V50 Air Conditioning Problem

[Simmysouth]

Morning guys and girls,

It's been a long time since I've had to search the forums for answers, my 56 plate ex demo V50 has been a dream and given me 50k glorious trouble free miles, almost...

So I've had an issue with the air con. I can get it re-gased, it'll be ICE cold for a period of days , maybe a week tops, but then it just fails.

I've had it re-gased at my local Volvo, they put a sensory in ( which I assumed is simply a thermomitor ) and said it was fine, but this was just after it was done. A week later it's running warm.

Now I've had it re-gased when it's done this thinking it could be a slowish leak, but it's still has some of the gas in it, which according to the garage should be easily enough to keep it running cold.

I'm at a turning point with the car, with a new job I need a car with decent air con in the summer, I'll keep the V50 if it's an easy fix, but may look elsewhere if it's costly.

Any help or ideas would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Simon

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Simmysouth

Morning guys and girls,

It's been a long time since I've had to search the forums for answers, my 56 plate ex demo V50 has been a dream and given me 50k glorious trouble free miles, almost...

So I've had an issue with the air con. I can get it re-gased, it'll be ICE cold for a period of days , maybe a week tops, but then it just fails.

I've had it re-gased at my local Volvo, they put a sensory in ( which I assumed is simply a thermomitor ) and said it was fine, but this was just after it was done. A week later it's running warm.

Now I've had it re-gased when it's done this thinking it could be a slowish leak, but it's still has some of the gas in it, which according to the garage should be easily enough to keep it running cold.

I'm at a turning point with the car, with a new job I need a car with decent air con in the summer, I'll keep the V50 if it's an easy fix, but may look elsewhere if it's costly.

Any help or ideas would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Simon

you need to take it to someone who knows what they are doing and officially certified for working on Car AC systems ,( which all volvo dealers are of course ) they have broken the law several times by refilling it without finding the leak ! You cannot check the condenser for leaks 100% without taking it out , it might be possible to see stains then .. if you have not had a condenser replaced yet that is the firm favourite . Also sealing rings can be damaged when fitting and one of those may be leaking .

[volare]

I'm with Clan about the condenser. I had problems with my a/c too. Had it re-gassed once with the addition of a UV dye. I was told that it passed the pressure (or is it suction?) test. It failed again about 6 weeks later - so a relatively minor leak. Took it back to the a/c specialist who couldn't see any sign of leak (and it was still OK on the pressure test) - but apparently the condenser is not easily examined without removing front bumper etc. which is what they did. Found a small hole in corroded condenser. Replaced it and it's been fine for about a year now. Cost me about £300 with a 'free' re-gas.

[phil1968]

+1 for the condenser. Circa £700 at a dealers or you can do the job yourself in about 1/2 a day, £100 for a pattern part or about £230 for a genuine one, then probably £40 to get it pressure checked & re-gassed. There is a very good tutorial on here on how to do the job, it entails removing the front bumper & other parts.

[Tannaton]

Many places that refill AC systems will tell you the system is pressure tested first. As part of the refill process the system is subject to a vacuum for 20 mins - the main purpose is to draw out any moisture but also to check for leaks.

However a vacuum is the same as 14 PSI (1 bar) and it's pulling the seals in the opposite direction. The operating pressure of AC systems on the high side is typically over 200 PSI, so the "pressure test" is around 7% or less of normal working pressure - i.e. the next step up from a visual inspection but only that.

[marc]

Dealer did my condenser (£700ish), luckily the fault was easy to find on mine as the hole was rather large.

[Jaston10078]

Originally Posted by volare

I'm with Clan about the condenser. I had problems with my a/c too. Had it re-gassed once with the addition of a UV dye. I was told that it passed the pressure (or is it suction?) test. It failed again about 6 weeks later - so a relatively minor leak. Took it back to the a/c specialist who couldn't see any sign of leak (and it was still OK on the pressure test) - but apparently the condenser is not easily examined without removing front bumper etc. which is what they did. Found a small hole in corroded condenser. Replaced it and it's been fine for about a year now. Cost me about £300 with a 'free' re-gas.

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum so I apologise if resurrecting an old thread isn't the done thing. Volare mentioned that they had their condenser replaced and regassed for around £300. I know it's a few years ago but I wonder if they they could tell me where it was done.

I purchased a 2008 1.8 V50 last week and the aircon isn't working. I had it regassed at an independent volvo specialist but within 3 days it was blowing warm again. I'm a bit disappointed that a leak like that wasn't detecteded but that's beside the point right now. I suspect the condenser as it's pretty beaten up as far as I can see.

I'm in London if anyone can recommend anyone.

Kind regards