Hi,
I'm wondering if anyone can steer me in the right direction on this..
I have an 850T wagon ('95) and last year the a/c stopped working. I took it to an a/c guy who said it was more involved than just replenishing the freon...(which I thought was the solution) but I can't remember exactly what he wanted to do.
I didn't do the repair at the time because it was expensive, and summer was almost over. Now I'd like to see if I can repair it myself, if possible.

When I turn on the a/c at coldest setting, the air blows really strongly thru the vents, but it's not cold, and there is NO sound of an additional motor (compressor?) turning on (which there used to be..).
Is reshiming the compressor a possible solution, or does it sound like the compressor is burned out? Any way I could test that out?

Thanks for any help!

 

I have had to shim all of mine. Its an easy thing to do and you can check that one off the list.

 

Thanks for the info. Was your compressor not working at all, or did this help it run better...?
I'm concerned that mine doesn't come on at all (but maybe that's why I need to shim it?).
Alan.

 

A simple test is to bypass the pressure sensor to see if the compressor kicks on - there's a pressure sensor on the tubing up near the firewall where you can unplug and jumper the connector. If you get the compressor to kick on, you know its good and you then then consider testing pressure. The issue with the shims is the clutch gap on the compressor goes out of spec and as a result slips/overheats and triggers a shut off. There are some write ups of temporary shims (including using bread bag clips!) you can research. If the pressure reads low you can refill on your own - just use the kit with a pressure gauge and the oil/freon mix. I didn't have any luck with shims on mine so I wound up replacing with a rebuilt compressor - did all the o rings and the orifice tube etc (a PITA but I wanted it done right). The two most common points of AC problems on the 850s are the compressor clutch and the evaporator inside the dash. Evaporator replacements are a major hassle - like 10 hours labor to tear apart the dash...so if you are losing freon, best to figure out where/why and how fast. If you can get through the summer on a can of Freon you can push off what could be a very expensive fix.

 

 

 

Thanks...I'm going to work on this at the weekend and I'll report back on my progress...!
Alan.

 

Well...didn't go quite as planned!
I wanted to add some R134a to the system since the compressor wasn't coming on, but for some reason the can I got (id Q Ez Chill R-134a) with a built in gauge / hose didn't seal properly on the valve and the refrigerant just sprayed out everywhere!
Was this a bad can or does Volvo have a special attachment?
Any ideas on what went wrong here?

Thanks!
Alan.

 

make sure you tapped the correct AC port. Sounds like you just didn't get a good connection onto the fill port. I've used kits from Walmart on my 850 in the past with no issues, but I know some kits can be a bit cheap with their fittings. once you attach correctly you should see some pressure on the gauge - kind of like filling a tire. keep the can upside down when filling since you want the liquid to push in. The can will get cold too...

 

Hmm. Maybe I need to try a new can; sounds like I got a bad connection on the one I got.
(Anyway, just snowed here today so I'll wait for it to warm up a bit before trying again!)
Thanks!
Alan.