Weak Cabin Heating
 

95 850 non turbo, even when fully warmed up and with a new coolant thermostat it just never really puts out what I'd call "good heat" I replaced the heater core about a year ago, now I dont smell coolant. Used what I thought was plenty of the sticky foam gasket stuff that came with the core. Last state inspection they told me it is getting to 194 degrees when warmed up. Measured with some infra-red electronic measurement tool. It gets warm, but not really where I think it should be. It is only 30 degrees today, in 2 months we'll be at 0! Did get the heated seats working so that helps but...?

Seems like this Swedish meatball ought to cook a little better than this. Any thoughts on where I might look? Thanks, Dave

Is it blowing lukewarm air with good force, or is it just BARELY blowing hot air?

If it's blowing strong, but the temperature is only lukewarm, is it only at idle? How about when you are driving?

The first year I had mine I thought the heater really sucked, sucked bad and especially for a vehicle designed in a northern European country that has weather similar to here (Minnesota).

Silly me. Owners should always read their owners manual to see what does what. Can't say this is your problem but mine was the dial on the dash next to the emergency flasher switch that is marked "AIRMIX" was open. If it's open at all it dilutes the heated air and makes the heater feel very wimpy. Still blows with enough force but the discharge temp is affected.

If you haven't noticed it before, now would be a good time to make sure it's closed. My feet were much happier once I closed it and my defrost actually could !! :D

heater
 

kiss- yeah that airmix thing had me going for a little while too. Why can't the heat / ventilation system on these things be simpler. It's like they have built in 5 levels of redundancy! How many combinations do we need? Suffice it to say the airmix knob is closed. An now that I fixed that little dog bone link thing, the recirc control works too. According to the manual, I've got it set for winter (orange-yellow light off). You might have colder winters than me, not sure. I'm in Syracuse, NY. Bet we get more snow!

OMG- Fan seems to blow fine, all 4 speeds at any engine speed. And I do feel heat. I've got a nice 6 little mile commute with one stop sign. My feet are usually still cold when I get to work. At lunch today I drove it about 40 miles. when I got back- same deal. Heat, but not hot. Dave

>Why can't the heat / ventilation system on these things be simpler. It's like they have built in 5 levels of redundancy! How many combinations do we need?

I assume it is a Swedish ergonomics technology.

Since your cooling system seems to be impeccable, you may want to take a look at the damper motor(ACC)/cable adjustment(MCC) for the air trimmer box (not the correct terminology); see attachment.

BTW, what type of temp control do you have; manual(MCC)/auto(ACC)? The MCC trim air box is operated by cable whereas the ACC is done by electric motor. The pic is for ACC.

P.S, I assume you have MCC as you've indicated "dog bone linkage". The cables need to be adjusted to certain specs. I also have diagram & cable adjustment images should you need them (I have to print them out and scan them to post).

JPN

I'm going to "assume" it's manual (MCC) as he's saying all four speeds compared to the infinite speeds on the electronic (ECC) unit.

If you need some directions on how to remove the head in case you want to get in there and check on the cables going to the doors.

Instructions with photos
https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...removal-35372/

heating
 

kiss / jpn- yes right, manual heating system forgot to mention that. Very insightful with the diagrams. I'll print those out and anylize it. I never heard about cable adjustment before. Maybe I'm getting 75% heat, 25% cold outside air? Yeah, that would make it lukewarm.

The other part of this, related or not, is that when the heat is on and I'm stopped (like at a red light) I can smell an oily smell. Not like exhaust, more like engine compartment smells. I dont smell anything when I'm moving. I dont have a compartment air filter but have the plastic adapter thing for it. Thought that might help.

Hmmmm.... Dave

On the smell, that's pretty normal. You likely have an oil leak and it's the smell from the oil burning off something hot. With the heater "on" it's pulling air from just under the hood over on the passenger side. Standing still it has a chance to pull some fumes from the engine compartment. When you're moving it all gets diluted from all the air flowing through the engine bay and out under the car so it isn't as noticeable.

If you're concerned with the smell, open the hood and do a visual check in the engine compartment. I assume it is of no concern and has no relation to the lukewarm air trouble.

JPN

Duh, I wish I knew this PDF Xchange Viewer long time ago so I didn't have to print every page from PDF file and scan it.

If the air trim box is ok, the last place is the temp control panel.

I hope they are of some use.

JPN

heating
 

Yeah I figured the oily smell wasnt related to the heating issue, And yes I figured it was pulling in air from the engine compartment. I've had plenty of leaky old cars and never smelled oily air in the passenger compartment. I figured maybe a gasket was torn or something, but everything looks fine between hood and air intake area.

Can I re-route the intake air somehow so I'm not smelling that oily smell? Guess I could invent something. I thought it drew in air from outside, not from under the hood. Hmmm. Seems strange to pull in engine compartment air for heating.

On a different side bar, I did the complete PCV service about a year ago and sill have smoke when I pull the dipstick. no drips on the driveway, though. It probably has something to do with the smoke smell, I'd imagine.

I've kinda gotten used to it, not going to go to any extreme measures...Would like better heat,though.

Many card usually draw air for climate control from the grill in front of the wiper blades, and often they draw odor from the engine compartment. One of the cures for this is to install an activated charcoal cabin filter (there is a retrofit kit). Or, you could clean the engine of any residual oil/other fluids. Inventing your own intake is also another option.

The 850 is notorious for smoke from the oil dipstick as well as emulsified oil due to condensation that makes many people feel they have a blown gasket or internally ruptured radiator.

If the PCV system has been serviced, the crankcase pressure should be fine (unless somehow there is partial blockage in the exhaust system).

I hope this is of some use.

JPN

heating
 

JPN- yes, helpfull information, thank you. I bought the cabin filter frame at my local u pull it from a V-70 (I think) just havent purchased the filter yet. I thought that might be an easy thing to try for the odor. Charcoal kind.

It's not a oily leaky engine bay, although I've never actually cleaned it. My old 240DL was much more leaky. I do get oil on the top of the engine, all the typical PCV symptoms but did the (involved) PCV service. canister was quite plugged, maybe 70%

I think I'll get the filter and see what it does, after that i might invent something. thanks, Dave

The best air filtration material I know is activated charcoal, and I've seen one at FCP Groton. When I lived & worked in Chicago, I used to buy a bunch of parts for my 850, and their delivery speed was outstanding. If I happen to buy a Volvo, I'll go back to FCP Groton for genuine OEM parts. The only downside is that FCP Groton, just like everyone else on-line, resorted to universal database whereas they used to have their own database, which was a near-perfect format.

Best of luck resolving the issue. Happy holidays,

JPN