Hi,

Recently, I've become the proud owner of a 1997 V70.

Today I used the AC for the first time, and it stops after a couple of minutes, then comes up again after ten.

I've searching around, and learned how the system works, and it's definitely the compressor, that stops, but there are some questions I have, that I can't find answers to.

- Should the compressor turn, or stop, when AC is off? (Should it ever stop at all?)
- Will the compressor automatically stop when low on freon?
- How can I check the freon level?

I'm a bit scared to run the car now, so I would really appreciate if someone could answer these questions for me.

Thanks in advance,

Heras

 

Like all modern cars, the V70 has an electric clutch on the pulley of the compressor. The pulley itself always turns as it is belt driven. If it didn't, it would burn thru the belt in no time. When you look at the pulley end of the compressor, the center portion is the clutch and it will cycle on and off as dictated by the refrigerant pressure. Yes your car has a low pressure cut off switch as well as a high pressure limiter switch. Running for a few and off for 10 isn't right if on max air w/ blower on high. It should "deep" cycle for x number of minutes, shut off and repeat! There's no gauge to tell how much refrigerant is in your system. I will not go into how to use a set of a/c manifold gauges as I do not want the liability of a destroyed a/c system or worse...on my conscience.
The best thing to do is take it to a reputable shop. They will hook their $7k machine to the car and a. remove all the R134a b. pull a vacuum on the system for x number of minutes to check for leaks c. add oil and the appropriate amount of R134a. I highly recommend that you ask them to put dye in the system. It glows under uv light and is a great help in tracking down leaks.

 

Hi swiftjustice44,

Thank you very much for your reply! You've cleared up everything that was unclear to me.

I will take your advice and bring the car in for repairs.

Best regards,

Heras