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The previous posts are being too kind. I bought a 97R wagon several weeks ago, and discovered on a mildly warm day that my compressor was clicking on and off every ten seconds or so. I bought a can or 134a with pressure gauge, added it, and Viola! Very cold air coming from vents. Knock on wood, cross my heart, give God the Scout sign. But three or four days later the air coming from the vents was cool, not cold. Measurements on the gauge were identical to yours 22-45 as it clicked on and off. The evaporator was shot. To be fair and honest, and cling to that ephermeral hope, I will take it into an A/C shop and let them run their little sensor sniffer around the inside of the engine compartment and hope it will discover a loose connection, but I know from all the previous posts on this forum that it's the evaporator. $1500 if you're dumb enough to let Volvo do it, maybe a grand at an Indy shop.
Two suggestions, assuming you're mechanically inclined: On the passenger side under the hood you will see a wide black plastic shield that runs into the windshield. Study it, and you will see about three torx screws that hold it in place on that side. Take them out, and, use a pair of pliers to disconnect the one-inch plastic drain pipe on that side. Lift up the plastic cover and look back inside in the corner and see if there is a cabin air filter present. If it's just an opening with no rectangular five by ten paper filter in place, that is your problem. The air coming in sans the filter deposits on the evaporator, making a mud cake of sorts because of all the condensation, which hastens its destruction asap.
The second suggestion is go to volvo-forums.com, a different site than this one, and click on the submenu and search until you come to one that says "Changing out the evaporator" or close to that. Written by a Volvo tech. No pictures. Copy it off and read it at night before going to bed, several times.
If you change out the evaporator yourself, albeit a dirty rotten nasty but not difficult job, it will pay rich dividends in the end, in that you will be totally confident about anything and everything that will EVER go wrong on the inside of your 850. I have that job to look forward to myself. It's not much more difficult, time-wise, than doing pads and rotors on the brakes. A one day job and bottle of wine. There's a lot out there on changing out the evaporator, and though the job takes a day for a Volvo tech to do, and two days for the unenlightened amateur, it doesn't take a rocket scientist. Don't get scared off by the senstive types.
Phone Volvo Houston, 1-800-468-0041 for your replacement evaporator. They are THE cheapest Volvo parts source I've found in twenty years of working on my 145, 240 and 850. The parts manager is Miguel. Very knowledgeable and nice.
Print out the volvo-forums.com article on replacing the evaporator and study it. Go to your Volvo dealer and find out if Volvo has a publication out on replacing the evaporator with pictures. I haven't done that yet, but will. All the best.
Dick
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