1994 volvo 850 Turbo - Flashing AC and Rec lights

dsgerber · Post by **dsgerber** » 04 Jul 2014, 06:00

Recently I observed smoke/steam billowing out of vents right after I started up the car. It didn't last very long, but now my AC doesn't work. The AC and Rec lights flash. I noticed that the fan comes on for a few seconds after I turn the ignition switch on (even with the AC in the OFF position). I checked diagnostic port B-1 and there are too many fault codes to count starting with 1-2-1. Also when I turn the ignition switch to the II position, I hear a tapping sound, coming from the dash. One last thing that I thought was kind of cute: I was driving down the road into a heavy rain storm. I turned on my headlights and the fan came on! Turned off the headlights and fan went off!

Any ideas?

Post by **abscate** » 04 Jul 2014, 06:46

Look for water under the dash, you obviously have major electrical issues. No surprises your AC isn't working since it has multiple electric inputs that need to be right.

I'm guessing you will need to take the dash off to inspect the wiring up close

dsgerber · Post by **dsgerber** » 04 Jul 2014, 08:10

I took the lower panels off and it's dry under there. When the problem occurred, it was in a parking lot. Worked fine going there. Typical hot summer day in South Florida.

BTW, I had the Freon checked and it was fine.

Post by **abscate** » 04 Jul 2014, 09:04

Steam from the AC vents is common and not much to worry about. Check that the drain at the bottom of the climate unit is open and draining condensate freely. When the AC worked , did you get a puddle under the car of cold water?

When you mention the fan above, do you mean the engine cooling fan or the AC climate unit fan?

dsgerber · Post by **dsgerber** » 04 Jul 2014, 09:39

There was a lot more smoke/steam than normal. A lot more! There was no indication that it wasn't draining right. I'm talking about the climate fan underneath the glove box.

BTW, when I put the AC switch on, I hear the click of the compressor coming on! Still get the flashing lights and the fan won't come on.

Post by **Ben850** » 04 Jul 2014, 18:42

Being a '94, the smoke was likely the capacitors toasting in the ECC unit which is now and will further more , blink for 20 seconds or so on start up.
There have been a few threads on the early ECC units lately if you search. Many old threads as well. My '93 sedan had one of said units.
Get a '95-'97 salvage ECC unit and go from there reading codes if any come back. Once the old unit fries, it gives erroneous codes.

Post by **abscate** » 05 Jul 2014, 04:40

Thanks Ben. I'm guessing there is some nasty smell on cap death too, vs humidity which will smell, well....damp.

If you don't have good pick and pulls in your area, head to theParts forum and post a WTB thread.

dsgerber · Post by **dsgerber** » 05 Jul 2014, 06:52

Good job guys! That's exactly the problem. I took the ECC unit out, took the top off, and voila: There's a burned spot on the bottom of the cover about the size of a half dollar. Opposite that on the large circuit board is evidence of a melted/disintegrated component. Must be the capacitors you mentioned. FCP Euro has a remanufactured unit for $300. Is that a good price?

Post by **Ben850** » 05 Jul 2014, 07:20

dsgerber wrote:Good job guys! That's exactly the problem. I took the ECC unit out, took the top off, and voila: There's a burned spot on the bottom of the cover about the size of a half dollar. Opposite that on the large circuit board is evidence of a melted/disintegrated component. Must be the capacitors you mentioned. FCP Euro has a remanufactured unit for $300. Is that a good price?

About $50. on e-bay. Less than that if you have a pick and pull yard.
Just make sure it is '95 and later.

If you don't mind spending extra for the peace of mind, FCP has their lifetime guarantee.

dsgerber · Post by **dsgerber** » 05 Jul 2014, 09:15

I checked the ones on ebay and they all say "1993 - 1997". I'm guessing they're interchangeable. The pre-1995 units will fit the later models and vice versa. Is there a way to know that it's, in fact, a 1995 or later?

Also, something else I'm curious about, the original failure of the capacitors, could that have been induced by a problem elsewhere in the car? I don't want to plug in a new unit and the same thing happen. If you know what I mean.