[pdarling]

Hi, this is my first time posting on here and I hope I get some advice on an air conditioning issue I am having with my S40. AC is very important in Texas. About two weeks ago my AC started acting up. It cools (at a moderately cold temperature) for about 30 minutes and then gradually starts blowing hot air. If you turn the car off for a little bit, the ac will continue to blow hot air. If it is left off for awhile, the ac will go through the cycle of blowing cold air and gradually heating up again. I had to drive up from Austin to Dallas this evening to go to the George Strait concert tomorrow. This drive was interesting to say the least. My AC acted up as usual but there was a new issue. Just as I was getting out of Austin my radio started flickering and as it did this static started coming through the speakers on every station. I switched over to CD and the static continued. So I turned off the radio and my AC went from hot to cold. This has never happened before. It eventually went back to normal blowing cold air (no hot air) and the radio worked fine. About an hour and a half in I stopped to get food, turned off the car and when I returned the AC went back to hot and the radio still worked.

Does anyone have any idea of what may be going on? I was thinking about it and thought maybe it had to do with the alternator, an electrical issue, AC recharge, or god help me a compressor. Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

Pete

 

[I Saw 50]

Re: AC issue and more (pdarling)

The power of Christ compels you,

The power of Christ compels you,

The power of Christ compels you,

Really though, about the only thing I could offer as advice would be to disconnect the battery for 15-30 minutes. I've had electrical gremlins every now and again and it usually solves them (at least until they pop back up again)

 

[S40Racer]

Re: AC issue and more (I Saw 50)

+1

re-memorizing your seating position is well worth it if it fixes it all...

 

[EngTech]

Re: AC issue and more (pdarling)

LOL , I'm Laughing as My Seat in the AWD Loaded is to Move with the Keys etc. and Go to an Open Position upon Entering or Leaving . Haaa

Nver been able to get the Thing to Work and Volvo Tech's Seem Not to Understand - It at All.

So the Seat has a Mind of It's Own , what's really Funny is It will not work for a week and all of a Sudden When I'm in a Real Freaking Hurry
Low and Behold the Seat Moves back and Lets Me In - Wow !

The Other Day the Seat hasn't moved in a Month - I Come Out of the Store with the Oil for Her Oil Change ( Which was Over Due ) and Bam
The Seat Rolls all the Way Back - as to Say Aaahh New Oil on the Way - Thanks !

Is My Car is ( Talking to Me ) - Reading My Mind - It's Really a Trip !

 

[BtownVolvo]

Re: AC issue and more (pdarling)

This doesn't have to do anything with the radio, but maybe your recirc is on the timer? Go into your menu and adjust the climate settings to take the recirc off the timer.

That's about the only thing I can think of right now LOL

 

[mattdoc]

Sometimes these cars can be magically fixed by the dealer. They'll tell you they did a "software update" but they probably performed some sort of exorcism like '50 goes through.

 

[s40goalie]

I am having a similar problem with my AC. When on full blast as cold as it gets it works for 2 minutes, but if i lower the fan speed and make the temperature a little warmer, it will work for like 10 minutes now. I have not had time to bring mine into the dealer yet. I was thinking maybe some type of coolant for the AC (do these cars even have AC coolant anymore?)? Any ideas?

 

[mattdoc]

I remember having to get the system charged when the car was new to me. It was covered under warranty, and to me, the term "charging the AC" means adding refrigerant, likely R-134a.

 

[Big Will]

Mattdoc, I hope they did a leak test when they recharged your AC. If you needed refrigerant as a new car it probably had a leak. Dealerships will band aid fix this until your car runs out of warranty and suddenly they discover you have a major leak!

There is a software upgrade for the AC issue that the OP is talking about if I remember correctly - something about the motors that open the vents not functioning properly.
There is also a software update for the radio issue.

 

[-ForceFed-]

Re: (Big Will)

I know for a fact the SW upgrade for the ICM has fixed a lot of the known gremlins people have been dealing with. There may be a CCM upgrade as well which may affect your damper motors functioning properly, but as mentioned i would check your recirc functions in the menu first.

A/C system is usually recharged with dye however from the factory volvo installs it on most new models. We will usually do a follow up by the next month to check for a leak. If we dont find anything we will let it go. Just because its a brand new car it may not have a incredibly visible leak. Gotta understand most of the lines use o-rings which can produce a very small leak over time. My car has 41k on it and i just added half a pound of R-134A last thursday and now my AC is blowing 35* rather than the 55* it was previously.

Other thing to check is when the AC starts blowing warm air, pop the hood and see if the compressor clutch is kicked on or off. Ive had to install clutch kits because the clearances were too far off and over a 20 minute time it would shut itself off. Merely tapping on the clutch would kick it back on.