MVS Forums member IdahoBob reveals how the famous bread clip AC clutch fix — a 5¢ solution to a $1200 repair at the dealer — works on 2001-2007 Volvos. Before this there had been no documentation (that I know of) that it worked for P2 Volvos.
The bread clip fix does work for newer Volvos.
Most of the posts on Matthews are for older series Volvos, so I wondered if it worked on newer Volvos.
I did this, this past weekend on my ’04 XC70, and it works.
I suggest you look at YouTube. A guy in Texas (“TexasCoder”?) shows replacing the AC clutch on his ’04 XC90. This will give you an idea of what the clutch looks like. Another guy shows installing the bread clips on his 850. The clutch looks the same: 850-XC70/S60-XC90. I also have an ’02 S80 with the non-turbo 6 cylinder….same AC clutch.What happens is that the clutch wears, and the gap between the clutch plate and the electro-magnet gets too wide. As the car & compressor gets hot, the electro-magnet’s strength weakens (this is physics at work, not just your vehicle), and the magnet either can’t pull the clutch plate to engage it, or it can’t hold it engaged as it gets hotter. The gap is supposed to be .3-.5 mm. Both of mine (XC & S80) had worn to 1.0 mm.
Reach around through the wheel well (loosened and then pulled the splash guard out of the way, with car up on ramps) and insert a screwdriver between the spring and plate, twist the screwdriver and the gap between spring and plate opens, slide the solid end (not the bitey end) of a bread wrapper clip under each of the three round contacts (they’re centered in each of the three loops). Use some gasket sealer to sorta glue them in place (let the glue dry before starting, or you’ll sling it all over) and you’re done. Look at the guy’s video on doing this, this will all make sense.
If you don’t have ramps, drive the right side up on a curb and slide under ( or “kerb” and left side, if that’s your part of the world).
As an alternate, if you have all afternoon, and want to do some disassembly, remove the compressor from its mount (but, don’t disconnect the gas lines!) and take the clutch off. You’ll need a special tool ($30 bucks at the local parts place.) There are two .3 mm shims (look like washers) inside the shaft the clutch slides in on. If you remove the washers (one or both, the clutch plate will be that much closer to the electro-magnet.
Yes, this seems pretty ‘shade tree mechanic’; but the dealer wanted $1200 to replace the entire compressor & recharge. I can get a replacement clutch, after-market on eBay for $100, or I can recycle three plastic bread clips, which may get me through another summer before spending $100 or 1200.
2004 XC70 Bread Clip Fix — AC Clutch
Last Updated on June 21, 2024
