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Well, we are having a little bit of trouble with our Volvo S70 T5. The A/C is cold only when it is cool outside and during the day alternates between very warm and very cold. Nowadays, very warm being more prevalent.
We took it to the dealership here in Austin, TX . . . and they said it would be about $1,200 for parts/labor 'cause they need to change the Evaporator, which is a very big job, apparently.
Does this sound right? With the alternating hot/cold? Is this a common problem? I just read another thread here with someone's '99 who is having the same problem.
Reading the options on that other thread: If we did choose to do it ourself, is there somewhere we can find detailed instructions on how to do so? Thanks!
-Lil' Viv
http://www.lilviv.com
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posted by
someone claiming to be Yo_adrian
on
Fri Jul 4 03:41 CST 2003 [ RELATED]
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Lil Viv...Check out this post, http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/index.htm?id=613329 I had the exact same issues as you did. Now my wife's ride is a speeding freezer on wheels!
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I am having a similar problem with a 96 850. The system has a full charge and seems to be holding it. After about 15 mins. the cold air becomes warm and may stay that way for some time before it switches back to cold. I don't understand how an evaporator can cause this type of problem. Someone posted a reply to me suggesting that the thermal switch in the compressor is bad. He said that it can not be repaired and compressor must be replace. Has anyone else had to do this. He said the switch is set for 74 degrees.
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BOY, i CAN'T GET USED TO THIS FORUM. I WOULD TRY THE RECHARGE, I HAVE TO DO IT AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR TO KEEP IT GOING.
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Thanks you guys for all the tips.
You know what makes this a little more frustrating? The car is less than one month old to us . . . it's my girlfriend's, and she purchased it recently. We mentioned to the guy the day after we bought it that it seems to be blowing warm air occasionally . . . he suggested that we just read the manual on how to operate it 'cause it blows ice cold, which it did . . . occasionally. We thought it was just a little tricky. I guess those are the pitfalls of a used car, maybe one of those extended warranties would've been useful.
Her car is a 1998 Wine Red S70 T5 Turbo Sedan, automatic, CD/Tape, moonroof, premium wheels, etc. It had 66,000 miles on it, and had most service records from the dealership. She paid $12,900 + tax which brought it to $13,900. Then, there's this $1,241 repair for the A/C. Do you think she got an OK deal on the car, still?
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posted by
someone claiming to be MikeKal
on
Sat Jul 12 04:25 CST 2003 [ RELATED]
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The condition with the thermoswitch in the compressor takes a long time from where it happens only occasionally to becoming common even at lower ambiant temperatures. I suspect the person your girlfriend bought the car from knew about the problem and it was probably one of the reasons for him to sell the car. Go to the local Volvo dealer or the dealer that sold the car new and ask them to print out a list of service they performed on the vehicle. If you find that the seller was advised of the problem and he did not tell your girlfriend when she purchased the car you have some remedy. I am not a lawyer but if I found out the seller was not truthful of a known defect I would first contact him and try to work out a deal for him to participate in the repair. If he refuses I would then contact an attorney. A new compressor cost me $880 dollars installed at my Volvo dealer for the thermoswitch problem. I would expect the seller to pay at least half because you will end up with a new compressor. That is a small price compared to legal fees (both yours and his) court costs and what ever damages the court awards you. It does not pay to hide a defect when selling a used car. The courts will hold the seller to the same standards as a professional car dealer when fraud is determined.
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From a local oklahoma used volvo dealer's website (www.benicetoyourvolvo.com):
1998 Volvo S70 $10800.00 80200 coral Details
1998 Volvo S70 $10800.00 73348 Green Details
However, the original owner probably sold the car BECAUSE the evap. was going down the tube. Just speculating, though,
Hope this is helpful,
Max
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Ah, but both of those are higher mileage and not T5 Turbo Sedans, right? (I just checked out their site.)
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Lil' Viv,
go to your local AutoZone and look at Haynes Manual for your particular vehicle. See the section on replacing evaporator/heater core, it should be around that area. I changed mine (on '97 855 GLT) using Haynes Manual, as well as www.alldatadiy.com, which is an awesome site for do-it-yourselfer's. The most difficulty that I had (besides taking the whole dashboard apart, which is just plain tedious) was DISCONNECTING the old evaporator from the AC hoses in the engine compartment. You will need 2 Ford type spring clip tools to remove those lines (you can buy them at AutoZone for about 10 bucks for a set of 4). Would be nice if you had somebody to help you pulling and tagging. Maybe mine was just extra rusted or something, and you wouldn't have as much trouble, but that was what caused me the most difficulty. If you do decide to do it yourself, be sure to be VERY careful with airbag modules; also, in the process of taking the dashboard apart I would recommend that you bag and tag all the bolts that come off so that you would know exactly where they go. It would be very helpful if you took digital pictures (if you have a digital camera, that is) as you took your dashboard aside, because then you would be able to look at them and put it back together. Changing the evaporator (on my vehicle) wasn't limited to taking the dashboard apart, I alsa had to take the windshild wipers and windshield wiper motor out, so, in no question it is a big job. And it definately is worth about $1000. However, as long as I can save about $700 on labor, and the work doesn't include cylinders, engine, transmission, etc (something that one can really screw up), I will attempt to do it myself.
Anyway, hope this is helpful,
My $0.04
Max
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posted by
someone claiming to be Punxsutaney Phil
on
Wed Jun 25 04:55 CST 2003 [ RELATED]
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So if you have "some" AC, that means your AC system is holding "some" R134. Have you considered just recharging the AC and seeing how long it lasts? If you can get away with one or two recharges with R134 annually that should cost you less than $1200.
Click THIS (Courtesy of "Bay 13"), go to the photo at the bottom of the page!
My $0.02
-Punxsutawney Phil
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I AGREE WITH RECHARGING, TRY IT!! I HAVE TO DO IT ONCE A YEAR AT LEAST.
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posted by
someone claiming to be JH
on
Fri Jun 27 03:17 CST 2003 [ RELATED]
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Well, I have the same problem. It's going to the indy on Wed. I had to drive for 2 hours yesterday in 97F heat with NO A/C. However, once the temp. outside gets below 85F I start to get some cool air out of the A/C.
The indy is just about positive it's that sensor in the compressor. He says the wiring can be diverted to leave this sensor out of the mix. This would cost $120 vs. $750 for the complete compressor replacment/recharge/all the other stuff that would have to be done for the full A/C service. I hope he is right.
I too have tried to sell/trade-in my volvo. However, I haven't put it on the private market. I wouldn't wish this trouble on anyone. I also have the piston o-ring problem too that will cost a cool $450.
I would get an indy mechanic to look at it, perhaps they can rewire the thing. My dealer just wanted to replace the complete compressor, but @ 1020 vs. 750 from my indy.
My fiance loves the volvo. I'm ready to be rid of the thing.. I just know the ABS module will fail next.
JH
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