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99 S70 AC Evaporator Problem S70 1999

posted by  Senna1 on  Tue Jun 24 12:54 CST 2003
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Greetings all,

The AC on my '99 S70 stopped working and a visit to the dealer revealed that the evaporator needs to be replaced a ta cost of $1,500. I declined the work until I research this issue a bit further.

Is there anybody out there with prior experience with this problem? What options do I have? Any advice?








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    99 S70 AC Evaporator Problem S70 1999

    posted by  steve-in-fl on  Wed Jun 25 14:50 CST 2003
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    last visit: Mon Feb 16 06:49 CST 2009
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    I just had the evaporator replaced in my '98 S70. Cost me $1475! I live in FL so a/c is a must. It would stay cool only for a few weeks. They replaced it in less than 8 hours, so the price seemed high. I see other postings saying it costs $1200. Volvo NA will be getting a letter from me about this.
    If your car needs charging only a couple times a year, then I'd say hold-off the evaporator replacement until recharges are more frequent.








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    99 S70 AC Evaporator Problem S70 1999

    posted by  tankogradets on  Wed Jun 25 02:45 CST 2003
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    Or you can buy an evaporator for about $150-270, set aside some time (took me about 25 hours) and replace it yourself. It is a pain in the ...(rear) though. Even if you do that yourself, you will still have to take your wagon to the dealer so that they can evacuate/recharge the ac system, but that shouldn't be more than $150 (I live in Oklahoma). Doing it yourself will still save you a $1000 or so.

    Good luck on whatever you decide to do, however, do make sure, that the evaporator is indeed leaking.

    Max








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      99 S70 AC Evaporator Problem S70 1999

      posted by  Senna1 on  Thu Jun 26 15:59 CST 2003
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      Thanks all for this valuable information.

      Max,

      Is there a manual that explains how to replace the evaporator? I'm tempted to replace it myself.

      Thanks,
      Bill








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    99 S70 AC Evaporator Problem S70 1999

    posted by  Paul G on  Tue Jun 24 17:37 CST 2003
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    Every spring, I get mine recharged (+-$100). Replacing the evaporator will work until the new one develops a leak in a couple of years, then your no better off and $1000 behind. I consider it part of the pain/pleasure of Volvo ownership.
    --
    '98 V70, '95 850 GLE 10V








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    99 S70 AC Evaporator Problem S70 1999

    posted by  someone claiming to be Punxsutawney Phil on  Tue Jun 24 13:25 CST 2003 [RELATED]

    The evaporator on my '98 quit at 101,000 miles. Mine was one of the first '98s to fail according to my dealer. Supposedly "improved" after the 850, the evaporators still seem to be failing regularly. The "approved" method is to add dye to the AC system and then look for the dye in the AC condensate. If there is dye in the condensate, then the evaporator must be leaking. The dye test is critical, there is a lot of other stuff in the system that can and does leak. The AC has never been a strong point of Swedish cars. Sometimes the leaks are slow, if you can get by with recharging the system annually, (or even biannually) that's an option to consider. Most of the cost is in the labor, the evaporator is deeply buried in the dash, which needs to be removed.

    Some Volvo techs are getting very fast at performing this repair!

    -Punxsutawney Phil








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      99 S70 AC Evaporator Problem S70 1999

      posted by  Mr-Glass on  Wed Jun 25 08:41 CST 2003
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      last visit: Fri May 7 17:25 CST 2010
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      Punxsutawney Phil,
      I'll look stupid to get an answer, by dye in the AC condensate - do you mean the water under your car after running on a hot day and parking?? Also, will simple black light reveal the dye? Sorry for ignorance..
      Glass








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        99 S70 AC Evaporator Problem S70 1999

        posted by  someone claiming to be Mike M. on  Fri Jul 4 02:01 CST 2003 [RELATED]

        Yes, but the dye needs to be PUT IN! It's not there from the factory. So just go pay for a recharge and have the dye added (request it). Then if you need to look into this, it will already be there.

        I assume that if the evap is leaking coolant then as the water drips over/off it some of the leaking coolant will come with it, and presumably the dye. It doesn't take much of that die to see it, yes, with a black light (purchased quite cheaply at Walmart -- but use the flourescent ones, they work much better).






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