A/C not very cold

kiwaniansteve · Post by **kiwaniansteve** » 13 Sep 2009, 16:01

I have a 98' V90 with 180,000 miles. The A/C when it works is not very cold. The compressor is cycling about every 15 seconds. The interior fan and the fan at the radiator are working fine. Where is the low side connection on this vehicle and do you think it maybe low on refrigerant?

Post by **billofdurham** » 19 Sep 2009, 12:11

Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

The service valve is #9 in the attached:

V90 AC service valve.pdf: (273.9 KiB) Downloaded 121 times

If the AC still works then you are probably low on refrigerant.

Bill.

93volvonurse · Post by **93volvonurse** » 19 Sep 2009, 19:00

Im not to sure about your model.....however on my 240 I found out a really neat money saving trick.
My A/C wasn't blowing that cold and the car was running a little hotter than I tought it should be. I did some checking and digging around. I do live in AZ and we have a lot of road grime and dust/sand on our roads since we never get rain.
The A/C condenser is mounted in front of the radiator on my model. It had a lot of road grime, dead bugs and dust/sand built up on the front facing side to the grill. I took the grill off (really easy to pop out) and power washed the A/C condensor until the water ran out clear, washing out as best as possible on the backside between the condensor and the front portion of the radiator.
Now...... the car runs much cooler and the A/C will freeze you out!! Very quick fix and cost nothing more than a few quarters at the car wash. It doesn't hurt to give that a try before spending any money on A/C work.

kiwaniansteve · Post by **kiwaniansteve** » 20 Sep 2009, 08:53

Bill, The attachment you sent was very helpful. I added refrigerant and I now have very cold air. Thank you!

Post by **billofdurham** » 20 Sep 2009, 11:30

kiwaniansteve, you are welcome. Thank you for the update.

93volvonurse, a good tip for those in dry, dusty areas. Although I don't, I have made the cleaning of both condenser and radiator part of my service routine for many years. However, I only use a hose, not a pressure washer, as my neighbour blew his radiator apart with a pressure washer. He then tried to blame me because he had seen me washing mine.

Bill.