retrofitted with the volvo kit the past sunday, pull vac and recharged with r-134, cool air and operational, noticed engine light came on short while later, pull the codes and recorded: 2-2-1, 2-3-2, while sitting in car with window closed, can hear a "sipping" sound from dash area more toward the passenger side?????? return from church, NO ac, checked pressure from the low side, nothing!!! the compressor fine, did not notice any leak from the new dryer/receiver and compressor, any idea???, now no ac, reset the code, after a short drive, still error code 2-2-1 with engine light on......... help, possible condenser or evaprator leak, but how difficult and how much$$ thanks in advance, engine vibrates a little for many years and no problems (pass inspection, 22-23 mpg overall, etc.)........... 1991 16v 125k

Once you find the source of the leak (which is obviously not going to be hard to find, judging by the fact that it leaked out rapidly), get back with the board about it. Some places are more likely to leak than others.

The sipping sound can potentially be the sound that the A/C makes when the high pressure refrigerant passes through the fixed orifice. that will yield a hissing or sipping sound inside the passenger compartment at any time that the A/C is on, in certain conditions (different sound in different temperature/humidity levels).

However, if this is happening for more than 30 seconds after the car is shut off, then there is likely a BIG leak in the evaporator. The pressure across the sides of the system pretty much equalizes after that amount of time. At least it is close enough not to either a) make noise, or b) provide any cooling as a result of expansion.
--
Chris Herbst, near Chicago.

thanks for your response!! i still couldn't find the leak, charged with the sys w/ red dyne, no sign of the leak from the connections (dryer/receiver/compressor), also used soap and bubble to check, but still notice no leak and not oil stain, the hissing only can be heard when ac is running (r134 not entirely leak out yet), when ac is off - no hissing sound, where else i should look for leak, i am thinking about investing ~$30 to buy the uv kit (uv light and r134 w/ uv dyne to charge the sys and check for leak), intresting point.......... while charging, compressor on (normal), engine vibrates a little, then noticed engine light came on, code --> 2-3-2, 2-2-1 ??? any idea, now the ac sys is empty, engine came back and the same code even after reset, AMM bad, check all intake (spread carb cleaner), did not noticed rpm increase or decrease, all vac lines are fine, replaced o2 sensor (oem part) and converter a month ago.......... thanks in advance for any idea!!

John,

I think you'll have better luck with an electronic sniffer (I know they aren't cheap, I was actually able to borrow one). The condenser is certainly a first choice as a likely leaker, since its out front getting hit with stones, bugs, etc. Perhaps running your hand gently across it will produce some oil on your fingers convincing you its the problem, otherwise it can be difficult to find the leak sometimes. Any oil around the front of the compressor (behind the clutch)? Also, check low pressure port, leaks can occur there. Although not an approved approach, pressurizing the system with air (20 - 30 psi) few a short time can show you where the leak is. Listen for hissing, then suck it down right away. AC is a pain on an older car, but fixin' it is cheaper than car payments, if you can get it done yourself. I used my 93 to learn AC because I couldn't get a shop to fix it.

You said you retrofitted and pulled a vacumn. How much vacumn were you able to pull and how long did you hold it? Its possible that you developed a leak after the vacumn and initial servicing but I would ask how much 132 you placed in the system versus the recommended charge of r12 for your car and was the system working before you changed over? If you drained and filled up with new oil, r132 and had a major leak in one morning you might notice a oil trail around the leaking area. Worst case see if vacumn can be held since you say you have no low side pressure. Craig

thanks for your response, the r12 was completely gone before i retrofit, i guess leak somewhere and i hoped it was the old dryer/receiver, after retrofiting, i pull the vac for an hour and 40min, then charged the system w/ 2 cans of r134, the compressor triggered on/off after ~ half of the 1st can, then the compressor constantly on when charging the 2nd can, the compressor seems to be fine, the low side pressure ~30psi, i was going to charge another ~half of the 3rd can but wanted to see if the system can hold..... it calls for 2.1lb ~ 2.8can (12oz can), ac was fine and opertaional, i spreaded soap and bubble around all connections on dryer/receiver/compressor, hi/low line on the frame rail, no sign of leak, but all leaked out after a few hours, low side pressure = 0, how do i check if the vac is holding after i pull the vac (vac gauge??? which i don't have), anywhere else to check????? while charging the system (compressor on), i noticed engine vibrates a little and then engine light comes on, code --> 2-2-1, 2-3-2 ?????????? may be the AMM ???thanks in advance for your help!!!!!

You pulled a vacuum for an hour and forty minutes, but didn't have any gauges hooked up? You may not have been pulling a vacuum into the system, just pulling air from the leak. The evaporator in the dashboard sprung a leak in my '94 960 that had the same symptoms as yours. If you pull the blower motor and use a small mirror check to see if there is any oily residue on the evaporator core. If there is any then the evap is leaking and needs to be replaced. On my 960 with the electronic climate control system this was an easy task. Volvo put a screwed on cover over the evap. On the manual climate systems the job is much more involved; the whole heater/ac box has to be removed if I remember correctly.

As for the engine codes, check all of the vacuum hoses, intake manifold gasket, and any hoses after the air mass meter for leaks. According to the codes the engine is running lean. You might also want to pull the electrical connector off the AMM and clean the terminals while you are under the hood. Clean the idle air control motor and throttle valve too.

Keep us informed with your progress. John

Here's my 2 cents worth, the codes are unrelated to the AC, you've got another problem. I don't have the code list in front of me so can't offer anything there. As for the AC, if you just retrofitted the kit to allow the use of R134a, but didn't find out why you had no R12 in there, you still have a leak. You will need to find the leak using the fluorescent dye, an electronic sniffer or with luck the naked eye (look for oil at leak).