Last Friday, I had the rotted accumulator replaced on our red 1998 S70 at a Volvo shop. This was brought to my attention about 3 years ago. The very next day I drove the car 1-hour to my destination and everything was cool (it was close to 90-degrees outside). On my way home I noticed that the compressor was cycling more frequently. 30-minutes into the trip, the compressor was cycling about every 3 seconds and the AC was blowing hot air. The AC, by the way, was blowing cold prior to bringing the car in the shop for repair.

Some background: About 4 years ago I was told by the tech that the evaporator was leaking. I had a very slow leak and so, since then, I have been using at least 1 or 2 cans of R-134a refrigerant (from Walmart) and the AC worked fine for about a year.

With the accumulator having been replaced, is it possible that the deterioration on the evaporator has been accelerated so suddenly? I am hoping that there is another leak somewhere else caused by the installation of the accumulator. The sudden lose of refrigerant doesn't seem to have been caused by a leaking evaporator. I am trying to avoid having the evaporator replaced as I am aware of the work (and therefore expense) involved. I can live by 1 or 2 cans of R-134a every year.

Any observations, suggestions, or comments? Please?

Thanks in advance!
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Brian M. - 1998 S70GLT, 1998 S70 GTA