My 850 is 10 years old. The air conditioner has ceased functioning. I shut it off after 5-6 minutes of barely (if any) cooled air while driving (first attempt at using it this season). I could feel the compressor clutch disengage when I did so.

Local dealer wants nearly $200 to evacuate + recharge the system (with a dye so that when the recharged refrigerant disappears they'll know from where it escaped and then can repair "the leak"(?) plus another nearly $200 to evacuate + recharge the system again). (If that makes so much sense, then how come the factory refrigerant charge didn't come with a dye already in it...?)

I'd been thinking of replacing the car for years already, but the engine's just getting broken in (29 mpg on latest extended excursion), and newer cars tend to be slower and/or much more fuelish... OTOH, I could pour a lot of money into this middle-aged car if I wanted to cure it's every ill.

Evaporator failures are rare in my area, and mine's had a pollen filter installed since day 2, so I'm hopeful it's not that.

Decisions, decisions...

Advice? DIY recharge kit alternative? Sources?

TIA,

- Dave; '95 854T, 160K mi


(BTW, the car also needs summer tires. The Goodyear Eagle GS-D3s didn't work out... If anyone can suggest a smooth-riding good-performing 205/50-16, please do.)

I've found 2 cheap replacement fuses (radio and lighter) with oxidized contacts, and cleaned the passenger side interior temperature sensor and cleared code 4-1-7, to no avail. Still no A/C. (There was also a 4-1-8, but I believe that's another, unrelated, long, old story.)

When, with engine running, I enable the compressor via the console switch, I can hear/feel the compressor clutch engage, but by the time I'm looking underhood, it is not engaged. This last time I engaged it like that, the engine ECU noticeably bumped the engine rpm to compensate for the expected load.

There was nearly 100 psi (now closer to 90 -- I reattached it with the engine running and the gauge's hose is not very long...) at the fitting. (remember, compressor's not running)

All feedback appreciated. TIA,

- Dave; '95 854T, 160K mi

If the cabin filter was doing it's job your evap is probably OK. I have about 100K mile on my '95 and have just replaced both compressor hoses due to leaks. Before you spend alot of money on testing I would recommend replaceing both of these hoses. If you have the time and talent and want to save 50% of the hose cost get the old ones repaired. If you don't have a local shop send the old ones to Century Auto AC in Phoenix, AZ. They do very good work. "century autoac.com" One post said to hold the refill cans upside down when refilling but read the can label. I've found that they all say to leave the can upright. Putting it in a bucket of hot tapwater for 30 min will speed things up a little.

Sorry about the unside down can part...guess I remembered it the wrong way.
Do, read the directions, Dave.
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'95 854T 125,000

Thanks.

AutoZone had 2 hoses, one with a gauge, one w/o. So that was a no-brainer.

They had 3 refrigerants: plain, with dye to detect leaks, and one WITH STOP LEAK.

I've heard of folks successfully using refrigerant with Stop Leak over the years, and never heard of any subsequent horror stories, so chose it. It's product # 308 apparently listed at www.efproducts.com but selecting it from the drop-box didn't cause anthing to happen, so I don't have a URL for you.

Can says to hold can upright to charge as a gas.

I guess I'll visually/manually inspect hoses first, and then give it a try...

- Dave; '95 854T, 160K mi

For $40 or less, get a kit with a pressure guage. Add one can of r134a with the engine running. After a few minutes, check the pressure. High should be 45 and low around 20psi. Temp at the right vent should be in the low 40's if recirculate is on.
BTW, do not turn off the AC on the console. The climate control will regulate the temperature better and the seals in the system won't dry out from lack of use.
I run on ContiExtremes, very quiet and good in the rain.
That looks a lot like my turbo in front of the Peak!

Klaus
--
98 V70Rawd(108Kmi), 95 854T(88K mi), 75 164E(173K mi)

DIY kit is easy to do. Available at AutoZone, KMart, or any auto parts store. AutoZone may even do it for you. The valve is near the front of the car passenger side.

Other recent threads have explained in more detail how to do it. Klaus suggested shaking the can first to make sure it isn't empty...he said he's gotten a couple of empty ones before. Hold the can upside down when you are putting it in.
Have the car running with the A/C on full blast.

How are you able to get 29 MPG...the most I've ever gotten is 26. On our trip this past weekend we got 23 mpg in sport position on a 3 hour freeway drive using A/C.
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'95 854T 125,000

Well I guess I'm off to AutoZone tomorrow, then; thanks.

> How are you able to get 29 MPG...

I had a friend following, so mostly kept to within 5 mph of the speed limit, which meant not much time above 80. Less air/wind resistance in CO. I always keep AT in Sport mode; it's easier to torque one's way around town in E mode, which is elegant, but the engine stays happier/healthier when it spins faster occasionally. (On a long highway drive that switch won't affect mileage significantly unless you want it to.) I only use the A/C when I need to, which is not often. I keep the antenna down unless I'm using it (I wasn't).

Car approaches 26 mpg @ 80 mph. Engine still has thinner 5-30 winter weight Mobil 1 and it was warm+ out (soon back to 10-30). In addition to Mobil 1 since 2600 mi, I've always used DurAlt fuel conditioner, which increases torque by increasing burn efficiency and also keeps combustion chambers (and fuel injectors, apparently) in perfect operating condition (no carbon buildup, for eg; at the last emissions test @ ~ 140K mi, the emissions had finally almost reached zero). No synthetic ATF for me, thanks.

The car came with a thermostat that was of slightly lower temperature than the replacement (I tried to avoid that change, to help keep underhood temps minimal, for the sake of belt/hose logevity, but settled for what Volvo offered). The engine really liked the change, and combustion/mileage improved.

Oh yeah, in the tank prior to this fill-up was some ethanol-laced gas, something I avoid, so the system had seen a fresh dose of a solvent to which it was unaccustomed, plus there were still a few gallons' worth of the ethanol-laced gas left, so the octane was a bit higher than the advertised (max here) 91 without there being so much lower-energy octane-boosting content that the squrt timing windows had grown large/wide/sloppy in compensation.

It's a quick/fast car, so I can make up ground whenever I choose to, so I don't follow too closely, so I don't use the brakes as often as do many drivers.

I'm not accustomed to seeing 29 mpg regularly by any means; but 30 is not out of the question under favorable conditions, and the car's "still got it".

- Dave; '95 854T, 160K mi

What mpg do you average around town? I live in a congested area in FL with lots of long red lights and usually only average around 16 mpg.

I still enjoy driving my '95 854T too. I still like the looks. I am in no hurry to spend a fortune on a new car. I have started to save for one should it be necessary...I know I should have been doing that since this one was paid in full years ago.

I prefer driving the car in sport all the time buy may give E a try on freeway and see if it makes a difference. It seems to have more guts in S.

Also, Klaus, you suggest keeping the A/C switch on all the time. If I idle too long my A/C starts to blow warm. I have to turn it off for a while then turn it back on. I read all the directions given about removing washers. I am not inclined to do my own repairs (I used to try to do some repairs on my simple '57 CJ5 Jeep when I was a young woman) so I may have to end up getting the whole compressor replaced. I've been trying to find a good indy Volvo shop for my big oil leak diagnosis/fix...so far 2 haven't returned my calls. Also, I read a while ago to turn it off so that the condensation drys out otherwise it is prone to mold or something and a shorter evap life. I just got the evap done in Feb. Last year the A/C system had an awful odor...manure or worse. That lasted a long time. I live in a very warm, humid climate. Maybe that makes the difference.
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'95 854T 125,000

> If I idle too long my A/C starts to blow warm. I have to turn it off for a while then turn it back on.

From http://au.geocities.com/ozbrick850/aircon-keithP.html "In very hot and humid countries there have been some reports of the compressor's overheat switch operating to close off the air conditioning, when in fact there is no reason to do so. This switch is often taken out of service to rectify the problem."

(rectify the problem of not selling/installing enough replacement compressors?)

> What mpg do you average around town? I live in a congested area in FL with lots of long red lights and usually only average around 16 mpg.

22 is good around town. It sometimes drops below 20. But I try to avoid congested traffic situations. (As for the length of the lights, try talking to a city traffic engineer.)

Since I only run about 32/29 tire psi, I've got no unfair advantage there. I am running a KandN air filter, which hasn't been serviced in a long time. Plus that 5-30 (my 'winter' weight) synthetic oil in recent unseasonably warm temperatures surely hasn't hurt mileage.

> I prefer driving the car in sport all the time buy may give E a try on freeway and see if it makes a difference. It seems to have more guts in S.

The only [significant] difference is how far you can get into the throttle before the transmission decides that a downshift is called for. Given that the more-occasional higher revs the engine experiences in "S" helps keep it cleaner, the "E" setting seems to me to offer a false (long-term real-world) economy, even if it actually did help the car's government CAFE rating.

> Also, Klaus, you suggest keeping the A/C switch on all the time. If I idle too long my A/C starts to blow warm.

In a sufficiently humid climate, the system will shut down (or at least cycle) to (try to) avoid ice formation. C'est la vie. I agree that Volvo considers leaving the A/C enabled all the time to be the proper default position, but given how infrequently I need to use the A/C where I live, I find that position wasteful and annoying (I can feel the clutch dis/engage, something I'm willing to put up with only in exchange for necessary climate control).

> Last year the A/C system had an awful odor...manure or worse. That lasted a long time. I live in a very warm, humid climate. Maybe that makes the difference.

Sounds like evaporator 'disease' to me. Mine only exhibited a hint of malodor, once, long ago. I think the key to long evaporator life is to keep it clean and dry to the extent possible. But if it's gotten dirty/dusty (that's why the cabin 'pollen' filter's a good idea) and then never gets a chance to fully dry, stuff will grow... (The way I figure it, if your cold can of beverage has condensation on it, so does your evaporator.)

One of the things that gives me pause about replacing this car is its light-colored dashboard top, which really minimizes interior heat gain. The car is dark but the interior stays cool. I wear polarized sunglasses so reflections are not a problem. A bigger problem is that relatively few new cars offer light-colored dashboard tops.

With any luck, I'll be trying Michelin Pilot Sport 205/50-16s this week. I never enjoyed switching from summer tires to the 195/60-15s as I did last autumn when the Goodyear Eagle GS-D3s came off the car (what a relief that was, not having to constantly steer in order to go straight!).

- Dave; '95 854T, 160K mi

If you want better mpg, use E on the highway. My R got 26 during spring break, MN to CO and back - with a full car and at 84mph in CO and Nebraska.

Klaus
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98 V70Rawd(108Kmi), 95 854T(88K mi), 75 164E(173K mi)