I have a 2001 S40 in which I've done 5,000 miles with no problems from the A/C unit. A/C used to blow cool air from start up so long as the green a/c button was on. In the last 2 weeks however, I don't get cool air at start up - I have to wait about 10 minutes getting warn air thru the vents before the cool air kicks in.

I've looked thru the S40 posts (26 pages!!!) and it seems that the A/c sometimes seems to have a mind of its own - which I can understand, but in this case, it was working OK, and now no longer is OK.

Does anyone know why? Is there anything I can do?

Thanks - Cruckster

 

You need to start checking and seeing if the compressor has Power at start up.
Maybe you might be low on freon.

 

Thanks for the reply, Tech. It sounds like I need to get an engineer to have a look at it. I'll post when it gets fixed.

 

I would go to a shop and get an AC test done. For about $20 ( at my shop) you would get dye added to check for leaks, the amount of freon missing from the system if any, and a mechanical check of the components (compressor, condenser etc). Over the webg, it sounds as though the freon is not reaching pressure soon enough (low freon, low head pressure from teh compressor) or the blend door is not being properly controlled by the computer. Try this at home- turn onthe ac and set the fan at full (not auto), set the temp all the way to cold. The air from the vents should at least be blowing hard if not cold. Move the temp control to mid way (72 degrees) and the fan to auto (fan should slow down). If this happens, you are at least getting proper control from the head unit.

 

I know this is a bit late (10 months after original post) but I had a similar issue. I had it re-gassed twice to no avail. My Volvo dealership looked at it and found a faulty relay. Cost me £25 to fix it.