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You may want to repeat the test again (to confirm) with soap bubbles at the condenser. Compressor OFF and engine OFF this time to prevent the radiator fan spins and spoil the soap bubbles. I recommend the liquid R134a test as before.
Do confirm that the hiss doesn't come from any of the pressostats. Disconnect their electrical connections (don't worry as they are keyed and colour coded). Apply soap bubbles around their bodies PLUS WITHIN their electrical terminals too. Repeat the leak test. Who knows you may ONLY need to replace the pressostat instead of condenser.
Condenser replacement:
As your 940 is of the year 1995 your condenser should come with BLOCK pipe fittings. That means the in/out refrigerant pipes are located together at the left lower corner of condenser. Thus replacement/installation should be an easy job (only one hex nut to undo/redo the pipes). Next is to screw out the pressostats.
I would recommend getting a Nissens condenser (yes they make our radiator too). That should be OEM quality. Volvo OE condenser is much more priced but it is of heavier construction compared to Nissens. Maybe to prevent road rocks/ice damage in Sweden. I know this when I replaced my OE condenser (mine blocked full of compressor debris) with Nissens. I had weighed those condensers for comparison. I leave the choice to you.
Replacing the condenser:
Dismantle the front grille upper cover. Undo the pipes' BLOCK attachment. The new condenser may be installed dry without oil (do replace and lube the O rings though at the refrigerant pipes). Regarding the compressor oil, the recommended fill amount is 200ml of PAG100 quality/grade. As your system have been opened/exposed to air for quite some time (due to the leak) you may need to replace the accumulator too. Its dessicants might have absorbed much water vapour from the air. Then you may use the FULL refill amount 200ml. Pour about 150ml into the suction port of compressor (marked as S) and spin the compressor's clutch about 10 to 15 times to distribute the oil. For easier pouring you may use the rubber hose connected to compressor's suction port instead (dismantle the end at accumulator). This way the compressor need not be dismantled out. Pour the remaining 50ml into your new accumulator's INLET port (the one with pipe connected to evaporator).
Order of installation:
Install the condenser first. Install new accumulator last. The accumulator nuts may be very tight. You may use WD40 or such to penetrate them first. Use LARGE wrenches arranged in V formation. This way you won't twist much (i.e stress) the short pipe from evaporator. Vacuum down the system as SOON as you finished installing the accumulator.
If you don't replace your accumulator this time around (which you may well do) you might need to vacuum down the system for very long time to remove every last bit of water vapour (12 hours or more). With new accumulator vaccum time is about 1 hour. The rest of water vapour is handled by new accumulator.
Regards,
Amarin.
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