After reading the nearby bit about changing the AC compressor and Dave's story about his leak, I wanted to mention my situation. 1994 N/A, purchased in 2007. Daily driver, must be near to 400K on it. Almost every year I bring it to a local who is willing to recharge the freon. It is about the only thing I need his help with thanks to this group. Thru the years I have also had trouble keeping the climate control switch unit fully functional, so Ive had to buy some working used ones.

Anyway, every year since 2008 he drains the freon, finds that the car holds a vacuum and then refills the correct amount of freon. He finds the freon level down by 50% to 80% each year, but the system works well, given the electrics are working.

He says something is leaking; I even thing he put some die in it many years ago. We just keep it running this way and for $120 a year, it's worth having the relationship and a pro taking care of my AC in both 940's.

All my red blocks are so cheap to own and run. It's been a great solution! I'll probably keep the 30 year old car on the road until something comes up I can't handle. Rolling the dice on the AC system at this point seems too much.
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89 240 wagon, 94 940, 300K, 94 940, 141K

Hi,

Just read over these posts about a suction hose having a leak along its length.

If it is truly an R12 refrigerant hose then it is going to leak with R134A.
This is because its molecules are smaller than R12’s molecules.
The refrigerant will permeate very slowly through the walls.
I’m surprised the dye makes it through as well but given enough time it’s very possible.
The next suspect is the shaft seal on a compressor. It behind the magnetic clutch but oil is usually with it and any dye.

Fluorescent dye used with a Black light or some LED lights make the Dyes show up.
But its purpose was for threaded joints and stress cracks in aluminum tubing. The 850’s evaporators had big issues on defects for sometime.

Snap on fittings or the removal of many fittings as possible are finding their place to reduce leaks.
Then it’s just O rings. Those green ones are for containing smaller molecules and maybe PAG oils. I don’t recall?

A bad condenser or evaporators can get cracks and the evaporator is always shrouded out of sight in cars.
An electronic sniffer has to be used in still air under those, since it is a heavier that air gas vapor.

It’s another boogie boo about 134 besides the incompatibility with mineral oils used in all R12 systems early on.
It’s also ten percent less efficient for removing heat than R12 pound per pound.
The Copeland Company lost lots of money replacing compressors in those first years.
That’s why there is the “A” after the numbers.
PAG oil had to be quickly invented and so the refrigerant price jumped to cover that.
Someone had to pay for it and since mandating some required regulations that opened the cost more gates as well.
You will never see $1.00 a pound refrigerant again with patents and royalties the way they are.

With the new R 1234 YF Mercedes through a fit with our EPA over it.
It is flammable so I say the lettering tells the story … “Yell Fire” covers that.

In the trade it was taught that R12 burned in a flame created phosgene gas so we were told don’t sniff the burnt gas’s off you early detection sniffers that used a copper plate. The combination created that gas and would make you nauseous. So does mustard gas used in WW I.
BUT hey, we were trained over forty plus years it was used.

The R 12 was banned for a chlorine atom taken a ride up but no one talks about millions of swimming pools and water treatment plants everywhere.
It was blown styrofoam packaging, electronic chip and clean room cleaning environments that put too much of it the air. The automotive or refrigeration trade didn’t waste it as much. But the DuPont company seized the opportunity to get patents back.

Now the kick is Co2!
Both new refrigerants have or make a larger footprint in the skyline than Co2.
The new refrigerants are better regulated by pricing most of all.
Recovery product’s created another industry.
So now what up?
The prices of refrigerants of course.

Any how the issue is leaks, as refrigerants don’t wear out and these newer BALANCED CCOT systems, should have to be weight charged or accurately for proper performance.
CCOT systems have LESS COMPONENTS. I think it stands for Cut Costs Over Time. 😳

Phil

my story---1987 245

my tale is similar---my Volvo guy, after the second year of finding the Freon level down----$160/pound, also put green dye into the system with the refill.


Next season, the cooling was weak again.

It just so happened that during a spring tune-up, while changing the sparkplugs, I got some green oily stuff my hand-----it came from the AC hose that runs from the compressor, across the front of the engine over the valve cover and on into the firewall.

Seems the hose, I guess after all those years heat from the exhaust manifold....was finally toasted.

The repair shop drained the remaining freon---I replaced the hose. The shop refilled.....$300.

I'm not sure how the 900 AC hoses are run. But if you've never replaced this hose maybe you should consider it.

When you mention Freon, I assume you mean R-134A? Freon was banned from new car automobile usage in 1994 as it destroys the Ozone layer.

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....