Online resources have provided me with invaluable guidance for almost every problem I've experienced with my 1986 Volvo 245GL wagon (222,000mi). Usenet and the brickboard have been particularly helpful. However, while I found significant information concerning A/C on the 240, I still had to find out the answers to many of my questions via some aggravating experiences. So, I hope my following post can help fill in some holes left by current online resources. I wrote it in the form of a list of recommendations for anyone wanting some good A/C on the 240. More importantly, I hope it can keep others from making the same idiot mistakes that I did.

SUMMARY/KEY RECOMMENDATIONS:
(1) Buy the Volvo R134 retrofit kit, regardless of whether you're going to stick with R12 or not. Why? Because the new evaporator is worth it. It's a parallel flow design, as opposed to the old evaporator's tube and fin configuration.
(2) There is one problem I ran into with this new evaporator. The inlet tube is longer than the old evap's inlet, which led to problems lining up the input to the expansion valve. Find out if you're going to have the same problem with the new evaporator's inlet tube length, then figure out how you want to solve it. I was pretty bummed out about this. Isn't this a volvo kit? Sheesh.
(3) Find a place to have custom a/c hoses made; don't buy the premade ones. This is much cheaper. (Install your components first, then have the hoses made up.) If you go this route, you can solve the evap problem.
(4) Install an electric pusher fan in front of the condenser. Use a relay to power it. Splice the control it into the compressor clutch wire, or wire it to a switch on the console.
(5) Seriously consider installing a parallel flow condenser to replace the original volvo tube and fin model. If you decide upon a parallel flow condenser, keep in mind that most of the ones that I've seen have horizontal inlet and outlet ports. The volvo hoses won't work unless you can have some fittings made which duplicate the bends on the original volvo condenser. There are other options: If you have custom hoses made, well, the problem is solved. But you can't go with as large a condenser because you're going to need room on the left side to hook up the hoses horizontally. You could also cut into the sheet metal on the left side to make room for the hose connections. This might also require you to relocate the drier. I ended up going the custom hose route. My condenser is pretty small, but it gets the job done. If I had it to do over again, I would have investigated the possibility of custom metal fittings bent to fit the original volvo hoses. It would also be nice if these fittings could be welded to the condenser, so extra o-rings wouldn't be necessary (just one more place for a leak).
(6) Definitely flush every component that you're going to reuse (except the compressor, of course). Use a flush solvent and flush gun. It's messy, but I learned the hard way that a small restriction can completely ruin your day. (It was actually a very interesting restriction...I learned the extreme importance of the equalizing tube on the TXV.)
(7) If you convert to R134, install a high-pressure cutout switch. The high side pressures are definitely much higher than with R12.
(8) Do not insulate the expansion valve, according to the volvo TSB. I didn't read it at first, and I still have black stuff on my hands.

Essentially, if you followed all my recommendations, you'd have a whole new a/c system. It made sense for me, since the a/c was completely shot on my car, and because I live in the Phoenix area, land of unbelievably blistering summers. If you live somewhere with a milder summer climate, most of this would be going overboard. At the very least, I'd say that the volvo retrofit kit is a must-have. Accept no substitutes. The evaporator is key. Compare the volvo kit's $200 price tag to ipd's recent $125 kit, which includes no evaporator, just some o-rings, drier, and TXV...sheesh!

Now I'm going to sound like a shill for this place, but they certainly have the best prices I've found. I have no affiliation with them other than as a satisfied customer. For the best prices on compressors and other stuff, try: www.ackits.com If you're in the phoenix area, they are the guys who made my hoses. One example--a brand new Seltec TM15HD compressor, direct fit replacement for the diesel-kiki... around $180 bucks (it's an r134 model, though, meaning no fill ports...you'll need inline ports on the hoses).


Regards,

HKK

This is an old thread that I contributed to 8 (!) years ago. I since moved the three 240s to Phoenix, and had to go through a process of redoing and improving the AC again. I've now picked through two of the three 240s (a 1988 and a 1989), and found that the single best thing to do to improve the AC in these old bricks is to replace that old condenser with a parallel flow model.

I found that if I got this model (p34422p) from American Condenser http://www.partstrain.com/store/?N=0&src=search&Ntt=P34422P. It fits the 240s perfectly, except one hookup is pointing the wrong way....if you go to any ac shop and have the appropriate hose made, you are good to go.

I ended up liking this a lot more than AC kits's condenser, simply for the reason that it is exactly the same size as the old volvo one, so it fits the physical space perfectly.

By my measurements, it dropped the average vent temperature by about 5 degrees. Totally worth it....i was getting 34 degree vent temps on the highway today in Phoenix...it is 103 degrees out.

Just thought a little update on this would help people trying to make their bricks cool.

cheers,
erico

Hi Erico, Thanks for all the great recommendations! I live in Dallas, Texas so I need lots of help for my 87 244. Just replaced the Kiki Diesel with a 7 cylinder Sanden Heavy Duty, bolt right in, and has the same A2 pulley, so belts fit perfect too. I WAS going to leave in my old condenser until reading this last post of yours. I know the pipe is the wrong direction etc, but I also heard that this parallel flow condenser was what they used on the 1993 Model (134r) and that the thread pitch on the condenser fittings is different. Can you verify this? Hope you are still on the Brickboard :( Thanks

Scott in Dallas

Boy, would love an update on this thread. From my research, the P34422p condenser will indeed "bolt up" however, in 1993 Volvo changed the thread pitch on the fittings. "Erico" makes it sound like it fits right up, but he is very skilled it seems, so he probably knew how to make it work.

Like most of you I struggled trying to make my car's (82 242DL) A/C effective in the Southeastern US summers. Finally gave up and removed the entire Volvo HVAC system and bought/installed a universal Classic Auto Air Street Rod Cooler III system. 35-36F air on 90-95F days. Plenty of capacity on fan speed 1 to keep car frosty. Fully electronic - no cable or vacuum controls. Not cheap - but it works.
--
82 242 6.2L coming...; '15 Honda Fit; '16 Subie X-Trek

Too cool! No pun intended :). Do you remember which model number you bought ?

Thanks

https://www.classicautoair.com/shop/street-rod-cooler-iii-universal-air-conditioning-system/
--
82 242 6.2L coming...; '15 Honda Fit; '16 Subie X-Trek

This is a valuable post. I thought I would add a few things to it for the archive, as I just did my retrofit, and ran into some of the same issues.

First, what you say about the volvo evaporator is absolutely true...it's a great product, and improves the efficiency of the whole system. It is also a bit bigger in the inlet area, and is a bit hard to get into place. I was able to get it back in the evaporator slot by sort of wiggling and shaking it all the way back. The trick in getting the fittings into place is to not put the expansion valve on the evaporator before you put in into place. Doing so will make it impossible to get the high pressure line screwed on properly. Instead, put the evap in, then fit the expansion valve on to the high side line, then fit the expansion valve onto the evaporator. With a bit of gentle bending if necessary, you can get it all to fit into place. Just be careful though, because it is very easy to damage the soft aluminum either in the process of bending it a bit to make the hoses fit, or in tightening up the connetions. Make sure to always use two wrenches, and not to overdo the tightening process on the evaporator. I tightened it up by hand, then used two wrenches, pressurized the system and checked for leaks before adding the body putty to the interior. That way you wont over tighten, and you won't have to (ugh!) take the body putty off if there's a leak.

Second, get a cheap vacuum pump to evacuate the system. An hour of pumping and an hour of waiting to see if it holds vaccuum will make the system work better, and save you lots of money over letting refrigerant leak out and then having to put it back in. It also makes the dessicant in the dryer last longer, and prevents corrosion in the system. Harbor Freight has a simple venturi pump you hook up to a compressor that only costs $40.

Third, consider getting a uv light to check for leaks. I found one for $40 with the glasses at pep boys. They now sell cans of 134a plus UV dye together in one can that removes the need for a seperate dye injector tool. You only pay an extra buck for the can w/ the dye, and if you buy an extra tap for $4, you can just put a few ounces in and stretch it out as you hunt for leaks. The light and dye system for tracking down leaks makes things easy.

Fourth, for flushing, I just used a set of $3 plastic tubing (I think 7/8ths inch) from home depot plus some paint thinner and the blow gun on my compressor and some duct tape. A bit of work, but it got a lot of gunk out and was cheap. Don't flush the compressor, and, as above, be sure to draw a vacuum through the system to get as much residual out as you can. I did test mix a bit of paint thinner and ester oil to make sure they were compatible, and they seemed fine. Does anyone think that the flush systems that are available are really better (or different) than paint thinner?

Finally, get a set of manifold gauges---they are worth it. I hooked the blue (low-pressure) one up to the driver side port on my diesel-kiki compressor (which still has the 7/8" fitting from r-12, it is labelled 'S' for 'Suction') and to the new volvo high side port downside from the drier. For that you need a high side conversion, because most manfolds are not sold with the r-134a fittings. I charged until the system was 30 low side and 150 high side, stable at idle w/ ambient temperature at 75 deg. F. I'm still not sure if I shouldn't have charged it a bit more, but did not want to over do it. I lost the instructions to my manifold, so I wasn't sure that I had accounted for the refrigerant still in the hoses. Oh, also be careful that you don't let air into the hoses when you switch cans....tap the can, and let a bit flow out as you disconnect and reattach the charge hose at the manifold side. I suspect that it is better to charge by pressure than to get a measurement device, just because you are sure to be inaccurate as a DIYer in terms of the exact charge. After reading up on it, I decided not to try to charge by watching the compressor clutch cycle (the way I used to do it), and I'm glad I did it with the gauges this time....seems a lot less dangerous, both to you and the equipment. Also the sight glass method of knowing the charge is ok is worthless w/R-134a.

One other followup....about insulating the expansion valve....after looking at a bunch of cars, it seemed that the most of the expansion valve was insulated, just not the two capilary tubes nor the big oval shaped protrusion on the end. I would think that's desirable, because it keeps the valve from sweating/dripping on the passenger, while still allowing the larger surface area part to expand/contract with ambient tempreature. Or am I missing something? At any rate, mine seems to work well like that for me, but I'd be interested in other experiences.

Maybe Chris Herbst, whose posts on a/c have been invaluable to me (thanks chris!), has an opinion about the best pressure and charging rates for a pre-1990 retrofitted 240. I sort of went by the high side= 2 times ambient temperature benchmark for R134, but I suspect one could go a bit higher, to say 2.2 times. Do you have any opinion about this? I guess I figured that low pressure is better than too high, and that I can always top it up if I'm unhappy when the ambient air hits 90.

Hope that helps others....


-Eric

Wow, great post Eric. I definitely should have installed the TXV and hoses your way!

I second everything you mentioned in your post, including mention of Chris Herbst's great contributions. I don't think there have been many repairs I've made without using some of his advice. :-)

HKK

That was excellent and useful information.

Regardless of refrigerant, that kind of thorough job will keep you from having to do the job five times. This is worth it's weight in gold, because after a few system failures, it would get expensive anyway!

--
Chris Herbst, near Chicago.

HI - and thanks for a ton of useful info. I have printed off a hard copy of your post for my archives.

I live in Houston, and this summer looks to be a scorcher/melter (humidity) and I've had enough summers in my 1986 244 without a/c. A/C was dead when I bought it, been a good car otherwise.

A few more bits of info are asked, please.

In (1), it is implied that the system converted to R134a can still be run on R12. Is this correct? Not that I would want to, but for some near our southern border, using R12 is still an option.

In (2). Long inlet tube such that the existing hose won't line up, right? How did the ackits people figure out how to do the custom hose, did you take the car to them? I can't do that, but if they would make another hose just like yours it would probably work OK. that one would be the one from the receiver/dryer to the evaporator, right? Maybe they could do the same deal on some of the other custom fitted hoses? Did your compressor to condensor hose, the one that crosses in front of the condensor, have a muffler about midway in it? Mine does!

In (3) - See above regarding (2).

In (4) - I think there's a typo in your post, but the gist is to have the pusher fan run either whenever the compressor runs, or with a driver control switch on the control panel. I would set it so that it would run at driver's descretion except that if driver switched the fan off but the compressor is on, it will run until the compressor shuts off. Make sense?

In (5). So you got a parallel flow condenser, although smaller than the original one, and it fits in without relocating the receiver/dryer, right?
Is there another custom hose from the compressor high pressure port to the condenser inlet? How did the condenser connect to the receiver/dryer inlet, via a hose?

In (6) Using a flush solvent and a flush gun are things beyond my ken. Are they, the solvent and the gun, things that AutoZone might stock? Did you DIY or have your a/c shop do it?

In (7) Then the switch on the existing receiver/dryer is NOT a high pressure cutout, just the low side? Is there a high pressure switch for a DIY to install in the system? Where in the system? Available from ackits.com?

In (8) Does the TSB say why not to insulate the expansion valve? Sounds bass-ackwards to me. Oh, and I assume that by TXV you mean thermal expansion valve, right?

There was a genuine Volvo Conversion Kit on eBay last week or two that went for $132.00. Now I feel even worse about not battling for it.

Thanks you so much again. Today it hit 90F and high mugginess, I am ready to a/c that car.

Regards,

Bob

:>)

Hey, B.C.,

boy I hear you about needing A/C...I have visited Houston once or twice in the summer. Talk about a swamp! Okay, I'll try to answer your questions as best I can. Although little issues invariably creep up, it's always nice to start a job thinking you have all the bases covered, eh?

>In (1), it is implied that the system converted to R134a can still be run on >R12. Is this correct? Not that I would want to, but for some near our southern >border, using R12 is still an option.

Yes, you could still use R12, under certain conditions. In fact, that's the way I originally wanted to go with my A/C (run it on R12, but leave myself an easy path to R134). Lower latent heat of vaporization equals lower system pressures. If you did the conversion to R134, then wanted to go back to R12, you'd face several issues. First, you'd have to change the high and low side service port fittings back to R12-style. R12 manifold gauge hoses are generally 1/4-20 thread at both ends. R134 charging hoses use a quick-disconnect fitting and 1/2-inch ACME threads on the other. There shouldn't be too much problem with this, except that the R134 fitting adapters you see in auto parts stores generally come with loctite on the threads, so removing them from your R12 fittings once they have set might be a task. The other issue is the oil that you use in your R134 conversion. Certain POE's are marketed as being compatible with both R12 and R134. If you start out using one of those, then going back to R12 might be less work than otherwise. If you start out your R134 conversion using PAG oil (definitely not recommended), then at a minimum you'd have to remove the compressor and change the oil. To be safe, I would flush out the rest of the system. R12 destroys PAG oil.

In summary, there are only a few issues that you have to consider when deciding between R12 and R134:
--Barrier-type hoses. You should have one between the compressor-condenser. R134 molecules are smaller than R12, and left to themselves, permeate old, non-barrier hoses at a high rate. However, in real-world conditions, oil in the system helps "seal" the hose and reduce the leakage in old hoses, so it is not as severe as once thought. I imagine the volvo kit only includes a new comp-cond hose because it sees the highest system pressures. Whether or not you replace the other hoses to barrier-type is up to you, but I think it's wise in any case. All hoses made today are of the barrier type.
--Compressor. The old York compressors need the shaft seal to be replaced, as mentioned elsewhere in this forum. If you have a working diesel-kiki, it should actually be okay for 134, provided you have the right oil.
--Oil. R12 destroys PAG. R134 doesn't mix well with mineral oil. POE's should be the choice of any R134 retrofit. And as I mentioned above, some POE's are marketed as compatible with R12.

>In (2). Long inlet tube such that the existing hose won't line up, right?

I actually solved this by bending the evaporator inlet tube to match the angle of the incoming drier-expansion valve hose. Procedure was thus: I installed the TXV on the evap, then installed evap into console housing. Then I bent the evap inlet tube until the TXV inlet lined up where I needed it. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PROCEDURE. We all have times of desperation, and this was one of them. I wanted the job done that day, and basically risked $200 bucks and all the labor that went along with it. The better way is to get a custom hose made...

>How >did the ackits people figure out how to do the custom hose, did you take >the car to them?

Yes, if you want custom hoses, you should fit all the components, then bring the car to the place. I can't imagine that there aren't automotive a/c specialists who don't make hoses in the Houston area, given its climate. One small piece of advice if you go the custom route...when you install the system components, use your old drier and wait to change the oil in the compressor until after the fitting session... Reason is that you want to install the new drier last, to expose it to the least amount of moisture possible. Also, POE and PAG oils are very hygroscopic...they attract moisture. You also want to change the oil in the compressor just before you're ready to install it, to reduce exposure to moisture. Also remember to plug any hoses or components if you're going to be driving around with the system open. Don't want any crud finding its way in there, either.

>Did your compressor to condensor hose, the one that crosses in front of the >condensor, have a muffler about midway in it? Mine does!

Yes. The volvo kit comes with a new hose to replace this one. It does not have a muffler.

>In (4) - I think there's a typo in your post, but the gist is to have the >pusher fan run either whenever the compressor runs, or with a driver control >switch on the control panel. I would set it so that it would run at driver's >descretion except that if driver switched the fan off but the compressor is >on, it will run until the compressor shuts off. Make sense?

Yes. Your way is more comprehensive than mine, but also more work. I got lazy and just spliced the control wire from a relay into the compressor clutch wire. Basically, when the compressor gets 12V, then the relay switches on and delivers power to the pusher fan. I located the relay on the driver side strut tower.

>In (5). So you got a parallel flow condenser, although smaller than the >original one, and it fits in without relocating the receiver/dryer, right?
>Is there another custom hose from the compressor high pressure port to the >condenser inlet? How did the condenser connect to the receiver/dryer inlet, >via a hose?

Yes to all. With the small p-flow condenser, there is no need to relocate the drier. The only reason you'd have to relocate the drier is if you decided to get a gargantuan condenser, and cut out the sheet metal to the left of the condenser to allow room to hook up the hoses. I don't think that's a really good option. Just threw it out there because it was running through my head when I was looking at the condensers available.

There are custom hoses from the compressor to condenser inlet and condenser outlet to the drier input. I didn't use the volvo kit comp-cond hose because of the issue with the port orientation on the p-flow condenser. This also necessitated the custom condenser-drier hose. Again, you may want to look into the third option--having a place make metal fittings that duplicate the way the fittings bend on the original volvo condenser. Then, you would just thread them on to the p-flow condenser, and thread the original hoses onto those fittings. It would add two extra o-rings to the system, but probably allow you to use a larger p-flow condenser.

>In (6) Using a flush solvent and a flush gun are things beyond my ken. Are >they, the solvent and the gun, things that AutoZone might stock? Did you DIY >or have your a/c shop do it?

Yes and no... The flush gun itself is just a canister that you fill with solvent, then pressurize with shop air. It has a rubber-tip blowgun that delivers the solvent. It was a little over $40. I haven't seen one of those at a local parts store. I have seen the flushing solvent at local parts stores. AutoZone or Checker/Schucks/Kragen should have that. I did it myself, and it was super messy. Be prepared to catch the solvent on the other end in a bucket, and for it to splash. Having a helper at the other end of the hose with a rag to provide backpressure certainly helps. But it's still messy, especially for the helper. I am glad I got the flushing agent from ackits. They have something called "safe flush", which seems, well, pretty safe from a toxicity standpoint. In lieu of a flush gun, I was going to try out one of those siphon-type blowguns. Cheaper, but in the end just got the flush gun from www.acsource.com (ackits was on backorder at the time).

>In (7) Then the switch on the existing receiver/dryer is NOT a high pressure >cutout, just the low side? Is there a high pressure switch for a DIY to >install in the system? Where in the system? Available from ackits.com?

No. In fact, the switch on the drier is actually a low-pressure cutout, like you surmised. Yes, the high pressure switch is a no brainer to install. Just thread it in to the compressor outlet and splice some wires. Yes, available at ackits.com, and possibly even at your local parts place.

>In (8) Does the TSB say why not to insulate the expansion valve? Sounds bass->ackwards to me. Oh, and I assume that by TXV you mean thermal expansion valve, >right?

TXV, expansion valve, yes. Yeah, it sounded weird to me, too. I ended up taking off the insulation tape after reading it. My guess is that the TXV is simply stable enough to work without being isolated from the ambient temps in the car, wildly variable as they are. The equalization tube provides negative feedback, so I don't think my guess is too far off...

Best of luck with your system...let me know how it goes.

Regards,

HKK

A few corrections/clarifications to my previous post...

The high pressure cutout switch attaches to the service port, not the compressor outlet. Sorry, brain fart.

If you get the new compressor from ackits, keep in mind that they only have the r134 compatible models, without service fittings! So, if you go this route, you're going to have to have hoses made up/modified to include service fittings!

Best of luck B.C.

HKK

Hello, just ran across this. I bought a new compressor without service ports. Was thinking of having a high side port installed on the high pressure hose behind the grill (easy to take out) before it hooks into the top of the condenser. Thought about putting the low pressure service port on the return hose near the firewall, about where the low pressure port is on a Accumulator equipped car (orfice tube type). What do you think about those locations?

Also, Mine was converted to 134 by Volvo in the early 2000's and they installed a T fitting with a port just downstream of the dryer. At this point you have high pressure liquid refrigerant, why would there be a service port there? Not to add 134 I'm assuming. I am guessing they added 134 thought the service port on the back of the compressor with an adapter. but strange they removed it and left the Schrader valve in? What is the port on the T fitting for? Why would they bother to add the thing? Thanks :)


Scott in Dallas

wow i really like that write up, iam in northern california and it gets very hot here in the summer too 34 degree ac sounds nice, so my old 85 which is now my girlfriends last summer we put in freeze 12 and so far a/c still working good, however my 88 daily driver has a locked up clutch, i looked on the 85 compressor seemed to be labled dks15 hb or something the 88 looks about the same, i know i need a compressor as it does not turn and i plan on a new accumilator/dryer, so out of curiousity what would be the best cheapest way to get the a/c working on said car, doesn't have to be too cold and i don't want to modify it too much allthough i like the parallel flow idea. has anyone had any luck with used compressors?