2006 S40 Air Conditioner

hagen27 · Post by **hagen27** » 28 Dec 2010, 06:12

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I truly appreciate all you guys do to make this site so useful for people like me, who like to DIY. I know this may be an odd time to ask for some help with air conditioning but since I have some down time right now I wanted to address the issue that has been bugging me for some time. When I start the car and turn on the air it works fine for a little while, cool air is blowing out then all of a sudden the cool air stops and warm air replaces it. This was intermittent with the cool air starting up again then turning off. Is this just a freon issue with the conditioner (needs replacing or topped up?) or something more sinister with the unit itself? Any help is appreciated.

Post by **billofdurham** » 28 Dec 2010, 12:32

It could be low on freon. The only accurate way to check is with gauges to find out the low and high pressures. Have you noticed any icing on the pipes when the cold air stops?

Bill.

hagen27 · Post by **hagen27** » 29 Dec 2010, 06:43

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the response. Good point to look for icing on the pipes. That should give me a clue to low freon.

Post by **billofdurham** » 29 Dec 2010, 15:53

Usually when the pipes freeze up it is due to a restriction in the orifice tube caused by air and water getting into the system. It is not an indication of low freon. If the freon is low the compressor will cycle more often. Start the AC and watch the centre of the compressor. If it starts and stops after a few seconds the charge is probably low. However, as I said earlier, you need to have the system checked with the proper gauges.

Bill.