176K on my 2001 S80. It's been through a lot, but still runs pretty well, considering the age. However, this year there's been a lot of problems.

1. Power Steering is leaking very slowly. I have to top it off every couple of weeks, or else I get groaning on turns. Dealership recommended a new pump, and potentially a new rack. ($1200 or so for the new pump and labor, $1800 for the new rack and labor)

2. AC compressor is not engaging. The compressor blows cold air, but after a while it will stop blowing and shut itself off. It doesn't seem to be able to re-engage and blow cold again. Dealership took a look, was able to get it to re-engage (by giving it a tap while running) but said that I need a new compressor. ($600 for the compressor, $600 for the labor).

I'd love to get another 25-50K miles out of this car, but I can't see myself dropping another $2,000-$4,000 just to eek out another 25-50K. Unfortunately, I also can't get by without AC for the next 2 months.

So, what do you think? Is it worth it to look around for someone to install the compressor cheaper, potentially with a non-Volvo compressor? ($600 for the compressor seems excessive) Is this an easy fix that I can trust to almost anyone? What about the power steering?

 

ive gone through the power steering leak the hard way, dont worry about the pump, its totally fine, get it rebuilt if you can, cause a new rack is very expensive

dont worry about the ac , it works ( at least sometimes ) ... keep driving tyll she stops

 

You can definately get a pump replaced cheaper then $1,200. The part is about $500.00 from the dealership, but an aftermarket should be under $200. Replacement is pretty straightforward too.

For A/C, unfortunately it's not cheap to get A/C work done. If banging your compressor made it kick on, it could be as simple as shimming the clutch, which means, no replacement.

 

Is shimming the clutch something that a good repair man will be able to do? Any recommendations on finding such a local guy? Unfortunately, my repair skills are limited to technology.

 

The compressor clutch reshim is not to bad at all. Some Volvo specialist shops will do it. They usually charge about 2 hours labor.
The cooling fan has to come out and then the compressor needs to be taken loose to reshim it. If done right the freon does not need to be removed.

 

You can buy an awful lot of PS fluid for $1,200...

 

right,,, until his seals pop and the system wont hold the fluid any more

 

I had the same problem with my ac they shimmed it for $345.00
if you live in the boston area try peabody auto clinic @ 978-531-7803.

 

The A/C clutch can be easily fixed. Your symptom sounds similar to what ours was.

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-s80-18/c-question-42836/

Look towards the end, where I show the details of tools needed, things to move out of the way, thing I broke, etc.
We removed one shim from the inside of the compressor pulley. A/C fixed.

My son's symptom was, during the summer, the A/C would engage for about 10-12 min's, then not again until the engine cooled off. It's usually a matter of removing a shim or two from inside the pulley. My son and I fixed the A/C in a couple of hours. They are actually just 3 different-sized washers that come installed at the factory. Ours only had 2, so maybe the PO had one removed. The distance between the pully and disk gets greater with wear. As the unit heats up, the distance increases, and the coil cannot pull the two together any longer. Removing a washer (shim) or two reduces the clearance. His is a turbo, which, if I remember, makes the removal just a little harder. We did not have to touch the fan (I don't think). The basic task is to undo the 4 compressor bolts, in order to move the compressor far enough away from the frame, in order to remove the pulley. One bolt was the hardest to pull out (not much clearance).