2005 Volvo S40 2.4i A/C oddity

volvoownerky · Post by **volvoownerky** » 27 May 2008, 05:51

My wife has a 2005 S40 2.4i w/ about 58K miles on it and we started having a very strange issue with the A/C over the weekend. The car will blow cold air for a period of time after it starts but after a while it seems like the air just shuts off. The A/C button is still green but the system will only blow lukewarm/cool air rather than cold air. If we shut the air off for a while and turn it back on it will blow cold for a bit and then shut off again.

I've been told that this means I'm running out of R134 and the system is "freezing up" because of that. Is it safe to use one of the DIY recharge kits on my S40 and, if so, where is the low valve on an S40 (to check the pressure and refill the R134)?

As an aside, does 58K seem early to be having this issue and is this something the dealer should have noticed the last time it was in for service?

Any help would be appreciated - I have currently have a very warm and unhappy missus. Thanks!

Matt

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 27 May 2008, 14:54

To be honest, it almost sounds like there's to much R134A in there from what you're describing...or there's moisture in the system...it freezes up therefore quits working...thaws out and works again...just a thought. Get your pressure checked.

Here is a diagram for the low pressure valve and filling instructions.

You can get away with putting the can of refrigerant in a bowl of hot water for the heater they speak of...make sure your compressor is running when you fill and if you do this yourself, get yourself a guage so you can get the pressure right....if still after filling (or letting some out, depending), and it still is doing the same thing, I would have the system evacuated and then refill again...probably best let a pro do this procedure. Btw, are you not still under a warranty?

volvoownerky · Post by **volvoownerky** » 28 May 2008, 05:42

MIJ,

Thanks for your response. The warranty expired at 50K so the car is no longer under warranty. I'd be surprised if there was too much refrigerant in there - the A/C has never been touched on the car as far as I know.

I took a look around the engine compartment last night and it looks like the tube with the cap that says "6 Nm" is for the low pressure valve.

One other thing I was wondering...is it OK to use the all-in-one kits you can find at auto parts stores? The bottles in those kits contain R134a, lubricant (not specifically noted as PAG...not sure if that matters), and a couple other things. It appeared as if all the kits had the same ingredients in the bottle, but I want to make sure that one of the all-in-one kits is alright for the Volvo. Thanks for your help so far...let me know if you think the kit is the way to go here (as long as the pressure check comes back low). Thanks!

Matt

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 29 May 2008, 16:20

I would avoid the one with the oil...you don't want the wrong oil in your A/C. I have a hose to empty the cans, a separate A/C gauge and then I buy cans of A/C gas when they're on sale...Walmart, Target, etc. I guess an all-in-one unit is fine but it would be nice to be able to reuse the gauge so see if they sell one like that- and avoid the oil for now....if all of your gas had leaked out quickly, you would want to add oil but not for the kind of issue you're having.

alf28 · Post by **alf28** » 06 Aug 2008, 10:28

My 2005 S40 T5 has 82K and has almost the exact same problem. First thing I tried was the refrigerant. Cold air got colder, but still turns hot. AC works fine for 15 minutes, then starts blowing hot air. If I turn off the AC and only run the fan for about 5 minutes, I can switch back to AC and it will work for another 15 minutes and so on. Took it in to Volvo for diagnosis and was finally told that the AC compressor clutch is overheating and I need to replace the AC compressor. They wanted $1700 to do it. Looks like the AC compressors are $400 online, so I'm going to try to find someone to replace it for me. Their first guess was a software update, which did nothing but lighten my wallet by $200.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 06 Aug 2008, 19:55

Answered you on your other post.

CheriBomb · Post by **CheriBomb** » 07 Aug 2008, 13:55

I have an 06 S40 w/ about 53k miles on it...it has begun doing the same thing occasionally but I chalked it up to the extremely hot weather we're having - curious to know what the "cheap" fix is referred to in previous post just in case...

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 07 Aug 2008, 15:28

Search the repair database like I said- this involves using "home made shims" in the compressor clutch.

jimgrantal · Post by **jimgrantal** » 06 Jun 2009, 12:01

It sounds like several of us are having similar A/C issues. Unfortunately Madeinjapan seems to be confusing the issue by giving different recommendations on different posts. He suggests on one post that the issue is caused by low refrigerant then on this post suggests it is caused by too much refrigerant.

I have been given the compressor diagnosis by the local dealer then recently after hooking it up to "ac test" was told it needed a charge.

I just had someone tell me that 2004 and later have damper motors and that is the most likely cause. I think I will write to Volvo with this concern.

AC runs fine for a while and then starts blowing warmer air, worse in stop and go traffic or after idling, better at high speed continuous driving.

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 06 Jun 2009, 12:22

jimgrantal wrote: AC runs fine for a while and then starts blowing warmer air, worse in stop and go traffic or after idling, better at high speed continuous driving.

These are typical symptoms of low freon. When idling the compressor is turning at a low speed and can't compress as much freon. The airflow through the condenser is less, so less is condensed. At higher speed continuous driving the compressor is turning faster and there is more airflow through the condenser, so more freon is compressed and condensed per unit time and your AC blows cooler air. Have you checked the system pressure yet?