850 Turbo A/C doesn't get cold

I have a 1996 850 that I just bought in November and when I turn on
the A/C it doesn't get cold. I looked at the manual and it called for
a certain type of freon which I couldn't find in Autozone. I was
wondering what do I need to get some cold air blowing? Break this
down like I am an eight year old. I read something about converting
the system over to a r134 whatever that means.

Thanks

DJ

 

It's time to take it to a refrigeration professional.

The manual indicates your system uses R-12, which is not legally available
to unlicensed people because of our signing on to the Montreal treaty two
decades ago. However, that may not be true; your system may actually use the
newer R-134a. It was made around the time of the changeover, and I thought
all '96s used 134a. Stickers under the hood will tell the truth.

Here's how it boils down. R-12 could be recharged by a moderately
experienced Do-It-Yourselfer. R-134a really can't. DIYers can't get R-12 any
more (and it is shockingly expensive now anyway) and can't make good use of
R-134a. After all that the problem may be something else entirely. A
professional can figure it out.

Mike

 

Your 850 will be new enough that it will use R-134a, at least in the US it
will. I know Volvo switched the 240 series in '91ish so I'm not sure why
they would have stuck with R-12 in other models.

AC is not difficult to work on in a mechanical sense, but you'll need some
special tools and there's a bit of a learning curve. You need to figure out
why the AC isn't working, you can't just add refrigerant willy-nilly and
expect it to work. You have to figure out how much refrigerant is in the
system and then carefully add more if required, the quantity is somewhat
critical in order for the system to operate at anywhere near peak
efficiency. If the system is empty, a leak needs to be fixed, in which case
you also need to replace the reciever/dryer cannister, vacuum down the
system and then charge it.

In a nutshell, if you're not an experienced shadetree mechanic who doesn't
mind scrounging or fabricating some tools, leave the plumbing side of the AC
to a professional beyond measuring the pressure to see if you have anything
resembling a charge in the system. It's possible for there to be electrical
failures such as the pressure cutout switch, clutch, or even a fuse which
can prevent the AC from functioning.

 

The 850 is not old enough to want R12 refridgerant. It'll be R134a.

The reason your's isnt working could be down to many reasons. Get a
reputable mobile a/c specialist to take a look at it initially. It could be
just down to low charge (good- system is probably workable), if its out of
gas entirely then making it work depends on how long its leaked and why it
leaked.

800's / 70 series cars are slightly peculiar in their operation compared to
others, especially when it comes to correctly charging them, and also they
often sufffer from a burst evaporator, which is a 6hr dash out job to
replace. Compressor clutches are another weakpoint, as is the overheat cut
out.

Your a/c guy will leak detect the system and where its leaking hinges in
what you do to fix it (if anything)

Tim..

 

Oh Lawd... How much is this going to cost me? Is this something that
one of the quick lube places can do for me or do I need to pay a volvo
mechanic 90.00 an hour to take a look at it?

Thanks for all of your helpful replies.

DJ

 

I wouldnt trust one of the quick lube places to dunk toast soldiers into a
boiled egg, let alone diagnose an a/c problem!!

You need a professional, proper a/c *specialist*....

Tim..

 

Definitely see a reputable Volvo dealer. I went the route of an indy
mechanic (that was rated extremely high by a local consumer magazine) a
couple of years ago to save a couple of hundered dollars on the AC
evaporator replacement. Ended up having to have Volvo do it over. Cost
to replace evaporator is very high - was about $1600 for my 1995 850
turbo sedan.

 

Take it to an AC specialty shop, it doesn't have to be Volvo specific. A
Volvo dealer can fix it, but they'll rake you over the coals.

 

Never a Quick Lube place. Volvo is a safe bet, but air conditioning
specialty shops are good, too. A simple service and recharge will run in the
$100 range, but there may be a different problem. Any way you slice it,
other ways of doing it are more expensive. This is not something to trust to
amateurs.

Mike

 

Well I stopped by an auto repair shop and he added some freon to the
car for me. While he was adding it he said that he didn't have time
to check it for leaks today but if it was just blowing hot then some
freon should take care of it. And for 69.95 it took care of it for
all of 10 minutes. Then the air got hot again. And when I turn it
off for a few minutes and back on it gets cold for around 5 minutes
and return to warm. Before he added the freon the compressor would
turn on/off every few seconds. While he was adding the freon, the
compressor stopped making the clicking sound. He put a temperature
guage up to the vent and it got as cold as 40 degrees, but it was
never ICE cold.

So now I am going to try and find an A/C specialist in hopes of saving
some dollars. One mechanic here told me he could look at it towards
the end of next week. It is 85 degrees here today... I would hate to
wait that long.

 

Had the same trouble with 1997 V70 SDI.

Have you checked the fuse?

 

DJ, if you're in the US, the system is already 134. My '93 240 uses
R134. There are a number of things that *could* be wrong with the
system -- fuse, low refrigerant, misgapped compressor clutch, bad
dryer, leaking heater valve, etc.

A decent A/C guy can diagnose this for about $50 with the repair
costing whatever it costs. My '97 850 turns out <40F air at the vent
and some days gets so cold I have to up the heat to keep from being
uncomfortable so it *can* be done -- BTW, I'm in Texas and it tends to
get hot here.

Chuck Fiedler
Nothing but Volvo since 1974

 

Sounds like it's leaking, which is no surprise as refrigerant had to be
added. As the pressure drops the compressor will start to cycle. If a system
is low, it has a leak that needs to be fixed, just adding refrigerant
without first fixing the leak is a waste of time and money.