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air conditioning-- intermittent clutch 850 1996

posted by  rcpatt on  Mon Jun 3 19:21 CST 2002
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With summer almost upon us, the a/c in my 850 1996 has been cutting out at high temperatures. My indie volvo servicer has isolated it to the clutch area, and yes, the A/C computer is sending the correct signals to the clutch, and the low pressure switch is ok. His solution is a new clutch/compressor, at the large $$$. I have heard elsewhere that there is a high temperature cutout switch on the compressor itself that is wired in series with the clutch, and that this may be safely bypassed. Rumor also has it that Volvo knows of this weakeness in warmer climates, and that the bypass is approved. I have searched brickboard to no avail, but some glancing references elsewhere were found to the "fabled Supertemp swithc problem. Is this the best solution, is it safe? More info please...
Bob Patterson








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    air conditioning-- intermittent clutch 850 1996

    posted by  Keithp on  Tue Jun 4 14:32 CST 2002
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    Not heard about any bypass being approved - but why not try it and see if it is the problem first? My understanding is simply that it's there to protect the system from catastrophic damage in the event of a problem causing high pressure to exist, there IS a high pressure release valve on the compressor but some people report it didn't act fast enough to save them ...

    BTW I live in Thailand where the temperasture and humidity are high but have no problems from the compressor HT switch.

    Good luck

    KP








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    air conditioning-- intermittent clutch 850 1996

    posted by  danielflading on  Tue Jun 4 10:23 CST 2002
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    i have a 1997 854 GLT and i live in houston texas, plenty hot has already exceeded 100 degrees on many days this year and my AC works fine in the Heat.

    I have also replaced my condensor in from of the radiator, it was leaking and was full of dirt and crud.

    much colder now than it used to be.

    Dan








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    air conditioning-- intermittent clutch 850 1996

    posted by  someone claiming to be Ray N. on  Tue Jun 4 06:19 CST 2002 [RELATED]

    Any chance it is low on refrigerant? I think the only way to know is
    to remove existing refrigerant and replace with 1.6 lbs. If low, the
    compressor will cycle (and leaks in Volvo AC system are very common).

    I have also heard of the high temp switch but don't know the details.
    I would assume there is a TSB on it and if the mechanic has a subscription
    to alldata.com (many do) they can get the info from there.

    By the way, my 98 AC cuts out once the temp is over 100 (did last summer)
    and barely keeps up. Just had the AC recharged on my wife's 95 850 )the
    compressor was cylicng on and off every 5 seconds) and
    I'm anxious to see if it works over 100 degrees (it is working
    fine but temps have not exceeded 80, yet).








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      air conditioning-- intermittent clutch 850 1996

      posted by  Sharkey on  Fri Jun 21 08:55 CST 2002
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      "AC cuts out once the temp is over 100".

      I finally found someone who is having the same problem that I am experiencing. I live is Southern New Mexico and we have had 3 solid weeks over 100. And of course we do not take any long trips in the car because the AC "cuts out once the temp is over 100". It will blow cold air for a while, then warm air, then cold air, then warm air, etc. Gets extremely aggravating. Let me know if you find a solution to this problem. I do not want to take my 850 to El Paso because the dealer has a reputation of, let say "recommending fixes that aren't necessary" (read compressor).

      Yours, or anyone elses help would be appreciated.








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    air conditioning-- intermittent clutch 850 1996

    posted by  someone claiming to be bill on  Tue Jun 4 02:10 CST 2002 [RELATED]

    Safe to bypass? I Don't know. Here's what I do know. Had an 850 where the clutch would stop working intermittently, usually at idle. Every thing checked out, so replaced the temp switch on the compressor. Problem persisted. After digging deeper, found the engine temp exceeding 225C at idle, witrh the fan blowing full speed and the thermostat wide open. Removed the engine fan, flushed the radiator with tons of high pressure water from the engine side, then flushed the AC condeser from the front, put it all back together. Engine ran much cooler and the A/C began to function normally. Flushed a ton of dirt out of the rad and condenser. Worth a try before shelling out big bucks for a compressor.







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