Air conditioning compressor not working
 

Hi,

The air conditioning on my c30 T5 isn’t working at all.
I’ve had a local mobile air conditioning guy come out and look. He has stated that the system still has gas in it but the compressor isn’t kicking in at all. He said he linked out the relay in the engine compartment but the compressor still didn’t kick in.
He said he wasn’t able to diagnose anything further because the car would need to be on a ramp to access the compressor.
I had air conditioning issues for a couple of years where it would stop blowing cold after about 30 mins. Looking on the forum it looks like the compressor clutch gap could have been the issue?
Last September the timing and auxiliary belts failed and I had to have a recon cylinder head fitted.
Is it possible that when the belt’s failed it destroyed the compressor??
Or could it be that the compressor clutch has worn so much that it isn’t kicking in at all?
Is re-shimming of the compressor clutch something that a garage or air con specialist would carry out or is it a diy thing only?

Im hoping to get a new compressor fitted next week, Volvo want 600+ and the old one so likely not going OEM for this!

My condenser was also leaking so i think no lube meant the thing fully seized. OEM number 36050586 but seems a bit of a minefield to find the part.

It could be the compressor clutch gap. You can force the clutch to engage using either VIDA or, IIRC, by bridging the connections on the connector to the pressure switch which should kick the compressor into life. If you get cold air then it's either pressure or the clutch gap most likely.

It looks like the mobile A/C guy already tried overiding the control system to activate the compressor and nothing happened. This is a strong indication the issue is the magnetic clutch not engaging. they start to fail around 100k miles and resetting the gap gives them another 30k or so. Eventually the bearing in the clutch housing also fails so garages aren't too happy to reset the gap. Resetting the gap isn't a complicated job to do yourself though you'll probably need a puller to take the clutch off. There is an even simpler trick of adding tie wraps to push the clutch face closer and close the gap, avoiding the need to take the clutch off but this only works for about a year. If you can't get the gap reset then it has to be a replacement compressor plus dryer! There are a number of different makes of compressors used so it is easier to hand the job over to a garage. Obviously a Volvo dealer will charge a premium but any garage specialising in A/C repairs could do the job but expect to pay £500+

I have the same issue. Put my iCarsoft on and got a code CCM-0001.
Which tells me a configuration fault what ever that means ..🤔
Going to try the cable tie idea, if that works then I’ll buy a new clutch ….

Just did this with the cable ties to mine yesterday. When I got in close it looked like there should have been 3 rubber bump stops taking up some of the clutch play. Only one was left and that looked well past its best. Fashioned cable ties to do the same job and I now have reliable cooling again for first time in about 2 years. Wish I'd done it ages ago! Unfortunately I forgot to take any photos I could have posted here.

So have contacted a few different companies. No one has said they would be able to check and reset the compressor clutch gap, they have all provided quotes to fit a replacement compressor instead. Volvo main dealer came back with a price of £1006. A different mobile air conditioning specialist to which I originally called out, has come back with a price of £460 to fit an aftermarket compressor.
I’m not sure if either of the quotes include the dryer replacement.
Does anyone envisage any issues with having an aftermarket compressor fitted? Is there any known issues with poor quality aftermarket compressors which fail prematurely?
Obviously the price difference is significant.

Many thanks

https://www.gsfcarparts.com/aap14-1000p

I bought this one and a local garage fitted for circa £100.

Did need it professionally degassed before by a mobile aircon guy, he also said that was a decent make so fingers crossed. Didnt fancy the 600£ version from Volvo.

first check all the wires were connected when belt changed check for power at the relay if none check fuses use a multi meter or a test light to check for power volvo sell shims to set clutch gap they are basically just different thickness washers you should be able to see the ac clutch working with an assistant working the switches :regular_smile: look in vida for part nos for shims or ask at the parts counter.

Hi. I found that the aircon wasn't working in a recently purchased C70 and discovered that the clutch wasn't engaging on the compressor, but was turning freely by hand. I tried bridging the pressure switch - no effect; then bridging the relay having established that there was power on it - no effect. This suggested that there was a break in the circuit between relay and compressor. Having removed the undertray I inspected the connector and found that there was power to it, so I cleaned it up and rejoined it and away it went.
So it was all down to a poor connection and thankfully an easy fix. I don't know the layout of a C30, but if you can, give this a check.