My 2000 S70's AC recently started to blow luke warm air. Along with that, a constant clicking began to eminate from what appears to be under the passenger side of the dash. I brought it to my independant Volvo mechanic who thought it was the compressor cycling because of the hot weather. I have had two other Volvo's (240 and 940) and don't ever recall anything like that.

I have never experienced an AC compressor that cycled every 15 seconds!

The car is still under warranty, and I have set an appointment at my dealer, but have any of you experienced this or can you clue me in as to what this might be.

Thanks for your help.

FWIW....My 2000 S70 does the same clicking with the AC on, but it blows COLD AS ICE. It has made this clicking noise since it was brand new.....I askede my service manager about it, and he said no worries, and some the clicking is louder than others. My car has 25K mi. on it now, and I have the comprehensive VIP plan to 70K mi., so if my evap ever goes south......I am covered. Until then.....it stays the way it is....clicking and all.

Steve F.
Hoboken, NJ

Steve,

Thanks. The clicking just started two weeks ago. The AC blows cold after awhile, I'm not sure if I'm being hyper sensative at this point because the noise is new.

I bought my S70 certified, so my warranty is up to 100,000 miles, which makes my confort level pretty high that they will take care of the problem at their cost.

By the way, I also live in Northern NJ. Which dealer services your S70?

Jmalc, I have been driving Volvos for about 11 years now, and I shopped around the North Jersey area(Bergen, and Hudson Co.)for a quality Volvo dealer service dept.,and as you know there are quite a few up here. The one I found to be outstanding from the rest is Pauls Motors Volvo, in Hawthorne. They are not too big on giving brand new loaners, but in 10 years now I NEVER needed a loaner from them. They go far beyond what most dealers would do for a customer. Just about every tech(I think there are about 15)that was working the service dept. back in 1991, is still working there. The service manager has been working at this dealership since high school, and pauls is one of the oldest Volvo dealers in NJ.....I think it was like 1965 when they started....and their still in the same spot. Oh....and BTW, Pauls is a Volvo only dealer. Its just taht I have found the service to be better at Volvo only dealers, but I do know that there ARE some VERY good Volvo service depts at dealers who sell other makes of cars.

One other thing. I dont want to upset you, but you should read ALL the fine print on your Volvo certified VIP warranty to be 100% sure what it does and does not cover.....they can be VERY tricky.

good luck,
Steve Ferraro
Hoboken, NJ

Your mechanic isn't too bright or thinks you are a fool. ACs don't cycle every 15 seconds just because its warm. Thats the sound of it trying to come on and finding the pressure of freon too low then turning off and then repeating the process. Add that to blowing warm air even I know you need freon.

A quick fix is to recharge - either yourself or the dealer. Since you are likely still under warrantee ask the deal to try to figure out why your freon is gone. If leaking (and IMHO a 2000 should still be charged) they should repair under warrantee. A desireable thing since to replace the evaporator would could cost over $1500 at most dealers if you had to pay for it.

Good Luck!!!

Thanks! I sort of figured that's what is probably was. I'll let you know what the dealer says/does.

Probably just low on freon. They'll recharge it and add dye.

Just what I experienced recently when I mentioned to dealer that it's just not as cold as it used to be. Recharge with dye "No leaks found." But I'm guessing they really didn't examine EVERYWHERE - how could they easily right? Anyway, blows ice cold again, but now I'm wondering why it was low to start with (1999).

Why do people keep mentioned the evaporator? Is there a known issue or TSB about this?

Did the clicking stop?

The evap is a know issue, and there may even be a TSB on it. The only fix is to replace the evap. VCNA has a kit for this job, and it has a few other parts also besides the evap.
The reason people talk so much about this "issue", is because it costs so dam much to replace...most pay around $1500.
The reason it costs so dam much is time....it takes quite a bit of time to remove the entire dash just to replace a bad evap. Most good Volvo techs can beat the time Volvo allows for this job....but only after doing about a doz. or so.........
remember your HVAC system is sealed and should not *use* freon. If it is so low that the system no longer cools....the freon went somewhere...chance are in your cabin. OH and BTW if dye is put in.....take a real good look under the dash/floor well area. I would think this would be prime territory
for spotting dye!

Steve Ferraro
Hoboken, NJ

Steve, thanks. Just curious, is this a problem with all S70 model years? This is the first I've heard of this and I'm usually tipped off on things like this by a Volvo tech (I love to tip back)? Mine's a '99 is yours? If so, have you had this evap problem?

Car is under warranty for another 4-5 days (mileage coming up). But at least I got it documented I guess that I was concerned about the lack of cooling. I have no idea if they recharged it after a vacuuming out of old stuff - or just "topped it off". Given it had dye now, if it was leaking, where should I point the black light exactly? Will it come through the carpet? I'll do anything to prove/disprove this before the warranty runs out - short of taking dash out.

Mine is a MY2000 S70/GLT, it has made the clicking since day one. It has 26,000 miles on it now, and this is its third hot summer...my AC is TOO COLD sometimes.....even today when in the NYC metro area the ambient temp. is 96F, and heat index is well over 100F, I did not need to run it on full(I have auto climat control, but I just do it the old fashion way...set both dials to max cold, and adjust the fan how I like it...I use REC only when I first get in for a very short time, then I switch back to normal). I did notice the clicking is more aparent while driving, and not just sitting in traffic.

The service manager at the dealer where I have my Volvo serviced said that some, but not all the S70's make this clicking, and on some you can here it better than on others. As long as the AC is performing well, there is no problem at all.

If your looking for dye from a leaking evap, you need to get the black light under the dash by the fan motor.


Steve F.
Hoboken, NJ

Thanks!

Same problem on my '98...only no clicking that I hear of.

I'm due for my 60K check up this week. I'm hoping it's just in need of a recharge. It blows cold as ice for 15 sec...then blah warm for 15...it's more annoying than anything.
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1998 S70 T5M, Nordic Blue, iPD ECU/Strut Tower Brace/Anti-Sway bars, SuperSprint SS exhaust, Magnecore plug wires, K&N Filter Charger, Blackout Grill, European Side Marker Lamps, Two-Tone interior, 225/40 Series tires