A/C issue

[adriggs1]

I have a 2001 s60 with 208k on it and the A/C seems to be acting up. The air is cold and it works great but after I am stopped in traffic or stopped in a single spot for maybe as little as five minutes, the air from the vents is warm and humid but not cold. This only happens on really hot days or if I sit somewhere longer on not as hot days. If I turn off the A/C for a few minutes and drive, I can turn it on and it works as normal. The refrigerant level is good since I did it earlier this summer. I’ve heard of the A/C clutch shim fix but I don’t have problems with the clutch engaging as I’ve watched it before with the engine hot and used a broomstick to nudge the clutch. The compressor also runs on and off every five to tens seconds when parked. I can do self repairs and enjoy it but A/C is something that’s stumped me. Evaporator sensor? Bad compressor? It’s driving me cray

[abscate]

That's a classic description of a large clutch gap.

Pull over when it gets hot and check the clutch and I'll bet it nots engaged at all.

Of course, you can also just measure it with the car turned off to see how much it's worn

[KrazyKrusty]

Generally speaking if your compressor is engaging on and off every 5 to 10 seconds, that's a symptom of low refrigerant, in most cars anyways. Also the stopping and idling situation is also typical of the cooling fan not working, as no air is being forced through the Condenser+Radiator, so its just heating up and you're not getting any dissipation of heat, hence the warm air.
Hope this helps

[oragex]

The compressor also runs on and off every five to tens seconds when parked.

Is the compressor also cycling when you notice warm air starts being blown? Is the radiator fan running at this same moment?

[jonesg]

As abscate says, its a well known volvo AC clutch problem, should be checked first. Fix is simple too.

[adriggs1]

The cooling fan runs when the AC is on and turns off when I turn the AC off so I can check that off. I think I’m going to try measuring the clutch after I let it get really hot or when it’s 90+ degrees outside to see if the gap gets wider as the compressor heats up. The fan is still running but I can’t tell if the clutch engages or not when it starts to blow warm air. I’ll have to wait for a really hot day in St. Louis, thankfully it’s nice weather this week.

[abscate]

The clutch gap spec is for a cold clutch, engine off. If its too big, it will engage, but when the AC compressor warms up (takes about 10 minutes) the clutch will drop out. Once the compressor cools a bit or you move faster (and air cools the compressor) the AC comes back on.

Sound familiar??