Thanks to those who contributed to older threads on A/C clutch problems. I had the issue where the A/C blows full cold, but after 5-10 minutes of driving starts turning on and off (fan still blowing, there's just no cool air). Thanks to the posts, I narrowed it down to the A/C compressor clutch gap, which was about 0.9mm (I think spec is less than 0.5mm).

Being a determined DIY'er, I really wanted to do the work without any need to evacuate and recharge the system. So I settled on working in the tiny amount of space available without fully removing the compressor. I removed the bracket holding the accumulator and moved the accumulator as far out of the way as possible, removed the serpentine belt, and took out all 4 of the bolts holding the compressor to the engine block. That was only possible because on my car, the mounting bolts are perpendicular to the rotational axis of the compressor (and thus accessible from the front of the car). With all the mounting bolts out, the compressor could be rotated about 25 degrees, just far enough to make the bolt securing the A/C clutch accessible to a socket. After getting that bolt out, I spent the next 2 hours prying with a screwdriver and even a wedge attached to an impact hammer to separate the A/C clutch from the pulley. Anyway, I eventually got the clutch off, removed one shim/washer (the last one! so next time the clutch wears it'll be time for a new compressor) from inside the clutch and put it back on the compressor. Working in the tiny amount of space was certainly a pain and 4+ hours in blazing heat, but I'm glad to have fixed my A/C without spending a dime.

I did all this on a lift I have in my garage, sitting on a stool. I think the on-car method might be a lot more of a pain closer to the ground on jackstands or ramps.

1999 v70 5 speed, nearly 200k miles (running very well).

 

Wow, I'm very impressed - I would never have tried that without taking the compressor out... Good job.

Did you take any pictures?

 

99VolvoV70, I'm very impressed with the complete work and documentation you did. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures, as I was juggling keeping my 18 month old entertained and away from the more dangerous stuff in the garage and getting the job done. I might eventually take some pictures to illustrate the general approach if someone else wants to try it.

I just looked back through my post and realized I screwed up by identifying the accumulator as the evaporator. If you replace every instance of "evaporator" with "accumulator, the post is otherwise correct.

BTW, I'm a relatively new owner, and I'm impressed with the gas mileage. 30mpg on the highway on cruise without really babying it, and my mixed mileage is in the mid 20s. My other two cars are BMWs with 20 cylinders total, so I'm used to being happy with about 23mpg highway.

 

That's great work... I usually dump our young'un (he's 13 months old on the 6th) with my wife so that he doesn't drink any motor oil or anything while I'm working in the garage.

I hadn't read Tech's details on fixing the gap when I did mine. I'm kicking myself that I spent ~$400 on a new compressor when I could have fixed my own. Speaking of which, if anyone stumbles on this and wants a compressor to try it on, I have my old one sitting in a box in my garage. I don't think I need a spare and should look into selling it someday. Maybe I could fix it and sell it to someone.

Anyway, congratulations on a job well done.

 

Tech's post is here: https://volvoforums.com/m_34431/tm.htm

Tech's post was very useful in doing my job, and the only real difference between his compressor and mine is the mounting bolts. You can see from his pictures that his mounting bolts are parallel to the axis of rotation unlike mine, which has perpendicular mounting bolts (which actually made the job easier).

 

Yup, that is a great post - I wish I'd seen it early enough to do that instead of buying the compressor. doh!

Luckily I had mounting bolts like yours (direct bolt; Tech's are ear-mount), so that did make the job a bit easier.

 

Congrats on getting the compressor reshimmed.
How did you remove the center part of the clutch.
I have recently found a small puller I use on the 960's on the car.
One day I may try a S70 like yours on the car at work.

 

How did I get clearance to pull it out all the way? Once these direct mount compressors are unbolted, they can be moved a couple inches towards the center of the car (back of the engine), allowing plenty of clearance to get it off.

If you're curious about how I got the center bolt holding the clutch on to come out, I jammed a thin flathead screwdriver in one of the flat holes on the side of that center portion of the clutch to keep the clutch from rotating while I worked the bolt. It worked fine.

Since I had trouble prying the clutch off from both sides, I jammed a very short screwdriver between the pulley and the clutch, then rotated the clutch and pulley 180 degrees and worked at it from the other side. That was by far the most time consuming part of the job.

 

I meant how did you get the center part of the clutch off the compressor.

I found a small puller that works awesome for pulling them.
next time I have my Camera at work I will take a pic and post it.