2010 Volvo XC90 intermittent AC

[rfuerst911sc]

Hey guys my wife and I just did a 1200 mile road trip in her 2010 Volvo XC90 . The AC worked great for half the trip . The trip home saw intermittent AC performance . Sometimes good sometimes nothing .

This week I will do a visual inspection to look for signs of leakage . But the working/not working scenario leads me to believe it's not a leak but I could be wrong .

Anyone with expertise please chime in with things to check . I know I need to check if the compressor clutch is engaging when the " no AC " happens . Pressure switch issue ? Temp sensor ? Any advice appreciated . It does have rear AC .

[Bob Kontak]

Air gap on compressor clutch plate. This is the plate the clutch magnet pulls in when compressor is engaged.

I fixed an S60 with makeshift shims on the front side of the clutch plate. Check the resting gap with a feeler gauge. 30 thousandths ok 50 thousandths not so ok.

Confirm the specs though.

[Steve Carlton]

A friend of mine has been a Volvo service manager for years thinks you probably have a bad AC compressor.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

A friend of mine has been a Volvo service manager for years thinks you probably have a bad AC compressor.

My gut tells me the compressor may be bad . I appreciate the feedback from your friend the service manager .

[mattdavis11]

If it works good sometimes, it's not the compressor as a whole that has gone bad. You probably have an electrical problem. It may be the coil, relay, or thermister. Check to see if the suction line is freezing, make sure the fans are working, check the AC relay terminal 87 for power when the compressor will not engage.

[rfuerst911sc]

My wife ran errands this morning , we set the AC system to " auto " . She drove 10 miles to town AC is working . She made a stop for 5 minutes . When she came out the AC didn't work . She tried manual mode and auto mode .

So the issue appears to be heat soak or pressure related . I am dropping it off at a shop tomorrow hopefully they can duplicate the failure mode . I have R12 gauges but not R134 . I guess I need to buy a gauge set or adapters for my R12 .

[Noah930]

Relay? That would be an inexpensive fix. They can work intermittently when they're dying. Just swap around a couple (AC relay for a relay to something unimportant) in the fuse box to see if that fixes the problem. If it does, then spend the $10 for a new one.

[rfuerst911sc]

I tried swapping relays , unfortunately same results . Cold AC for 5-10 minutes then nada 😕

[Arizona_928]

I would see if the clutch is staying engaged.


I have a bad blend motor in my ram that acts up. Apples to oranges though

[Steve Carlton]

Why not take it to a reputable Volvo indy?

[Brian 162]

A friend of mine had a 740 wagon and the a/c was intermittent. No voltage to compressor. From what I remember the hvac system had an outdoor sensor that prevented the compressor from getting power.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

Why not take it to a reputable Volvo indy?

Dropped it off at a local indy shop this morning . I have never used them but they have a good reputation in our small community .

[rfuerst911sc]

System was overcharged , Apparently been like that since we bought it . System holds 2.2 lbs it had 2.92 lbs in it . They pulled a vacuum and no leaks . Filled back up with 2.2 and it's working great , better than it ever has . Hopefully it stays that way .

[Steve Carlton]

[rfuerst911sc]

We bought the Volvo used about 5 years ago . Car came out of Florida but it never had what I would call great AC . The front and rear AC worked but not meat locker cold . I have not had the AC serviced since we bought it . So the overcharge was from previous ownership .

My wife had to turn the AC down on the drive home today from the shop it was too cold for her . If it maintains that performance long term it was well worth the $85.00 AC service fee . Only time will tell .

[billybek]

Oil charge is also critical in automotive systems.
Too much oil acts like a barrier to heat entering the evaporator.
Keep an ear open to the compressor operation. An overcharge can cause floodback issues and that turns the a vapour pump into a liquid pump...

[rfuerst911sc]

Sue had errands to run this morning . multiple stops so AC turned on/off several times . Still blowing cold

[rfuerst911sc]

I drove the Volvo today , the AC is working great . I consider the issue resolved . Thanks guys