99 V70 Intermittent AC Cut Out

JeffHicks · Post by **JeffHicks** » 27 Jul 2015, 09:50

I'm looking for some ideas before I go fishing on this one...

Our base 1999 V70 has recently began to intermittently do two things:
- Sometimes, with the fan running fine, the AC stops blowing cold. It might start blowing cold on its own, but if you shut the car off and start it again, the AC will be on again.
- Second - and this is a recent development - sometimes the blower fan itself just decides to not run. This seems to be completely random, not connected with the AC blowing cold, nor turning off and re-starting the car.

AC is fully charged, and when it's running it runs perfectly and blows ice cold. Everything else with the car is in tip-top shape.

So is there a "typical" issue that would bring about these two problems? What would be the first thing you guys would check? Any advice, before I start in on a process of elimination?

Thanks much!

Post by **JBC2565** » 27 Jul 2015, 10:53

Search the 'AC Clutch Gap" fix. Classic sign of intermittent AC. Also people use zip ties and bread tags to fix the gap. Very well covered on the forum.

JeffHicks · Post by **JeffHicks** » 27 Jul 2015, 20:18

Thank you!

Post by **abscate** » 28 Jul 2015, 03:35

You will probably need to replace than fan pretty soon Jeff. Ypu can try opening them up, cleaning it out, and lightly oiling bearings but if you want to run the car for more than a year in climates needing either heat or cool, then replace. About 150 from IPD or Eeuro and I wrote it up recently on my 1999

JeffHicks · Post by **JeffHicks** » 28 Jul 2015, 06:08

abscate wrote:You will probably need to replace than fan pretty soon Jeff. Ypu can try opening them up, cleaning it out, and lightly oiling bearings but if you want to run the car for more than a year in climates needing either heat or cool, then replace. About 150 from IPD or Eeuro and I wrote it up recently on my 1999

Thanks man! Early warning signs are good, even if we don't like them.

The car has about 185,000 miles on it, so I'm sure the fan is getting tired.

I'm a "regular" out at our local U-Pull-It salvage yards. They charge $25 for a blower fan, so if I get lucky and find one, I might give that a try. If that one's a bum, I'll spring for the new motor.

Thanks!

Post by **oragex** » 28 Jul 2015, 06:48

Does the blower stop running even when the A/C is off? It might be just the resistor on the blower

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 28 Jul 2015, 17:11

Before you install a used blower be sure to lubricate both the front and rear bearings. The front one can be a bit tough to get to but I use Tri Flow brand oil that has a tube that fits in the end of the cap and lets you better aim the hole where you need it to go.

...Lee

JeffHicks · Post by **JeffHicks** » 30 Jul 2015, 05:48

Thanks for the info, guys!

Got a couple more questions here...

I'm going to head off to U-Pull-It this afternoon, in hopes of striking gold. If I find a donor car, I think I'll grab the blower motor resistor while I'm in there. Is that resistor right in there by the fan, as it is on most vehicles? Second, what year-model cars can I scavenge from? Did Volvo throw the same blower motor in 20 years' worth of vehicles, or is it for 1 or 2 years only?

Thanks!

Post by **rspi** » 30 Jul 2015, 10:24

'98 - '00 On the fan.

JeffHicks · Post by **JeffHicks** » 02 Aug 2015, 16:58

Thank you for the video links, RSPI. I've used that guy's videos a lot!

To follow up, I now have a blower motor working! Because of time and economy, I ordered the "TYC 700163 Volvo Replacement Blower Assembly" off Amazon. $60, and free shipping. Ordered it Friday and it got here this morning (Sunday). Obviously it's not OEM, but I figured it was worth the risk.

The install was extremely easy. All screws are a T25 Torx. I removed the glove box, then the two screws that hold on the trim piece under the glove box - a total of about 10 screws. It used a flat screwdriver to remove the plug-in, and the same T25 Torx to remove the 4 screws that mount the fan to the housing. It was tight getting the old fan out, and new fan in, but no big deal. Entire thing took about 10 minutes.

I HAVE AIR!

I will address the intermittent AC issue when it's not 98 degrees outside.

Thank you, everyone!