Checking the Dead Air Con System on my Volvo 740
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2023
- After at least 12 years without use, I test some of the air conditioning components on my Volvo 740 to see if it will run again.
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It's a really nice feeling when the A/C comes alive again. On my 940 the A/C has always been weak.
Then a conversation with a Volvo guru suggested that all the components worked but some of the rubber on the vac line from manifold to the A/C controls may be cracked and leaking. Sure enough, a little duct tape on the first rubber elbow from the manifold and the A/C has improved. Perished rubber bits. These are what deteriorate when a car is sitting for a long time. Driving doesn't wear it out, the rubber just breaks down over time. Stay cool.
Good info, thanks for sharing!
That's a job I'll probably never do on my 240. Good on you! Glad the main components are functioning!!
Thanks 🙂
Thanks. I will try that on my red 1989 740 Estate 👍
Good luck!
Brilliant Sledge, almost there. You have to look after your girls.
All AC systems lose gas naturally over time. Big problems occur when people don’t use it for 4-6 months over winter and the. At full blast all summer. The revs automatically rise to compensate for the load that the compressor which is pretty big. Once it’s regassed and working make sure you use it at least once a week! In winter it’s amazing for demisting steamed up windows. The gas also has oil in it that lubricates all the seals so airconditioning will last longer the more you use it believe it or not! Great to see it all works. Just check the condenser is in goodish condition at the front. Having said that, my condenser is actually missing the bottom inch or so of fins completely yet I still have icy cold aircon in Bev 😂 great video as always fella
Very true! Thanks man 👍
That's a big job, as you will need to flush all of the mineral oil from the system and refill with 134a compatible oil. I'm so happy I still have 30 pounds of R12 from my Delorean days. On my 92 all I had to do was refresh all the o-rings and vacuum and fill - Ice cold air! Good luck!
Thanks for the heads up! It's definitely one of those jobs I'm questioning whether I should have started, especially now it's started raining and they've told us summer is over! 🙄😂
Living in Birmingham I have forgotten what warm weather feels like...
In 2015 I decided to get the A/C system on my 740 up and running after not working for 12 years. (I really did it for my dog's comfort, not for mine! lol) Where I live we are allowed to use R12a, which is fully compatible with an R12 system - no conversion work required - and is readily available (at NAPA) and very cheap. I found that the compressor, both A/C lines and condenser were all leaking. The only component that wasn't leaking was thankfully the evaporator - which is a real b***h to replace! You may find it to be the same or similar situation on yours. Anyway, after I replaced all of those components I found that I had a completely good A/C system - all of the sensors and switches were still working. Yay! And my dog is VERY happy! Volvo quality! lol
That's awesome! Glad you got it working, must be a good feeling. I'll look into R12a sounds like a better route to take
I bet the leak is at the condenser at the front of the car. You may have to replace the evaporator valve wich is in the hi presure pipe at the top of the rh frame beam. Plus of course necessary seals. R12 works completely different pressure. So R134 causes more load to the engine and makes it feel syrupy. 😄 If and when there has been a leak for a long time. Do utilise a long long vacuum time. And don't forgetto replace dryer.
Happy cool tinkering
R134A was a CFC free replacement for R12 so the pressures are the same.
Aircon in the 740, what a luxury 😁- mine (called Erik, Elsa was my previous green 245) has a rooftop, so I don't need one which needs maintenance 😉
But I have a similar outstanding issue with my 945 (Berthold) which is finally going to have it's H registration for saving tax and allowance to drive in the environmental zones.. The belt is mounted but AC not working at all. Had no time and fun to take care of it yet, but when I have no rooftop I would prefer a working AC, especially it has black leather seats, it would be horrible in the heat... 🔥
Oh yeah, one of the reasons I'm not super keen on leather! Best of luck with it and with the H! 👍
You should be able to check the pressure with a tyre pressure gauge without releasing gas.
Good idea!
Been through it with my 1996 Volvo 940 over the last 5 years. Finally this Summer got it to hold its gas after replacing the AC pipes with better ones and it finally resolved the leak at the AC condenser clamp.
I got fed up of garages re-gasssing it, and saying it's passed it's leak test for it to leak out a week later. Re-gassed it myself with Halfords kit and leak sealer and cool AC, but not freezing. Should of replaced the thermal expansion valve/Filter type valve in the pipe on chassis rail on a 940, only £4 as can block. Only trouble have no great idea on how much gas is in the system as reads PSI and needs 950 grams. Weighing the cans would be an option and during re-gas.
Over the years I have fitted a new Nissens Condenser, New receiver dryer, Old compressor worked but leaking internally somewhere, so bought a used ZEXEL compressor. New pressure switch and in my compressor case added 200ml of Pag 46 oil to the compressor.
Plan is to eventually have it evacuated, replace the thermal expansion valve and have it then regassed with the right amount of gas of 940 grams and see if it then blows ice cold. It has for a short time a few years ago, so suspect hasn't got a full charge.
AC is nice to have, especially as a few years ago upgraded from half leather to full.
Good luck with it all, hope it's an easy fix.
James
Thanks for sharing, I was tempted to look into DIY kits but didn't want to blow anything up so decided to leave it to the professionals 😅
i can now go diagnose my own!
Its a wonderful feeling when the ac works. I repaired it on my 745 and replaced the condenser, both hoses and the pipe under the battery tray.
The oem volvo hoses were accually the cheapest to buy but unfortably i went cheap on the condenser and bought a aftermarket.
It fits really badly and have started leaking in two corners after less then 3 years so i will buy a oem until next summer.
And if your compressor leaks (like mine) you can still buy the seals for the york/diesel kiki dks 15 bh compressor (witch you probably have) and reseal it for a lot less than a new compressor
That's really good to know, thanks 🙂
The AC system on the car appears to be by and large a GM/Delco setup with the accumulator and orifice tube. It is a very effective setup. The rapid/short cycling of the clutch is indicative of a low charge.
Thanks 👍
Good job and well done
Cheers! And thanks again for the generous membership it means a lot! (Will get you in the end credits on the next vid 👍)
If you you're worried about the longevity of the ac system, I would consider having it professionally converted. (At least flushed) because otherwise if improperly charged you could eventually ruin the compressor and it'll seize and throw metal throughout the entire system meaning the evaporator in the dash will need replacing (and everything else)
However, I was able to get a few years out of mine just screwing the adapter on and gassing it up. Definitely worth a shot if thats all you want. The proper oem conversion calls for a replacement of the entire system anyways because it was never sized properly for r134a, so it'll never work that great.
Great info, thanks! 👍
Check the condensor! Its probably totaly disintegrated and leaky! ! Replace it for the best result! Hope that the A-C will work and make the cool 😎 740 much cooler 🥶😎!
Thanks for the tip! 🙂
I'm surprises TUF does not check A/C because your defroster will be much more efficient in winter with functioning A/C. Good to see someone suggested a tyre pressure gauge to check pressure. The latest R1234fy refrigerant cost 10 times the old stuff. Ask me how I know. But, somehow it will save the world.
Piękny klasyk w dobrych rękach. Pozdrawiam z Polski 🇵🇱.
Thank you!! 👍
Nice one buddy, dont think I've ever had a car with working A.C, always just blew out a musty wet sock smell. Not that we need it her in the uk 😅. Saying that my 240 is busy making its own air con via having a shit load of holes in it!
All the best mate 🤘
Haha! They do that 😂
No cabin fan with ac running will ice-up the evaporator, most systems prevent the compressor running if the fan is off. Also ensure there is an air filter on the inlet side of the evaporator to protect it from debris when refrigerating fresh air, as that may be missing or rotten. This filter was optional in my 850, bizarrely.
That's different than the cabin air filter right?
Very good news that everything seems to work 🙂 just convert and change the seals and it should work just fine. we all know that you didnt push the valve to see if there were any gas left 😆 good luck 🙂
Thanks 🙂
It doesent leak more gas from that than it does wen you disconnect the shrader coupligs though so actually no harm done unless someone was breathing it in maybe..
I definitely didn’t….. no no… definitely not😉, okay got it🤣😂🤣😂.
I hope the AC work will go smoothly, definitely worth it now that you are dad 👍👍👍
I hope so too!
I had just filled the air con on my 940, worked flawlesslly in june and july and now in august i had a bit of a break in driving it so when i got back to it i discovered the aircon just keeps turning on and off with like a 5-10 sec interval, found a damn leak in one of the ac kondenser tubes thats masterfully placed by volvo against the frame under the ac filling port.
great....
I have 2002 s60 D5 We call her Britta. fantastic cruiser, I love your videos, great content for Volvo enthusiast like me.
Glad you like them!
Hi, about the clutch; you can adjust the clutch of these Volvo airco systems, I adjusted this summer 2 940's on their clutches and they're working fine now. There are 2 shims on the shaft of 0.3 and 0.6mm. the gap between the rotating part and the clutch housing should be about 0.4mm, by removing 1 or both these shims you can adjust it. But check the forums, there it's all explained . Than about the gas, this is another scam! I live in El Salvador now and there are no rules regarding gas, you can buy a can of R134 (454grams)in the supermarket for $4,-😂 I spuschchch it myself and refill it myself aswel for a few dollars. anyway I know How the west is getting worse and worse to get your money out of your pocket. Good luck and cheers.🍀🍀🍀
That's very good to know! Thanks 👍
I got the ac regassed in my '96 940 not long ago and it leaked from the condenser, (They are pretty delicate and prone to damage/corrosion) I replaced the condenser and re-re gassed (for free!) its been fine ever since, the car was sat for 10 years before that so there is hope. it might be worth tinting the rear windows to help keep the sun out a bit, also I was thinking about arranging a curtain between the boot section and cabin area to help reduce the loss of cooled air, I was thinking about hanging stretching a wire or bungee between the (now redundant) rear facing seatbelt upper loops to hang the curtain off, a properly tailored curtain could be made that reached above the level of the suspending line using a stiff plastic sheet sewn into the fabric.
Oh nice! That's a good idea, you can get those dog guards which might be a good base for it
oh yeah, that would be perfect, could maybe add some clear perspex to the dog guard to keep the heat from the boot out. @@Involvod
well done
Thanks 👍
Excellent another job off the list well done 👍👍
Thanks 👍
great job man! damn that engine bay looks healthy as hell, do you fluid film in there?
Just noticed your intake manifold, has Elsa got LH injection? I thought all the flat grille 740s were K jet?
Yeah this one is LH2.2, much more common here I don't think I've seen many or even any K-jet, which I know is much more common in the UK
Dead AC is standard on old volvos.
Dont change any parts. They are same in working R12 . R134. They have the same oil too... Just charge it with anew R 134 gas
I did that with my volvo 740
Good to know, thanks!
What were you pressing to jump to test the clutch on the compressor?
Why the system was disconnected in the first place?
You sure the evaporator and condenser aren't leaking?
I decided not to refit the a/c belt last year when I was doing a timing belt, everything else seems to be present and correct!
@@Involvod OK, hope you get it working.
@@ponkritasilp9282 thanks 👍
Why not fill it with propane, like in a fridge? 🤣🤣🤣
I'm scared to even fill it with the correct gas myself, so that's why it will have to go off to somewhere that knows what they're doing 😅
I believe one issue is the flammability of propane (this is not permitted in many countries for automotive air con applications), and it runs at different pressure.
Good news...get that A/C working, climate weirdness is here to stay