V70 R Air-con failure

Hello all,
I’ve just bought a ’97 V70R with 95,000 miles under her belt. I’m interested in all your comments about tyres and types of engine oil to use (not that I need to change any of them just yet), but I wonder if anyone knows of a way to calm the nerves of a worried wife who just hates it when I use its 240bhp to overtake flat-capped dawdlers. She doesn’t even appreciate the lovely noise it makes it the process!
But seriously, my local Volvo dealer is quoting £75 + vat to re-gas the air-con, as it doesn’t work at the moment. The pump kicks in for a few seconds, then kicks out again, so isn’t cooling the air at all. I wonder if this is a common problem, and if £75 seems reasonable for this work.
But what if this doesn’t cure the problem, what next I wonder?
I also experienced the metallic chatter on starting on cold mornings, as mentioned by ad grant (Topic 229) and I think it’s coming from the starter motor. These warmer days it’s giving no trouble at all.

The dealer is probably right, the aircon refrigerant sounds like its depleted. You could try a local independent aircon specialist for an alternative quote, may be a bit cheaper and they'll do the same job.

The metallic chatter is most likely to be the hydraulic valve lifters chattering before they get full oil pressure -- common with older cars, and especially when cold 'cos the oil don't circulate as quick.

For oil, use any good, brand-name semi-synthetic or full synthetic. I'd suggest a 10W40 grade -- Duckhams QXR is good value (£20 for 5 litres from Halfords) and fulfils / exceeds all of Volvo's requirements.

Cheers, Craig

Craig,

Cheers, My Mobil one days are over! Duckams QXR can be changed every 6000 miles at less than half the price. Hey, Maybe I wont even notice the 5p a litre they are adding to unleaded!

Loz

850 T5 CD Auto - The Devil's Playgound }>

I bought an 850T5 estate before christmas. The aircon wasn't working. The garage organised an independent air-con chappie to service it.
He claims aircon should be serviced every 12 to 18 months at a cost of around £40.
Try the yellow pages for a company to give you a quote. Don't forget if volvo find something else with the air con it's £65 an hour labour or thereabouts!!

good luck
(sorry for unoriginal username)

Paul.

[Simon Linton]

A re-gas may only be a temporary cure; if the air con has been left off for some months, the hoses will have dried out (the gas carries hose lubricant) and will leak as soon as the new gas is added.

If this is the case, then you'll need a new hose set which I'm afraid isn't cheap (mostly labour).

The worst case scenario is a leaking evaporator; this is a design fault of 850s and 70 series vehicles and requires a complete removal of the dash and all the plumbing, resulting in a four-figure total.

There are non-volvo evaporators made out of copper rather than aluminium which are apparently more durable; if your evaporator has gone, this could be a more valid replacement.

The moral is if you have air con, keep using it on a monthly basis and replace the pollen filter to keep muck out of the system.

Are these pollen filters on all Volvo's with air con, and if so where are they and how easy are they to replace?

Cheers

Stu

[Simon Linton]

No they're not, though they should be; my R didn't have a filter, so I took the panel under the wiper arms off and fitted both the receptacle and the filter that goes into it.

This should be a simple unplug/plug in job, but I'd check what's actually there before you order any parts.

The filters apparently should be replaced twice a year or thereabouts, and they're about £25 each - agh!

To make a quick check, undo the bolts on the edge of the black plastic panel on the other end from the fusebox and lift it up - the filter if it's there will be a white pleated item like a panel air filter.

If there is one, you simply slide out the old one and slide in the new one.

Thanks guys for the info. The car goes in on Thursday to my local dealer(TMS at Melton Mowbray), so I'll let you know how it goes.
Regards,
Steve Wells

Steve,

I' dont know if it's any help to you.

My aircon failed when I tried it a couple of months ago after the winter not being used. I looked in the yellow pages for an air-con specialist, they quoted about £ 65.00 to re-gas.

I then drove to the place late one afternoon, when all the engineers were returning, had a quite chat with one of them to see if he did cash jobs and gave him my mobile no and told him to ring me. That he did, the very next morning. We arranged to meet that afternoon in a B&Q car park, he did the business, and all for £ 20.00 cash in his back pocket.

Might be worth you trying that approach, and pocketing the difference !!!!

Marcel.

The car went in to TMS on Thursday morning, and was ready at 1.00pm, after the system was re-charged. For £69.99 I now have fully-functioning air-con. Well, for the time being, anyway!
A useful web site for those that might want more info on the subject can be found at:

http://www.airconditioningforcars.co.uk/

Regards,
Steve.