Air only blowing from defroster no A/C

[Wrighthm]

I have a 2005 t5 Volvo s40. My A/C has never worked since I bought it 3 years ago. We have tried charging it, draining it and etc. My heat works. Now, air will only come out of the defroster. Sometimes it won’t blow out at all. Rarely, it will blow out of the dash and not the defroster. I have been reading other posts, but mine seemed a little more unique than what others have posted in the past. Was thinking about taking out the middle shim for the A/C issue. I have no idea what to do about the air vent issue. The nearest Volvo dealer is 3-4 hours away so it’s not really an option for me.

[MDK]

MDK here... I had an 2004 xc70 that did that. When you start the car do the HVAC controls blink for a while then go out? When these cars go into "default mode" this is what happens. Comes out of defrost vent. You may have a few bad door dampers. Definitely a dealer item unless you can successfully " mate" or " program" the new door motors. They come off the shelf blank and even after they are installed the computer won't recognize/ see them. It's my best guess... check around the form some more. I'm sure you'll find the help you need..

[Wrighthm]

That’s what I was afraid of as well. I have checked other forums and they say something similar.. I just don’t want it to be true. I don’t have enough money to take it to a dealer at the moment or to drive it 3 hours away to get to one! Thank you for your help.