04 XC70 A/C Goes on and off (Compressor Clutch?)

[04-XC70]

Hello, and first off, let me say I am so greateful for this community, I love Volvos and they have been a part of my family for a long time, and I'm glad to finally be joining a community with so many other Volvo lovers

Second, I own a 2004 XC70, which has been in absolute perfect condition with nothing wrong with it up until now. I noticed one day the A/C has been going on and off and working only for around 5-10 minutes at a time. This got very annoying very quickly, and I did some research, and have been told quite a few different things. First, that it was the compressor, then the compressor clutch, and then maybe the sensor for the actual A/C unit (Electronics?). Then I found that maybe I had to shim the clutch, but unfortunately I don't know much about engines and if I just walked into a mechanic's and told them to shim the clutch for me, they might not listen to me as I clearly don't know what I'm talking about. Before I go any further, I would also like to point out that when it does work, I get cold air all the time wherever I scroll the knob to unless I go all the way to heat, which then makes the very hot air blast in my face. I have been told this is either the electronic sensor for the knob or A/C or whatever, or I will have to shim the clutch. At this point however, I just have many different people telling me different things and I have no clue what to do.

I read up on "Shimming the clutch" and found that the entire engine has to be dropped out (Am I correct?) and that is obviously something I cannot do since I don't own a crane. (Unfortunately) If there is a way to fix this issue without dropping the engine out of the car, or owning a crane, or buying a whole new compressor, (A hefty $1200) I would love to hear it, as this car is completely perfect other than that one issue, and I would love to keep it for another 6-7 years if possible.

Thank you so much for your help and I appreciate any suggestions on what to do to help fix my darn A/C!

[abscate]

You should vacuum out the air temp sensor four times a year or so -it looks like a small grill on the dash about thumbnail size.

If ypu search for the " bread clip fix" you should find info on shimming the clutch. We now recommend zip ties over bread clips, though.

[93SCMax]

+1 on the use of zip ties to fix the cycling.

The proper long term fix would be to have the A/C compressor removed and reshimmed. The engine doesn't need to be dropped, but it does take a bit of work to get the compressor out.

I had the same problem as you. I went the zip tie route. Was able to remove the passenger tire, get under the car, and access the front of the A/C compressor. I used three heavy duty zip ties, spaced evenly. They closed the clearance enough that it now cycles properly. I keep spare zip ties in the glove box, but have not had to use them. I did this fix back in May and have had no issues...and believe me, the A/C gets used alot here in the low country.

Good luck if you try the zip tie method, it's the cheapest fix out there and you should be able to do a search to better understand how to do it. As stated above, search bread clip fix but substitute the zip ties for bread clips.