i have a 98 v70. 1 year old evaporator and accumulator. i have a low side pressure that seems to hang in the 50-65psi area. after looking into this problem for a while i decided to replace the compressor now im in the 40-50psi range on the low side. on a 90 degree day im only getting a duct temp of around 70 degrees. im thinking i have a clog in the refrigerant system, possibly a collapsing barrier line?(i work for mercedes benz and our cars have done that) or maybe the expansion valve is leaking high side pressure into the low possibly although ive never seen or heard of that happening.. anyone have any insight? it would be very appreciated
oh and the refrigerant charge level is perfect

 

replaced expansion valve today, altho it was not clogged there was a pretty good amount of metal shavings from the compressor in it, im going to begin searching for a clog in the lines anyone seen a clog before? and where?

 

I'm having pretty much the same problem, if I fill with freon the line going into the firewall gets icy cold, a/c compressor goes on intermitently I get great cooloing for about 2 minutes then above said pipe is as hot as all others and have no more cool air, found no leaks in system, but my test gauge say's I'm filled to the proper capacity, if you hear of anything please let me know, would be greatly appreciate.Thanks...Pete

 

Dippo6 I gotta tell ya, I've got the Vida,Vadis manual here at home, and it shows it akk, but it's not giving me an answer for the proble, my first Volvo, I love it but it sure makes thinga a bit tricky to evaluate...good luck

 

see if the compressor is still on when is blowing warm air. If is off remove the plastic cover from the a/c relay and push on the switch in the relay for maeking contact and see if it will start the a/c compressor. mine did so i found it was a loos conection under the fuse box

 

Yup compressor cycles, and pipe at firewall is cold to the touch, but a few minutes later, pipe is warm and compressor does not cycle any longer

 

Like i said try to make manual contact on the relay and see if it start. I drive my car now without the relay plastic cover and seem to work. I know sound weird but so far is not stopping. I wonder if the relay was getting to hot haeving the cover on and make it stop.

 

yup, I did exactly as you said, when I charged the system the compressor cycled on and off, on it's own, still blowing warm air...then it stopped cycling alltogether, tried the relay and it won't cycle, I think the compressor is overheating, and shuts down?????

 

It seem like you have a different problem than i did but i will do what i can to find the answer for it. In a few days i will look with another friend who's good in electronics. Hope we find the answer so we can finally solve the proble for you and many others out there.

 

if the compressor is kicking off it can be for many reasons. i do know that there is a pressure switch inside of the compressor (at the back) that goes bad, i would check that switch by simply jumping it and seeing if it kicks on. i have not had a chance to put my condensor in yet (death in the family) but i am confident it is my problem as i can hear the refrigerent hissing through it after i shut off the car

 

can anyone tell me where the high and low line ports are to connect to in order to charge the system? and is it a DIY type of job to fully charge an empty system?

 

There is an AC forum I used to visit when I was researching alternates to F-12 (yes I did learn how to make a alternate). The members there at the time were quite knowledgeable and friendly, try a google search for AC forums. Wish I could remember but this was about 5 years ago.

Jerry

 

Sorry to hear of your loss, I'll keep tinkering around, it is strange though, again this am I started the car for the wife, and the comp. clicks on/off quickly about 10 or 12 times , then stops. as if it were overheated. I appreciate your time, if I find somethin I''ll put up a new thread. I think I'm going out of town for a few day's, but not a concretedecision as of yet.

 

i put my condensor in today, a very easy job, took about 30 min (with a lift) a/c is blowing ice cold now- 45 degrees. so long and the short of it is, the a/c compressor took a crap, tore itself up and spit out tiny metal shrapnel pieces, that clogged the condenser and orifice tube. first time ive seen this on any car.

 

if your compressor is clicking on and off your charge is probably low or your getting too high of pressure.. ie a restriction like i had, or fan not kicking on

 

if its empty its leaking, and you should get it fixed, it has a high chance of being a condenser, if it is your breathing the refrigerant in, and its highly carcinogenic.. and no accurately charging the system requires proper tools that pepboys just doesn't have

 

I'm not breathing any of that in, there are no leaks in the system, it is maintaing pressure, I'm an ex Gov't employee for many years, and am more than well aware of most msds dangerous substances out there, so don't worry my friend if I need to evacuate the system, it will be done in the proper manner, but thanks for the post....I'm sure there are plenty of others out there that are not aware of these things.
COLT

 

Thanks, checksix, I'll be out there searchin, but to be honest with ya, I'm confident the answer is right here in this forum!!!!!

 

are you sure about that?? i don't think so.... if so i'd be dead long ago haha. it's nasty stuff around an open flame, a good dose of phosgene or pretty close to it! that will wake ya up!

I don't think there are any temperature sensors in the asc circuitry just pressure switches as mentioned before.

as with most of this sort of work a lot of times the problem lies in the controls, you should get the wiring schematic and to see where your issues are.

To test if the refrigeration aspect of the system is working,energize the comporessor clutch manually make sure electric condenser fan and ac blower are running and observe high and low side pressures of the systems. with that being said I don'tthink i ever did find the high side port on my old 850!!

Mike

 

only charge through low side if you are not using a a/c mechine. I have a 94 850 so i am not certain where the ports are in V70. feed free to email me with questions. I did tons of a/c work on large diesel trucks so I maybe be able to help answering a few questions. always try to post pressure readings when diagnose a/c problem. my email is rectione@hotmail.com