Hi All,

My coworkers are warning me about hot and humid weather during summer. I am not planning to fix my AC nor get another car with AC. The commute is only 15-20 local drives. How bad its going to be?

Also, do I need to concern about humidity that will eat up my Volvo?

As always, thank you.

How about this? I'm going to try it, although I live in Maine so it's not such a big deal for me ;>)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHQ0v3da2g4

I am sorry if this has been pointed out but I don't have the time to go through all the responses to check...

Earlier 240's had a fresh air vent in the area forward of the door on the driver's side. Those were eliminated sometime in the mid 80's(?).

Up to the 90 or 91 model year the structural members in that area were not changed but they eliminated the vent and simply put a piece of sheet metal over the opening behind the plastic panel.

If you can find an early car you can simply transfer the vent mechanism to your car. The rubber like knob on the end of the control lever has a pin that holds it in place. Remove that knob and the plastic panel and you have access to the screws that hold the assembly in place.

It may not be the answer for your Florida heat but it helps somewhat.

Randy

hi,
you might say never about fixing your ac, but you might change your mind. i live in the houston area where the city didn't grow in population until the advent of residential and commercial ac (1930s-40s).

in 1980, i was commuting to school(university). the car was a 1970 rusted out plymouth belvadere with no ac and black vinyl bench seats. it only had vents with one being near the driver's foot like the earlier volvo 240s.

it turned out to be a record-setting summer, more 98+ degree days than ever. i was always dripping in sweat, and the vinyl scorched my back and rear every time i got in. the following year, i bought a brand new 1981 honda civic with ac.

i swore never will i have no ac again. either i pay or later, i learned how to fix it myself.

i joke that i might have a car that doesn't run, but my ac works.

this week, i'm fixing my 92 volvo ac: ac compressor locked up. my 86 has a blocked orifice which i'll fix after i get the rust repaired. my lexus rx350 ac condenser blew, i fixed that, my 96 lexus es300 ac failed, i fixed that.

if you are planning to keep your car for a long time, as we have with our 86 245, which my wife bought new, then you might want to invest in the tools to fix the compressor.

in texas, my ac will work, period.

good luck,
byron golden
86 245
92 245
94 940

There are a lot of AC shops in FL, check a few of them out. Don't forget about tinting your windows, especially the rear 3.

A friend of mine who used to live in Houston would walk to his car in the parking lot, open the passenger side doors then the passenger side doors, go back and close the passenger side doors, start the car, close the driver's side doors, and then go home. He claimed the cabin temp would go from 130F+ to 100F in those couple of minutes.

Ventilation in the 240's wasn't very good, only one source of air, making AC almost mandatory unless you lived in Sweden. Rolling down the driver's window and the right rear window helps a lot and eliminates buffeting when driving over 30mph.

As for the 'humidity'? Not much you can do about it. It rains every afternoon around 4 o'clock and the pavement is dry by 5. Just make sure the windows are closed when parked.
--
Keeping it running is better than buying new

It won't be bad in the morning and going home is good because your going home!

Make sure heater valve is not leaking.

Hopefully you don't have to get all dressed up and stay presentable!

Dan

Fix it
You might have a chance with a fan if it were a sedan. But the wagon is a solar powered oven superfired by the wayBack...where there is Zero ventilation.
I seem to remem that your wagon is Dark Blue...one step up from Black.

Hi Swedish Baklava,

I've not had A/C in the three 240s since like 2001 or so. Another reason to despise the middle of midwest with the stupid baseball cardinals and the arches thing here.

Did the A/C operate in your 1987 Volvo Wagon? When did it quit if yes?

Hope you do not have them vinyl seats. Plush cloth seat covers over them. Though I've washed the. front factory cloth seat covers more than once at least.

Though you have awful summers with heat, humidity and pollution where you were in NY-state? Some where in the Atlantic northeastern states? I forget.

A 1987 Volvo 240 A/C factory system would not be hard to resurrect. All A/C components are there? Does the A/C compressor turn? Does it remain the R-12 or was 'updated' to R-134a?

If R-12, there exist innumerable compatible refrigerants. Duracool is one of them that is fine with the R-12 compressor lubricant. At the very least you'd replace all system o-rings, the drier, and maybe the compressor if in poor shape or worse after all this time. Oh, yeah, the pulley and clutch assembly. A refrigerant vacuum with gauges to ensure the system holds vacuum for at least a day or so.

If a new compressor, renew the compressor oil compatible with the refrigerant you use. You need not 'upgrade' to R-134a.

Though you may encounter other issues such as a failed compressor, A/C system hoses that leak, or the condenser has corrosion-caused or other-cause holes. Hoses may be remade using the connector or new connectors, and on and on. It may be a small money pit and a time investment once you begin. Having to pull the components, cleaning the two heat exhangers, and what have you.

Else, does your 1987 Volvo 245 Wagon have rust? If near the seaside, the humidity and airborne saltiness / briny quality in the air over time can accelerate rust. If left outside, that can also speed on existing body corrosion. A garage helps. Cleaning the blind compartments of bio-guck and grime, using products like Waxoyl or the like in them blind compartments and under body frame rails were you can, and keep up with undercoating and re-sealing chipped paint finish helps.

I hope you've replaced the exterior window scrapers on all four doors.

Your 240 wagon does not have the roof rack, yes? Hope so.

Hope the rear hatch hinges are in fine fettle. If the rear hinge section, bolted to the hatch, are resting on the roof line or near it, time to replace.

Hope that halps.

Happy Sat-Your-Day.

MacDuffed.
--
Give your brickboard.com a big thumbs up! Way up! - Roger Ebert.

Drink plenty of water.

--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon, '15 XC70 T6

I also suggest thoroughly checking out your cooling system parts before summer. Does your car run hot? Is that why you used the heat in the NYC summers? How is your radiator? Have you already disconnected the AC Compressor? If you aren't using the AC there is less strain and heat generated within the cooling system.

I don't think the humidity itself will do much damage. Maybe mold and increased corrosion?

My 89 740 had very litte rust maybe a quarter sized piece.My 87 740 Was LOADEDw rust from the bottom up,,worst waste of money ever,,&& I got it for free.

FLA car?

I live in Southern Ontario and probably "need" A/C perhaps 3 or 4 months out of the year. The first car I had with A/C was a 1983 Camaro in 1986 and stopped working after a year. I drove that car across Canada and to Florida with my kids in the summer and never had a dire need for A/C. I was quoted $1000 to fix it, but declined, which was just as well, because the car got totalled a year later. My current '85 Camaro never had A/C, but the windows roll down. which is good enough for me, if a bit blustery and noisy. When I got my '92 Volvo 740 wagon the A/C didn't work and I replaced some piping, but still had a leak, so I gave up on it. My current daily is an '05 Dodge Magnum with A/C and I'm happy with it and would get it fixed if it failed. How did people survive in the 1950s and '60s when most cars didn't have A/C? I guess it's the same way they survived without cellphones.

But, honestly, if you're in Florida, getting the A/C fixed would be a priority in my opinion.
--
1992 745, >500k km (now gone, but not forgotten)

hi yeller- interesting question about what did folks w/o ac do in the 50s and 60s especially in fla. the older pre computer/electronic cars were clearly better vented which made things easier and as noted installation of those little fans helped. I put two in these cars- screwed them into existing holes under the dash and hot wired them to a powered terminal or a fuse terminal. they made a big difference too. the key is to keep the air moving. with todays tanks youre up the creek (stinking creek?) on that solution. another solution (every little bit helps) is the folding seat cushion with the flow through coil springs for ventilation which suppressed perspiring shirt and pant backs. haven't seen them since the war. is it time to give up , shut up and pay up? take care, have to go to the cleaners soon. thanks tons oldduke

hi yeller- interesting question about what folks did in the 50s and 60s when car ac was rare. remember it well and here was the difference. those eras cars especially the fords, Chevrolets and Plymouths had front passenger window vent panes(now long gone) which would turn out and direct the air right at you when rolling and they also had large open ducting for the floor vents which directed outside forced air directly at you. you often had a pop up vent on the cowl just infront of the windshield, side door vents in the rear of the front fenders and large ducting pipes from the front grille to the firewall. even if the car sat hot as hell, if you had those vents open, the car would be comfortably cooled down only one mile out of stinking creek. who remembers the under dash push pull cable controlled (called Bowden wire) door vents which were easy for an owner to fix. not like today when a shyster mechanic wants $300 to fix an allegedly complicated electronic/computer button which controls vent opening. hope you don't mind a short walk down memory lane(next installment ill tell you how to adjust a manual clutch--clutch?). regards oldduke

oldduke,
My second new car (my previous 2 cars were open sports cars) was a 1968 Camaro, which no longer had the vent panes, but something they called Astro Ventilation, swivel vents on each side of the dash. They never worked as well as the vent windows did.
--
1992 745, >500k km (now gone, but not forgotten)

HI SB and Oldduke,

You might remember a time when people had what they called winter and summer thermostats.

You'll want to change to a lower temp, or maybe take it out altogether, SB. Anything's got to be better than running the heater on a stinking New York City summer day.

Good luck down there,
Peter

Hi oldyellr,


This is so true. I think half of the young population on this planet will get depressed if they don't have access to instagrams. No more facebook they say, facebook is already old school.

Right after the housing bubble crash, My old friends told me that our generation are too weak and worry too much. They told me to skip a meal like lunch if things get tough. That's when really hit me. I had so many friends who were in despair losing their jobs and losing their homes. We are so spoiled. At least, I am.

As always, thank you. Have a beautiful weekend.

fix the AC :) It will be a fun project.

Hi zeeko,

Yes, I wish I have time to fix the AC. Unfortunately, I don't have time any more. :(

Hi SB,

Too bad you don't have the time to fix the AC. Its a luxury in the tropics.

Plan a few days leave from work to send the car for its AC fix (look for suitable shop beforehand). Or you could order the parts yourself and attempt to fix the AC by taking leave - more fun!

For the time being you could:
1. Park the car in the shade
2. Wear light cotton clothings
3. Bring ice drink in car while commuting*
4. Have a running fan in car
5. Disable the heater valve (pull its vac line out and plug it)
6. Plan a suitable route to work with less traffic jams - need to get the breeze going

*ice cubes in drink won't do. better to freeze the whole drink overnight in your freezer

Regards,
Amarin.

hi amarin- r u sure you want to recommend ac repair in a shop. seems like a felonious assault on ones estate. isn't this repair on a Volvo like going to the cleaners? regards oldduke

Hi Oldduke,

Yes it may seems so. Thats why I mentioned about planning ahead including picking the shop. Myself is more comfortable doing own repairs but I would leave somewhat complicated job to trusted shop. Even then there's always something amiss when getting the car back. My last repair shop forgot to put back the clips to the IAC hoses. And they were OE part. Went back there and they replaced them with some European OEM clips. That did the job but didn't look original to me. In some other instances they didn't rearrange the harness and ignition cables like before. I had to that part myself.

I agree in some instances sending our car to the shop is akin to getting assaulted.

Regards,
Amarin.

hi amarin- very true sadly. a very tough find, looking for a competent, experienced mechanic who is not a shyster. has become much more difficult since the 80s, when cars started getting unnecessarily complicated. have one now who has been good for the last few years. better than dealers or highway repair shops, but does charge what the market will bear. only safety I have is to try to do all the repairs myself where my tool set and skill set will permit. used to handle 98% on my own but since the late 80s 50% at best. absolutely necessary to go over a repair done by another for incompleteness, missing parts, unreconnected hoses, wires, brackets, etc. and foolish persons ask me why I cuss. regards oldduke

Hi Amarin,

I like your ideas about AC in the time being. Some thoughts my daughter contributed changed my subscription to the theory that AC was a modern convenience one could do without; my 440 AC that means roll four windows down and drive 40 mph. #1 daughter says that's well and fine if you don't need to show up for work in a suit or have long hair, and neither of us has ever lived in the tropics like you and SB.

Her idea was to hire the Volvo dealer to fix the AC, instead of me, and use their loaner car to continue working. Sometimes when I've done extended work on her car she gets a rental for the time. That way she can be sure she never wants any car other than a 240 -- more fanatic than I am. (I take that back; now that my niece works at Tesla)

I can add the thought that taking time from work during the first few months of new employment has never been easy for me to do.

Good thought on the heater valve! It is a known problem in 240's 75-92 before the plastic contraption, the thermostatic "wax motor" which modulates the valve loses function making it possible to pass hot coolant to the heater even with the control all the way closed. It is mentioned in the AC manual (green books) as a possible reason proper cooling is not achieved.

Unfortunately it isn't quite so easy to disable the 240 valve by plugging a vacuum line and the replacement valve is not a trivial matter. If the adjustment of the thermostat doesn't get the valve to close fully a hose-pinch clamp on the inside hose might be a good temporary fix, or perhaps in Florida the Volvo heater could be lived without.




--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” -Socrates

Dear Art,

Thank you for the heater valve info. I sometimes forget. And I stand corrected.

Myself had past experience staying during winter at Tallahassee FL. It wasn't pleasant. Lips were chapped, felt cold to the bone and the house air was dry because we were using gas heater. Furthermore there wasn't any snow to play around with! Haha! And I thought how those could survive in the northern US.

In the tropics during the hot months (versus the rainy months) it is uncomfortable too. But it was less restrictive in feel (or less depressive as some folks would call it). There may be an AC in home, cold-ice drinks or at least a nice table/ceiling fan cooling all around. If it becomes unbearable just take a long cool shower and its ok again.

Regards,
Amarin.

paint the roof white!

Hi SB!

If you can survive Florida in the summer without AC you are more of a man than I ...:)

Maybe dash mount fans? Cool packs for you etc.

J

hi swede bak- survival of se fla summer heat is doable. those little fans that used to wire into a hot wire and a ground under the dash are good. you can catch screw or bolt some where to mount them . those fans are available in parts stores and in junked trucks in the yards. actually really just a matter of getting used to the heat. all I have to do is recall those brutal winters of cold and snow in nj and I forget about the heat. trying to find a shaded parking spot so the car doesn't toast up when time to slide behind the wheel helps too. good luck oldduke

Hi guys,


OK. I didn't think about getting a portable fan. I will look for a strong fan and try it.


During hot NY summer months, I always turned heater on so that my swedish baklava can stay cool. I sweated a lot but it was doable. I can't wait until summer. I will let you guys know how I feel.

As always, thank you.

hi swede bak- actually forgot about another thing. most car parts and accessory stores back in the war also sold no cage fans with rubber blades which used a suction cup to stick to the dash or other non porous surface and a cord with a plug that would go into the cigarette lighter receptacle on or below the dash. all the old Volvos at least up to 93 had one.had one in my 64 dodge but an enemy stole it. would look for one of them at the stores, flea markets and garage sales. regards oldduke