lee you were correct there was something blocking the temperature sensor on the drivers side. no more blinking lights thank you for your imput. Is this a common thing that happens to these cars?

 

Very common and easily fixed.

...Lee