Interesting fact about Volvo A/C on 10+ yrs models.

[Nobody]

I recently had the joy of getting my heather core changed on my '93
240. You know the job that takes 6+ hours and you have to remove
everything under, and including, the dashboard...

Well, the fascinating fact was that the evaporator was clogged with
dust/dirt over 80% of its surface. You don't get very good cooling
when the air flow only access 20% of the evaporator.

IOW, getting my heater core changed was the best deal I ever got.
Prior to the cleaning of the evaporator, the A/C was OK. Not the
strongest and the coldest, but was acceptable. Now, I can have a
blast of frigid artic air in the car (when the wife isn't there...).

For many years I heard and read about people bitchin' how lousy the
A/C was on the 240. I agree you lose a good deal of acceleration
power when the A/C is ON versus OFF, very apparent during city
driving.

But those who say that the A/C of '93 240 is worth sh*t, don't know
what they are talking about. It's all a matter of maintenance and I
agree that it's one hell of a pain to clean the evaporator.

I guess any car that is more than 10 yrs old and spend most of the
year in warm climate should end up with a clogged evaporator.

Hope it helps.

 

[Rob Guenther]

Good point, we got a pipe fixed and the evap cleaned on our 960, and its way
colder then the A/C systems in the two VW's in our driveway... The Volvo was
getting to that point of it being "still okay" but not that great, until the
pipe leaked and we needed to get the system looked at.

If I knew what an evap looked like, i'd try to clean it on the VW's we
have... the 1999 has a weaker A/C thent he 2003. Can't have the 1993 Volvo
doing better, as its primarly my moms car, and she doesn't use the A/C much

 

[Nobody]

The evap is just like the back of those air cond units you install in
the windows of a house. It is a grill with pipes going through it.

Btw, when I had air cond. installed in the windows of my hose (now I
have central A/C), I used to remove the unit once a year in order to
clean the evaporator and condenser. Clogged evap and condensor
reduces the effectiveness of an A/C system.

 

[GMan]

OK, I am buying, since I was thinking about that yesterday while driving
home.
My 940's AC could use some help, and yes it is full of refrigerant, cycles
fine, etc.

So how do I clean the AC evaporator on my '94 940 wagon?
Does anyone have instructions handy or already posted?
Also, is it straightforward, or is dash dismantling a required part of the
job?

GMan

 

[Nobody]

Since I have every reason to believe that your 940 is similar to my
240, you'r screwed! I could be wrong!

On the 240, the evaporator is together with the evaporator and the fan
blower. It is encased in a white plastic kind of cylinder. If you
remove the panel next to your legs (when you sit in the driver or
front passenger seat), you should be able to have a peek at it.

Moreover, if someone were to remove the whole thing for better
cleaning acess, then you need to empty and refill the A/C. Not a big
deal, just one more annoyance.

Funny that I don't recall anyone on this board discussing the impact
of a clogged evaporator on the A/C!

 

[Nobody]

On the 240, the evaporator is together with the evaporator and the fan
blower.

Sentence should read, "On the 240, the evaporator is together with the
heater core and the fan blower".

Sorry for the mistakes, but I have to work at the same time I'm typing
here. I'm not paid to post on a.b.volvo ;-) I multitask!

 

[Aleric]

The evap is just like the back of those air cond units you install in
the windows of a house. It is a grill with pipes going through it.

Btw, when I had air cond. installed in the windows of my hose (now I
have central A/C), I used to remove the unit once a year in order to
clean the evaporator and condenser. Clogged evap and condensor
reduces the effectiveness of an A/C system.

Also with refrigerators. They require the same type of periodic
cleaning as well.