My 2014 XC90 seems to have an issue that plagued 2008 vintage XC90, in that on startup it will blow blast furnace hot air and then after perhaps 5 min of run time start to blow (cooler) air.

Reading forums and things the older versions of this car had a clutch that needed adjustment, I've been told there is no such clutch on my car and stop reading the internet for car or medical advice.

So a local shop made some adjustments, none of which helped and ultimately changed out the entire compressor. Didn't help. They are at a loss and I'm about to drive this thing off a cliff and collect the insurance money.

Help?

I will say that if you rev the engine in neutral up to 4k RPM after 90s it at least blows air that isn't super hot anymore. Exactly the same symptom of the 2008s.

 

All Volvos have an ac clutch. They malfunction when hot, when the gap is worn too large and metal expands preventing the magnetic field from closing the clutch.

If your car does not blow cold air for a few minutes - An easy simple test - Start the car with the ac on ready to make cold air. Hood open. After a few seconds if working normally the freon should be cold - touch the low side (the large) return pipe on the compressor. It should be cold - 35-45 degrees. If not - there's a compressor problem (variable displacement valve on a 6 or v8), condenser fan not working, or maybe a bad evap temp sensor. The I6 has a "dampening ring' that wears, jams and prevents the compressor from turning - but it's pretty obvious when that happens - you can see the clutch "wobble" because there is something jammed (parts of the ring) under one side of the clutch.

A compatible scan tool and a set of ac gauges should help to give you enough info to make an informed diagnosis. (temps, evap, inside and outside, ac pressures)