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Here's the problem. 1998 V70 non-turbo with manual (non climate control) air-conditioning . When out driving on warmer (90+ F), the air conditioner randomly cuts out after the first few minutes. It might come back on in a couple of minutes or in five minutes. (Yes I did read the other recent posts on this...no real information.)
Here's what I have checked.
--1. The diagnostic codes read 1-1-1 (everything OK) even after a reset.
--2. The drain tubes seem to be working (drip...drip...drip) no stink and
no icing problem.
--3. Low-side pressure. (That's all I can check on this car, right?) First, I run blower at top-speed and air on lowest temp for about 10 minute. Then, I turn the blower down to low and shove a thermometer into passenger air vent for another 10 minutes. It reads about 42 deg F. The compressor is cycling about every 15 seconds (ambient temp around 86 deg F). The low side pressure is 25 with clutch disengaged and tops at 50 while engaged.
--4. The pollen filter is about eight months old (and should be changed around here), but I don't think this is the problem.
--5. There is a service recall on the MCC controls for my year which includes my chasis number in possible replacements. (I think it was Service advisory 83A.) This might be it, but I' still vague about what the symptoms.
Any guesses would be greatly appreciated. If I can't figure anything else to try, I will bring back in, but only as a last resort. While the car was under warranty, I brought it in twice for the same problem and was told on the second visit, "Well the new R134a just doesn't cool as well as the old R12 and you'll just have to get used to it." (In other word, they did nothing.)
If anyone tells me that I should bring it right in to qualified Volvo technician, I will put his/her email address on a 1000 spam lists (Believe me. it's not that hard...)
Thanks in advance,
Optimist
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posted by
someone claiming to be Jim
on
Mon Jul 8 16:56 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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"If anyone tells me that I should bring it right in to qualified Volvo technician, I will put his/her email address on a 1000 spam lists (Believe me. it's not that hard...)"
OK, then being a Volvo master tech......I have no opinions. Note the lack of an e-mail addy? How could you spam me?
Now......If you want more than wild assed guesses, try asking nicely and maybe I'll talk to you :)
I do Volvo AC repairs daily (w/o comebacks) but what would I know right?
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Jim,
I am asking nicely. I read your post and I have an AC problem that I just posted. Any input would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Bert
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posted by
someone claiming to be Jim
on
Tue Jul 9 13:01 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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I'll answer your other thread.
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Jim,
Please accept my apology if you took offense at my comments. By the very fact that you care enough to read and to post to this group you are probably very different than the mechanics to whom I was implicitly referring.
My somewhat acerbic remarks had two motivations. First of all, I have read many posts that indicated a great deal of effort and time invested on the part of the individual in attempting to fix his or her own car (for whatever reason). It makes my blood boil to see someone response to these posts with "....bring it to a certified mechanic." While this may, in fact, be the best course, the person at least deserves a detailed explanation.
My second reservation about bringing it in to the Volvo dealer is borne from experience. A long time ago I was a certified mechanic (certified in 1975, but never master certified and I never quite understood the air-conditioning part). You and I both know are scarce good mechanics are. I have brought this car into the dealer twice and it was not fixed. It is now getting bad enough that I have to fix it. And the sad fact is--and you know this too--my case in quite typical.
Anyways, I would value any comments you might have and again, again I apologize if I offended you personally.
-Optimist
P.S. I was making idle threats about the spam. First of all, I'm not good enough and secondly, I would never do that. However, I would wager that, unless you have taken extreme precautions (like posting through a special server which removes all identification from every packet in your stream and then pools these packets with those of a bunch of other people), someone could trace your post back to you. The main thing that protects most of us is that we simply aren't worth it!
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posted by
someone claiming to be Jim
on
Tue Jul 9 13:00 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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I tend to agree with much of what you've said now that you've explained your previous comments. I understand your side on the "dealer" response too but I also think that there are times when that's sometimes the best solution if the person asking the question seemingly lacks basic skills, tools, manuals and/or an understanding of what they're trying to accomplish. Obviously you know alot more about cars than a guy who's never tried auto repair before but thinks that he can do it, assuming that it's easy stuff. There are also times when I'll see never-ending online sagas from a guy trying to fix his car, throwing big $$ parts at it based on all the "try this" responses yet not getting anywhere with the car. I know of one online saga (a different type car elsewhere) where a guy's had the same thread running for well over 1.5 yrs, thousands of replys, he's tryed all sorts of things YET the car STILL isn't fixed.
Now, at the dealership there's a limit on what we can fairly charge anyone for diagnostic labor, usually one hour even if it takes the tech longer to figure it out. That being the case, it's sometimes better to pay someone who "should know" the car his hour's labor time than spending countless hours and wasted money on guessed parts that usually can't be returned once installed.
Now...as for YOUR AC problem and from your description, the fact that you say it's cycling every 15 seconds and only 42F degrees (higher rpms, like 2,500 too I assume?) makes me think that it's just likely low on freon. You might not like to hear this but the ONLY real way to know the exact freon charge (by weight) that's now in your AC system is to find a shop (doesn't have to be a dealer) that has a recovery machine as that machine will first recover the freon and it's then weighed. At that moment the tech will know if the system has the correct charge or not. If it's low (or high), the system will not function properly. If you've previously tryed adding, dumping freon by using one of those tap-a-can setups, you might get close but probably not close enough IMHO. Another thing that a recovery machine does is evacuate all moisture from your system and (as mentioned here in another thread), it's possible in some cases that moisture can ice up in a system.
Now, you might think that me saying to have your system properly recovered, evacuated, charged (with AC dye no less) is sounding too generic here BUT believe it or not, at least 99% of all 850/X70 AC problems is due to the system being low on freon and once the system is properly charged, it works great.
If you decide to take my advice on this and have it recharged and yet still have the same problem, then obviously it's something less common, something that might not be easy to diagnose here online but I have my doubts that that'll be the case.
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Jim,
Now why did you have to go agreeing with me and end a perfectly good flame. Just kidding!
I do agree with you about some people not knowing when to seek out professional help. There is an incredible amount of erroneous information mixed in with the good advice which can keep people going round-n-round in circles. The catch-22 is that the only sure way of discerning between good and bad is to already know the answer to the question. Of course if you already know the answer...
From everything I have been able to check, your recommendation to check for low freon may be the only avenue left. If I'm reading the books correctly, the pressure and temps put me on the bottom of acceptable. What bugs me the most, however, is that when the unit cuts out, it isn't a drop in cooling efficiency but a cessation (i.e. ambient temp air). I can't immediately check for icing when it cuts out (out driving), but as soon as I can check it I don't seem to have any icing. (I stop, turn compressor off, heat on, and wait for puddle.)
Given the relative newness of the car and that deterioration was gradual, with no visible oil leaks, I would have been willing to take a risk and charge system without evacuation. But this would be conditional on knowing high side and low side pressures. Since I can't check high side (why did they do away with high side valve?), I agree with you. My only course is to bring it in. Grrrr. Late this afternoon, I set an appointment for Friday and told them to first deal with the advisory issue (I think 83A) on the controls and then to call me before doing anything else. (I know. I know. I would hate me as a customer too.)
Jim, one last question: "SHould I be properly outraged if my system does seem to need freon and they don't evacuate and refill to specified capacity (i.e., as opposed to factory procedures, what are acceptable shop procedures)?
-Optimist
P.S. Following up on the other part of our earlier exchange, I had a friend trace your post. Your name is James McDoodle and you live at 5107 Beech St. in Pensacola, FL. You dated Peggy Smith in High School and .... I'm making this all up!
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posted by
someone claiming to be Jim
on
Wed Jul 10 00:28 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Being that you're mentioning campaign 83A, you must be taking it to a dealer as no independant would know anything about that but by now that should have been done already. They'll run your VIN through DCS to see what, if any recalls or campaigns are still opened. Any experienced Volvo dealer AC guy knows the correct freon charge for your car so that won't be an issue and if AC dye wasn't already installed before, they should do so when you take it in. Sounds like a slow freon leak.
If you have any doubts that your car won't be properly dispatched to an experienced tech, don't hesitate to request that as we get those requests from time to time. You can also ask to talk to your tech if you feel more comfortable about the situation, making sure that there's no lack of comunication via the service writer and paperwork which can and does happen on occasion. You might not want "the new guy" working on your car as I wouldn't either.
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Thanks Jim.
I think your advice about requesting an experienced technician is a better idea than my control freak approach. My wife would kill me with the analogy, but we did the same in the hospital when she went into labor :-)
To clarify my question of acceptable shop procedures, given my limited knowledge it would seem that the procedure you outlined-that of evacuating the system and refilling--is the only way of propering topping off the charge. Am I correct in this assumption?
When I first brought the car to the dealer for the air-conditioning service advisory a few years ago they said that my air-conditioning was working fine. I should have asked but didn't as to whether or not my car was included in the list for control replacement. But I also know that, in a similar situation, I had to bring the car back a second time with the notice in hand that I received from Volvo before they would fix the connections in the front running light sockets (Recall 101).
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posted by
someone claiming to be 210893
on
Wed Jul 10 03:34 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Thanks Jim.
I think your advice about requesting an experienced technician is a better idea than my control freak approach. My wife would kill me with the analogy, but we did the same in the hospital when she went into labor :-)
To clarify my question of acceptable shop procedures, given my limited knowledge it would seem that the procedure you outlined-that of evacuating the system and refilling--is the only way of propering topping off the charge. Am I correct in this assumption?
When I first brought the car to the dealer for the air-conditioning service advisory a few years ago they said that my air-conditioning was working fine. I should have asked but didn't as to whether or not my car was included in the list for control replacement. But I also know that, in a similar situation, I had to bring the car back a second time with the notice in hand that I received from Volvo before they would fix the connections in the front running light sockets (Recall 101).
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posted by
someone claiming to be Jim
on
Thu Jul 11 00:40 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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"To clarify my question of acceptable shop procedures, given my limited knowledge it would seem that the procedure you outlined-that of evacuating the system and refilling--is the only way of propering topping off the charge. Am I correct in this assumption?"
It's the BEST way to recharge ANY auto. AC system, even on older R12 cars that used sight glasses to see air bubbles if present. One is always best off by knowing that the correct charge is in the system before going any further with AC problem troubleshoting.
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