Air con....

[Happygilmore78]

Was sat in car today with AC on, after about 10 mins the air went warmer all of a sudden - is this the AC crying out for a re-gas? or something else? its never felt as cold as it should be to me, but this was just like normal air pumping through the vents....

[Yosser]

If it's working ok to begin with and then stops after a while it sounds like it might be the compressor air gap.

Read this thread for a cheap way to fix that problem:

http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index.php/topic/80181-850-ac-clutch-gap-fix/

[Happygilmore78]

Cheers, i will give it a gander :)

[timbo_1975]

Yes, if it suddenly cuts out dead for say 20-30mins, having been nice and cold, and the compressor clutch is not spinning, then it is usually the clutch air gap too great and needs re-shimming. Possible on the car with a slimline clutch puller.

[Happygilmore78]

Had a look, but its not letting me see the picture without joining forum - cheers for info though

[v70torslanda]

When was it last regassed?

Received wisdom is to regas with new PAG oil every 2 years. Even with constant and continuous use the air con system will lose 20 - 25% of its gas every year. Dave Stew took his for a regas and when they vacuumed the sytem there was no gas to recover!

Oddly enough I think that decent value can be found at Kw*kF*t. They promise 'Colder air con or your money back!' It won't cost you anything to get a quote .

J

[timbo_1975]

20-25% is abit high! Try 10% on a healthy system. The LP switch will cut the system out when the charge gets down to about 30% 'full'.

[Happygilmore78]

Cheers for info, i will give Kwik Fit a try at weekend - as i think its needed with the heatwave and all :)

Regarding the clutch issue, i take it i am looking at the compressor on the belt system?? to see if it is dissengaging?? sorry if that sounds a bit simple, i just have never dealt with AC probs before.

Cheers Peeps

Cheers for help

[Yosser]

Yes, if it's like mine ('98 V70) then it's below the steeering pump.

I have attached the pic from the thread on VS, hope that helps.

[Happygilmore78]

Awesome, thanks for the picture - now i know what im looking for :)

Just to add, took it for re-gas today and the guy showed me the reading, and it was in the red - which he said meant dangerous??? it took a bit, but is now totally gassed up, and i put it on for a bit to get it running and it never (Touch wood) cut out, so fingers crossed - looks like it was down to low low lowwwww gas!!! but if not, i now know what to do - so thanks again guys, much appreciated

[uzyg]

could i ask how much they charged at kwikfit for a regas?

[Justin]

Its £40 and they dont charge if it doesnt work :)

[Happygilmore78]

Hi, i ended up taking it to Halfords as Kwik Fit was overbooked and couldnt do it then for me - Halfords cost a little more, its 39.99 for gas and 9.99 for labour, but now i know where the nipple is, i can do it for 39.99 for the gas. Happy days.....

[uzyg]

So.....wheres this nipple?? ;)

on a s60 2.0T

[Rufe]

Its £40 and they dont charge if it doesnt work :)

i believe i read somewhere 'if they cant get it at least 10% colder' this is a big difference, as when i was checking my cabin temperature before i sorted the air con out, i got it down about 20% just by leaving it on full blast for 10 minutes (from 36 degrees at vent to 28 degrees at same vent about 10 minutes later). this was before air con was even switching on at all, no changes made at all, just got the air to settle i suppose. i have no idea how they test this and how it works but it may be worth noting.

Here is the screenshot of the instruction from VIDA regarding filling refrigerant

(Please click to see full size:)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v17/rufe_v6/acon1b.jpg

Simon :)

[uzyg]

Does the kit from Halfords 'empty' the remaining gas before re-filling?

Reason I ask is t hat the air con has never worked (been cold) since I bought the car and the engine management light came on not long ago with no warning message. The fault code reader from the local indie brought up a message stating something to do with air con pressure (perhaps its too low)

Anyway I just want to get the air con topped up seeing as we have had a blistering week and being stuck in traffic without air con is not nice at all. Plus I'd like the engine management light to go away.

So, would it be a good idea taking it to kwikfit/halfords and getting it 'regassed'?

(Thanks for the above diagram Rufe)

[Happygilmore78]

They didnt empty anything, just hooked a compressed can up via filling nozzle with guage on it and filled it up whilst running air-con. Took a few mins, but you can see what state its in before and after via the guage on nozzle. The kit also comes with this other can that you click on and leave till it empties while car is running with air-con on re-circulate - it cleans all the bacteria out etc.

[uzyg]

Just an update.

Took it to Kwik Fit, guy was out of gas and asked him to call around other places as I was willing to go anywhere that was able to top me up. Luckily after a few tries (they are very busy on saturdays) the chaps at the Bulwell, Nottingham Kwik Fit booked me in.

Popped down, got the job done after a short wait and also asked if he could remove my locking wheel nuts knowng they were jammed on and wouldnt budge.

Eventually got the job done and got the air con going again all in for £45 (he didnt charge for the wheel nuts removal! Bonus!)

The air con is cold...but reading previous threads on here I know what people mean by saying its not 'ice ice cold'...Ive been in cars which have colder air con.

Im happy regardless as the cars always been on empty since I bought it and Hot black leather seats after a long days work arent very nice.

One thing though, you can hear a slight 'hissing' sound every 20-30 secs when air con is on and your driving. When popping the bonnet you can hear a clicking (switching) sound every 20 odd seconds....is this normal? Im probably just being paranoid as I know its linked to the air con.

[richiemat]

I got my aircon recharged on Saturday as well at Quikfit, it was £45 but was happy to do it for £40. Seems much cooler now so i'm pleased. They hooked up 2 hoses marked HP and LP (blue and red). One to the location shown in Rufes diagram and the other to a connection point located below the power steering resevoir. The process took about 40mins while they 'hoovered' the old gas out, tested the system for leaks then refilled with the new stuff.

I stood with the lad while he did it who was telling me about his 'mates' Volvo with 500hp (lol) which apparantly he achieves with the standard engine, a 'chip' and big exhaust and has a rolling road sheet to prove it. Righto mate, righto lol.

:rolleyes2

[cornclose]

Had mine regassed yesterday too. £20. Special deal at DPA Volvo in Nottingham, as I was having all my suspension work done at the same time (more on that to follow...).

Can't say as I've had a chance to see the difference (if any) yet as it's not been hot here (it's pee'ing it down now, 14 deg.C).

[Filterlab]

One thing though, you can hear a slight 'hissing' sound every 20-30 secs when air con is on and your driving. When popping the bonnet you can hear a clicking (switching) sound every 20 odd seconds....is this normal? Im probably just being paranoid as I know its linked to the air con.

That indicates that the air con is working fine. The clicking is the compressor clutch engaging and disengaging and the hissing is a normal attributable sound for air con gases moving - in some vehicles it's audible, in others not.

It sounds like the shim on the AC compressor could do with changing, it sets the clutch engage/disengage tolerance and as it wears the tolerance widens and under hard work the clutch fails to engage. I had mine done recently at my regular garage and all the work plus a regas and test and VAT and labour came to £200.

Icy cold now too. ;)