condensation on windows
condensation on windows
I have an '88 240 wagon. During winter months, it doesn't take much for all the windows do have condensation all over, which makes for unsafe driving. Short of stopping to wipe them down everytime, is there a way to clear the condensation out? I've heard that "opening vents" will solve it, but i don't know if our model has vents that would do the trick? By the way, the air conditioner doesn't work. And the heater doesn't help of course. Thanks.
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wojeepster
- Posts: 259
- Joined: 15 November 2005
- Year and Model:
- Location: Hendersonville, NC
make sure you are not on recirculate, crack a window, find and fix leak if you have one.
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petershen1984
- Posts: 271
- Joined: 13 October 2003
- Year and Model:
- Location: Taipei
You might wanna get the air conditioning fixed... the only way to get rid of condensation is to equate the air temperature outside and inside the car. I've tried all kinds of anti-fog window cleaning sprays; they just don't work as well as advertised. In this weather Fog forms as soon as I turn off the engine (and thus the compressor) when waiting for someone on the curb side.... it's our body temperature and the CO2 we expel.. 
Peter Shen
1992 Volvo 960 (Silver)
1992 Volvo 960 (Silver)
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Kmaniac in California USA
- Posts: 301
- Joined: 15 January 2005
- Year and Model:
- Location: Concord, California USA
- Been thanked: 1 time
The heavy and constant condensation on the inside of our windows are caused by one of two things. Either (1) your ventilation system is stuck in "recirculate" or "inside air" mode or (2) you have a small leak in your heater core, causing coolant to humidify the air inside your car.
When you say that your air conditioning doesn't work, do you mean that you no longer get cold air through the vents in the summer, or that you cannot get airflow through the dashboard vents anymore? And what about your heater, does it blow very hot, toasty air when the temperature control is at extreme hot, or just tepid air in any position?
The ventilation systems in these cars use engine vacuum to operate the dampers that switch the airflow through your dash vents and controls the temperature of the air. If you have a vacuum leak in the engine compartment, your ventilation controls will no longer function causing them either to stick in the last setting it was in when it last functioned correctly (maybe recirculate mode in your case) or automatically setting them to a default position, like recirculate.
Go out to your car, start it up, turn the blower fan on high and start moving your ventilation control from setting to setting. See if you can get airflow through the defroster vents in defrost mode (windshield symbol), through the dashboard vents (--> arrow sideways), through the floor vents (arrow down) and so on. Let me know what you find. You will see two selections for the air condition, one with a BIG snowflake and one with a little snowflake. The BIG snowflake causes the system to recirculate the air inside the car, which can cause the condensation in winter. The little snowflake and all other vent control positions should draw in outside air and help prevent condensation in winter.
One thing to note, if you cannot get the heater to blow very hot air when the cooling system is at normal temperature (needle at one-third to one-half up the temperature gauge) and the temperature control at full hot, then you definitely have a vacuum leak, cause perfectly good ventilation controls not to function.
Should you by chance have a leak in your heater core, you should smell the aroma of antifreeze in the interior of the car while you are driving. If the leak is severe, it may even cause puddles on the floor. What does the interior of your car smell like when the heater is on?
Run the tests I have mentioned above, answer the questions to the best of your ability and let us know what you find. We need to know which way you are going before we can point you in the right direction. And remember, we can get throught this if we work together.
Below is a copy of a posting I made to this forum about the ventilation controls in my 1986 740, for your information.
October 1 2004
I don't need help with this one because I figured it out myself. However, others may learn from my experience.
Shortly after I purchased my car, I discovered that the A/C vent controls did not function. The fan switch worked well, but I would only get air flow through the Defroster vents no matter what vent position I selected. Also, air would be slightly warm no matter the position of temperature control. I also discovered the A/C belt removed from the compressor and the A/C clutch wiring purposely disconnected.
The previous owner had the car serviced at an independent Volvo garage in the "People's Republic of Berkeley", California. Two years ago, the shop discovered that the controls did not work and quoted $250 to repair, though they didn't state why they would not function. On the same repair bill, they charged a fee to remove the A/C belt and to replace the temperature control valve. Then, ten months ago, they replaced the temperature control valve again, for whatever reason.
I quickly discovered that these controls required engine vacuum to operate. I found two vacuum tubes that passed through the firewall. One went to the heater control valve. The other to a tee in a large diameter vacuum line. One end of the large line attached to the intake manifold. The other end went somewhere under the left side of the car. I looked under the car and found the line attached to a long, cylindrically shaped, plastic tank, mounted forward of the front crossmember.
I disconnected the main vacuum line from the intake manifold and plugged the tap. Then I disconnected the vent control vacuum line from the tee, attached a hand-held vacuum pump, and pumped down a vacuum in the vent controls. I quickly found that the vent controls operated normally as long as I kept a vacuum on the controls. This told me that I had a vacuum leak somewhere on the main vacuum line.
I went back under the car and unbolted this plastic tank from the undercarriage. It is held on by three bolts. Once I got it out from under the car, I easily saw the large crack that traveled half way around the far end of the tank. No wonder the vent controls did not work, there was no vacuum in the line. Not only that, the car had a major intake vacuum leak that went undiagnosed for over two years, and the independent mechanic that had serviced the car all that time, saw the clues, but was too blind to figure this out!!
This tank is positioned in such a manner under the car, that it is the first thing to be hit by large debris on the roadway. It appeared that the crack was cause by blunt force trauma from road debris.
The purchased a new vacuum tank from my local Volvo dealer for $47. For good measure, I replaced the vacuum line between the intake manifold and the vacuum tank. Once installed, the vent controls worked like new. I then replaced the A/C compressor belt, reconnected the clutch wiring, and now the A/C blows 40 F air in the coldest position. I don't think I would recommend that independent Volvo garage to anyone I know.
So, if your vent controls stop working, be sure to check for vacuum and the condition of this tank before trying to take apart your dashboard controls.
When you say that your air conditioning doesn't work, do you mean that you no longer get cold air through the vents in the summer, or that you cannot get airflow through the dashboard vents anymore? And what about your heater, does it blow very hot, toasty air when the temperature control is at extreme hot, or just tepid air in any position?
The ventilation systems in these cars use engine vacuum to operate the dampers that switch the airflow through your dash vents and controls the temperature of the air. If you have a vacuum leak in the engine compartment, your ventilation controls will no longer function causing them either to stick in the last setting it was in when it last functioned correctly (maybe recirculate mode in your case) or automatically setting them to a default position, like recirculate.
Go out to your car, start it up, turn the blower fan on high and start moving your ventilation control from setting to setting. See if you can get airflow through the defroster vents in defrost mode (windshield symbol), through the dashboard vents (--> arrow sideways), through the floor vents (arrow down) and so on. Let me know what you find. You will see two selections for the air condition, one with a BIG snowflake and one with a little snowflake. The BIG snowflake causes the system to recirculate the air inside the car, which can cause the condensation in winter. The little snowflake and all other vent control positions should draw in outside air and help prevent condensation in winter.
One thing to note, if you cannot get the heater to blow very hot air when the cooling system is at normal temperature (needle at one-third to one-half up the temperature gauge) and the temperature control at full hot, then you definitely have a vacuum leak, cause perfectly good ventilation controls not to function.
Should you by chance have a leak in your heater core, you should smell the aroma of antifreeze in the interior of the car while you are driving. If the leak is severe, it may even cause puddles on the floor. What does the interior of your car smell like when the heater is on?
Run the tests I have mentioned above, answer the questions to the best of your ability and let us know what you find. We need to know which way you are going before we can point you in the right direction. And remember, we can get throught this if we work together.
Below is a copy of a posting I made to this forum about the ventilation controls in my 1986 740, for your information.
October 1 2004
I don't need help with this one because I figured it out myself. However, others may learn from my experience.
Shortly after I purchased my car, I discovered that the A/C vent controls did not function. The fan switch worked well, but I would only get air flow through the Defroster vents no matter what vent position I selected. Also, air would be slightly warm no matter the position of temperature control. I also discovered the A/C belt removed from the compressor and the A/C clutch wiring purposely disconnected.
The previous owner had the car serviced at an independent Volvo garage in the "People's Republic of Berkeley", California. Two years ago, the shop discovered that the controls did not work and quoted $250 to repair, though they didn't state why they would not function. On the same repair bill, they charged a fee to remove the A/C belt and to replace the temperature control valve. Then, ten months ago, they replaced the temperature control valve again, for whatever reason.
I quickly discovered that these controls required engine vacuum to operate. I found two vacuum tubes that passed through the firewall. One went to the heater control valve. The other to a tee in a large diameter vacuum line. One end of the large line attached to the intake manifold. The other end went somewhere under the left side of the car. I looked under the car and found the line attached to a long, cylindrically shaped, plastic tank, mounted forward of the front crossmember.
I disconnected the main vacuum line from the intake manifold and plugged the tap. Then I disconnected the vent control vacuum line from the tee, attached a hand-held vacuum pump, and pumped down a vacuum in the vent controls. I quickly found that the vent controls operated normally as long as I kept a vacuum on the controls. This told me that I had a vacuum leak somewhere on the main vacuum line.
I went back under the car and unbolted this plastic tank from the undercarriage. It is held on by three bolts. Once I got it out from under the car, I easily saw the large crack that traveled half way around the far end of the tank. No wonder the vent controls did not work, there was no vacuum in the line. Not only that, the car had a major intake vacuum leak that went undiagnosed for over two years, and the independent mechanic that had serviced the car all that time, saw the clues, but was too blind to figure this out!!
This tank is positioned in such a manner under the car, that it is the first thing to be hit by large debris on the roadway. It appeared that the crack was cause by blunt force trauma from road debris.
The purchased a new vacuum tank from my local Volvo dealer for $47. For good measure, I replaced the vacuum line between the intake manifold and the vacuum tank. Once installed, the vent controls worked like new. I then replaced the A/C compressor belt, reconnected the clutch wiring, and now the A/C blows 40 F air in the coldest position. I don't think I would recommend that independent Volvo garage to anyone I know.
So, if your vent controls stop working, be sure to check for vacuum and the condition of this tank before trying to take apart your dashboard controls.
Chris the "K MANIAC"
1986 740 GLE
(5) 1964 Chrysler 300-K's
1986 740 GLE
(5) 1964 Chrysler 300-K's
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