My wife came home in a foul mood the other day. "A/C doesn't work, again!", said it all. The problem appears to be intermittent (twice last week). She says it just blows hot (ambient) air. I took it on some long drives this weekend, but haven't been able to duplicate the failure. I had the condensor and accumulater (whatever that is) replaced last year. Only thing out of the ordinary is a hissing sound coming from the vents. Was really hoping to take it to the Carolinas over the 4th. Any ideas before I take it to the shop???

Go for a drive. Get the A/C up nice and cold. Then accelerate HARD and for as long of a duration as is safe.

What do you notice?

Does the blowing air go away? Does it diminish from the vents and divert to the floor and Defroster ducts?

Get back to us with the results of this test.

Hey GP:

My 960's A/C blower diverts to the floor vents but only when the "recirculate" switch is activated. Otherwise, no change under acceleration.

PS - the A/C compressor, accumulator/dryer and expansion valve have been replaced within the last 12 months; recently had the A/C serviced at the Volvo dealership - STILL doesn't blow cold when it's Houston-hot outside. My girlfriend's Honda kicks my cars ASS!!!! What gives, other than a POS A/C unit?

Thanks!!!!

Thats a new one on me. If I get time later, I'll check the diagrams for ECC.

You might want to repost this at the top, in a new thread.

Thank you sir! May I have another?!?!?!? I'll stay tuned... Please see my other post on performance/tire upgrades. I'd definitely be interested in your opinion.....

General, sir:

Sorry for the delayed reply. Couldn't pry the steering wheel from my wife's grip until this morning. In the meantime, the weather in Ohio has turned down-right cool (only 61F at noon!). I took the car out for a 20 minute spin and turned on the A/C. When I floored the accelerator, ice cold air continued to pump out of the dash vents (doesn't divert to floor or defroster). Tried this many times, with the same result. Normally, I would expect the A/C to cut-off under hard acceleration. Any ideas?

Good Work Soldier!

You have eliminated one of the nastier tricks this car can pull.

Marching Orders:

-Go back out and open the hood. Look for two rubber vacuum elbows at the firewall, next to the Reciever/Dryer, (big silver can thing).

-Check the integrity of the rubber elbows.

(if good)... Pull out the check valves (note orientation!!)and put the tip in your mouth. Try to suck air. Air should pass freely in one direction and be totally blocked from the other direction. If you can suck air two ways, or not at all, you have a problem.

Get back to me with results.

General:

Vacuum rubber elbows look good. Checked all hoses and tubes. Are the check valves the two white/black cylindrical parts approx. 1.5" long?

Thanks for all of your help.

Yes.

General:

Thanks. The A/C quit again on me this morning. Then worked the next time I started it. Had to travel south to visit the relatives (took the Honda). I'll fiddle with the check valves when I get back home on Monday.

My a/c changes blowing directions periodically, without warning. It sounds like it's blowing through the defrost and floor, but there isn't any air blowing at all. Doesn't last for long before it cycles back to the dash vents. My dealer said the car needs "floor defrost servo" (quoted from the service invoice). I declined after being told it would run at least $500 to repair. Do you have any idea what I need?

Thanks in advance.

You need a $50 part which has a torn rubber boot allowing vacuum to leak under heavy acceleration.

Three approches to fix...

#1 Fix it right... take the dash apart... prolly more that $500.

#2 Do the shortcut, cut a hole in the wall of the air mix boxes. Replace the part, patch the hole. No one will ever know. You save BIG BANK!

#3 Plug off the offending vacuum circuit. You'll NEVER be able to route to the floor, but the cold air at the vent will stay.

take a length of rubber hose 3-4 feet long. Hold one end to your ear. Near it not inside. Wave the other end around under the dash until you find the hiss. It is either a vacum line which came off or one of your vacumn motors split a diaphram. Check the FAQs for this.

Bill D.

nmi