a/c starts off cold

crusty3clown · Post by **crusty3clown** » 21 Jun 2011, 15:47

The a/c starts off cold and within 5-10 minutes the air is coming out warm. I shut it off for 5 minutes and turn it on again and it blows cold for a few minutes. It will blow cool when the weather is cool. When the temp outside is above 70 the above cycle continues. I have taken it to the dealership and they say that the diagonics show nothing. Dealer said something about a sensor behind a little grill just under the radio, big $$$ to fix. They said I couldn't get just the sensor itself and could not buy from junker because each one is configured to that specific car. Is this true? Is there anyway to override sensor?
2001,V70/T5 200,000 miles
With some investigating I found that the sensor is the temperature sensor. If this is bad could this cause this kind of problem.

Post by **JRL** » 21 Jun 2011, 17:04

Compressor clutch
You need to try to shim it out (ghetto fix here, on matthews somewhere)
Your other choice is a new compressor

RaymanSean · Post by **RaymanSean** » 23 Jun 2011, 10:43

I would check the cabin air filter. I had similar symptoms and found that to be the problem.

combinator · Post by **combinator** » 24 Jun 2011, 08:07

My 2002 XC v70 is similarly afflicted. AC works consistently below 80 degrees and will work for 5-30 minutes on startup but will then cease to work when the temp is above 80. In the 90s it cuts out quicker. Today, however, it deviated from this pattern in that even though the temperature was in the mid-sixties, it cut out after about 45 minutes of successful operation. The air today was totally saturated with humidity. It rained all night and there was a thick fog the whole time I was driving. Once the ac started blowing warm the inside glass fogged up completely and would not clear except by rubbing with a cloth.

AC was recently charged and cabin filter replaced so these appear not to be the problem. One mechanic who works on a lot of Volvos thinks it may be the drier accumulator-dryer bottle and refuses to consider the ac clutch gap as a possible cause of the problem. Another mechanic tested the power to the ac when the temp was in the mid-nineties and the ac wasn't working. He said it WAS getting power and ruled out the ac clutch.

Anyone have any experience with the accumulator-dryer bottle as a fix?

Thanks!