Had my A/C system checked out and was informed that the evaporator core, expansion valve, and drier required replacement due to a leak. This is quite an expensive project, therefore, I was wondering how common a problem this is and if there are any possibilites of it being something more simple. If not has anyone had any experience changing out their evap core? Got any helpful hints for doing it yourself?

Depending on how fast it leaks, you might want to just recharge it once every two months. At around $5 a can it will take a long time to get to the price of a new evaporator, which may leak again in a year or so.
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98 V70Rawd(101Kmi), 95 854T(85K mi), 88 245(165K mi)

the evap is leaking, the drier is always changed to ensure getting all the moisture out of the system and the orifice tube, expansion valve they mmentioned, is 10 dollars-cheap inswurance. good luck, chuck.

Its the most common A/C problem known to the Volvo 850. Almost every 850 made has either had it's evaporator changed out or has a slow maintainable leak requiring frequent service (recharge). Go over to the Bay 13 page at VolvoSpeed.com ( http://www.volvospeed.com/volvo_performance.php ) and look through the repair/maintenance section under A/C Repairs and you can see what the repair involves. Its a major teardown of the dash area as well as most of the A/C underhood lines to change out all that you mentioned. Easily a $1500 job if you take it to a local indy repair shop. It's an all day event. Not to be tackled by the faint at heart.



Mike
'95 850T

Thanks for the input. Any recommendations on a good repair manual for this little project? Haynes? or are there some better, more detailed ones?

is this the 2nd time i'm writing this?? sorry if it is!!

anyway, ive changed an evaporator on a 1996 855 with ECC (and a drier and a compressor!!) and i didnt think it was that bad - it took me 8 hours, included 1 hour for lunch! Well it's easier than a rear main which took me 13 hours..........

I took some photos and made a few 'notes' if you're interested..........

e-mail me on: kevin.loomes@btinternet.com