My local mech tells me that I need to have an ECC update performed on my car. It appears that the AC evaporator is freezing up and causing the AC to blow warm air after a few minutes of use. We do not have a dealer close by, anyone know if this is an update from Volvo, he said it was.

 

Are you sure the compressor clutch doesn't need to be reshimmed?

 

I am going on what my mech is telling me. he works on all types of Volvos, but they do not have the diagnostic equipment that a full fledged dealer would have on hand. That is why he said it was ECC related. He got this info from a mech in another city.
He did check it out in person, hands on.

 

OK keep us updated on how it goes.

 

I've got the same problem with mine. Three shops and no luck. One shop replaced some O rings which they thought were allowing a leak - didn't work.

Only on hot days (80+) it freezes up after about 20 minutes of driving and begins to blow hot air. I shut the AC off for 5-10 minutes and then I'm able to turn it back on and it's working fine for a bit.

The pressure is fine, I believe they have even recharged it at one of the shops.

Any ideas I can bring up to the next shop I take it to? It's a 2006 S40.

 

That is exactly what mine does. i have been searching for any listed manufacturer notices but no luck. Our local dealer does not have a certified tech and I have been told the Audi tech is moonlighting on Volvo issues, I am hesitant to take the car in.

 

I have seen alot of the new S40 a/c compressors that need to be reshimmed.
Easy way to check is when it starts blowing warm try to tap (carefully) the center part of the compressor. If it starts again it needs to be reshimmed.

That is if the compressor is off when it starts blowing warm.

 

I talked to a local mechanic and was told that while the reason the AC is out may be because the compressor clutch needs to be shimmed, he said that generally that is only the case if the original compressor has been replaced or the clutch has been replaced. He said that compressors are not known for "increasing" the gap on their own.

Is this generally the case?

 

Clutches are a wear item like a clutch for the transmission. They all wear.
Do you have a the old style plug gapper set with the different size seperate arms?
If so measure the gap. Max is supposed to be .025 I see the clutches act up starting at .030. Most that I fix are at .035.

 

H, guys. I have the same issue with my Volvo, a 2005 S40 T5. The A/C works for a few minutes, then blows warm air. I'll be taking it to a certified Volvo dealer, soon, but am weary as to what the fix will be costing me... I'll post back here after I take it in.

 

the volvo garage in jax just quoted me 1100 to replace clutch and 1300 to replace compressor. anyone have details about how to repair/replace clutch and the pn? i see used compressors on ebay for 75-150.00

 

With so many people having the same issues (per my dealer) What does it take Volvo to issue a TSB or recall?

 

Took my sons '03 s40 with same issue others have but when we drive in stop and go traffic or stop sign to stop sign will start blowing warm/hot air. If we are on hwy. blows cool to cold. Took to 3rd party volvo service and had ac checked, blows 50 at shop. Took back to shop and was told needed orofis tube and another part and would cost $1600 as the entire dash has to be removed to get to ac system! Any thoughts on this!

 

Live without A/C...

I don't use mine because of the performance + gas mileage loss. Plus it makes the car do weird things at idle.

 

Maybe the compressor clutch needs to be reshimmed.

 

I have the same problem on my 1998 S70 T5! Drives me crazy, nobody knows whats up!

 

I was told it was the evaporator temp sensor.
I know this is an OOOOLLLDDDD thread, but I'm having this problem now, and figured I'd take a shot in the dark here.

 

first step is to try measuring your compressor clutch gap. should be plenty of threads on how to do this (you can even try the "bread clip" fix that some have made work on 850s. Not sure if it will work on your model. Its possible that it could be a temp sensor - maybe somebody with a VIDA CD can research specs (ie what resistance the sensor's range is supposed to be...). What year or model are you working on? (your sig shows an 02 V70)? Did your tech say whether the whole dash needs to come apart to access the sensor (I've had to replace the evaporator on my 850 and that was 10+ hours of shop labor).

 

It's a 2002 v70 cross country.
Yes the bottom portion of the dash has to come out.
I plan to do it myself since it is an extra vehicle and down time isn't an issue. And 10 hours would cost more than I paid for the whole car. Lol

 

Volvos suffer from a known issue with the a/c compressor. Does this describe your car: The a/c blows cold after initial start up and for 10-15 minutes of driving. Then, especially on very hot days, the a/c suddenly puts out warm air. The warm air continues for several minutes and then it starts blowing cold air again. If this describes you then the problem is your compressor needs to be reshimmed. This is a very quick and easy process.