S40 (New) AC : It looks like the Aircon has died :-(

[Welton]

Originally Posted by BOBAD

He did a test and no leaks so then did a normal re-gas service.

Cost = £25 for the test and £49 for the re-gas.

Result is I now have ice-cold air conditioning and I'm very happy!

I've just set my stopwatch........

[StuAgain]

My local independent garage charged me £36 for a regas on my 1999 V70, and what a difference on a long hot run. Just got the wife's C30 back from a regas again £36, internal temp down to 6.5 deg C! Mechanic said that there was NO GAS in the system, so there maybe a leak or more likely the seals had dried out due to lack of use over winter. We shall see if there is a problem over the next couple of weeks. Wife told... use the air-con, even on a trip to the supermarket.

[AndyMcc]

That's a good price. However it's a sealed system, just like the coolant.
If it needs re gassing pound for a penny over time it'll loose pressure and need refilling ( which shouldn't be done without a proper leak test first ) good luck !

Andy

[Proghound]

Originally Posted by Proghound

First really nice hot days for a lot of places this week ...

... so I had a feeling I wasn't going to be the only one to discover their aircon wasn't working :-(

Compressor was clicking in every 6-8 seconds but clicking out again 2-3 seconds later, there's basically no gas in there by the sound of it. I don't use mine except when it's hot in the summer or I'm demisting the windscreen in the winter. So it could be dried seals and/or a dead condenser. Having had it recharged last summer I hope there will be some UV dye visible somewhere to show where the fault is, otherwise I'm looking at another recharge just to diagnose.

Wouldn't you just know it, I only turned on the aircon on the way back from the Volvo dealer (Marshalls in Milton Keynes), clutching a quote for up to £750 to replace a leaky hydraulic ram in the roof and a warning that I have a broken n/s/f coil spring!

So, £800 later I have two new coil springs on the front and a new condenser. The springs were quite reasonable at £158 the pair and an hour's labour per side, but the condenser was nearly £200 and 3½ hours to fit. And that's just the book time - they were actually there until 10.30pm due to some of the bolts at the front which had been cross-threaded, presumably at the factory as there's no history of damage repairs on the car.

The AC is now lovely, the ride more supple and the headlight aim much better as the front is sitting higher. Just the roof ram to go, still waiting for Marshalls to get the correct part in. But I also need to sort the warped front discs out as the new springs aren't absorbing that vibration as much as the old ones did.

[pgm]

If the clutch is worn (I have had this twice once on my S80 and once on my V50) the ac usually works for 5-15 mins before the electromagnetic coil gets hot and stops pulling the clutch in. I removed the shims on both mine myself which cured the issue.

Paul

[meanchris]

Can anyone tell me where the fuse for the aircon is?

I just had mine regassed to try to find any potential leaks and it doesn't sound like the clutch is operating.

I first got the garage to do a leak test about 3 weeks ago, the machine indicated that there was no gas but the mech said that he couldn't see any signs of the leak after injecting dye.

I said that I'd have a regas with dye to see whether we could find the leak.

Today, after the regas, when he first tried the aircon I thought I heard the clutch operate as he pushed the button, but not since and the aircon still isn't working.

Is it possible that the fuse has blown?

Oops, sorry, it's an '08 V50 2.0D SE

EDIT: Found the fuse, No27 10A which is OK, and the relay R11, which isn't coming in as far as I can tell.

I might see what happens if I short the contacts, to check the compressor clutch, are there any potential problems with doing this?

[meanchris]

Just a note to anyone who's interested:

I took out the aircon relay - R11 - and shorted the contacts with a long wire/switch, so that I could observe the result.

The compressor clutch pulls in when the contacts are shorted (even with the engine stopped ) but no cold air from the aircon with the engine running.

I guess this shows definitively that there's no refrigerant in there, so a major leak.

Back to square one, persuading my local mechanic that it's worth his while to take a proper look, instead of relying on his aircon machine to do all the work for him.

[Alfredtupper]

Originally Posted by froggyted

You lot now have me seriously worried. I have checked the fuses and they are not faulty. I have no sound whatsoever from my compressor when the AC is switched on at the panel. There is absolutely no difference at all between the air coming through the vents with or without the AC switched on. The car is now booked into the main dealer for them to have a look next week. I've been given a worst-case scenario estimate of about £800 (not sure whether that's for a new condensor or compressor motor). Will report back on the outcome. If dodgy condensors are the norm i think we can thank Ford for that. It begins to look as if they really dumbed-down Volvo just like GM did with SAAB. I had the alternator fail at about 40k, which astounded me. Typical built-in (planned) obsolescence to keep the capitalist corporations ticking over. Volvo met some of the cost for that but i can't be hopeful this time around due to the age of the car. I only have about 50k on the clock but the car is now nearly 7 years old.

I wouldnt take it to a main dealer find a air con specialist there are plenty about

[Alfredtupper]

Originally Posted by froggyted

Just out of interest, ianmd, did the clutch on your 2009 model also stop making an engaging noise when it failed? I have no noise from mine. I explained this on the phone to the dealer and the guy said it might be because there is no gas in the system but I am fearing the worst. Looking at the Haynes manual it does seem as if the compressor might be a cheaper component to replace than the condensor.

I find it really annoying that Volvo, or Ford more likely, changed what, from what you are saying, was a perfectly good condensor in the earlier models, and replaced it with an inferior product, especially given the amount of labour involved in replacing it.

I wouldnt be so quick to blame ford the 850 /v70 models were notorious for evaporator failure which required the dashboard to be removed to replaceand thst was long before fords influence

[Welton]

It was absolutely Ford's meddling and penny-pinching why the condensers fail on these models. They simply specified a condenser made from thinner aluminium which was then prone to stone damage and corrosion from wet leaves stuck at the bottom. The previous Volvo-sourced units were quality items made from thicker aluminium and long-lasting.