I just got a "new" 850 with 150K miles on it. I noticed that the A/C blew but not cold. I have the service records from 60K-150K and I didn't see any recharges. With friends help (who had a vacuum and a set of hoses and gauges) we evacuated and recharged the system with 1.60 lbs of R-134a. We also added 2 oz of PAG oil to the system, even though we were reasonably sure there was no leak. Now the a/c blows cold again but after about 20-30 minutes on the low positions (1 or 2) the fan basically doesn't blow at all any more. There is still cold air coming out but much less forcefully. If I turn the blower position to high I get a VERY loud hum which sounds like the blower motor is working very hard. I shut the a/c off just used straight blown air. It seems to "recover" in about 20-30 mins and I go through the same cycle again.

As far as I know, no maintenance has ever been done on the a/c system, although approximately 10K miles ago the heat in the car didn't get hot and the thermostat was replaced.

I am thinking the blower motor is shot, but am not sure. Any suggestions? I can give more details if needed.

Many Thanks,

Adam
amk30@cornell.edu
1994 Volvo 850 Manual