2010 V70 Air Con Problem

[Tony Rama]

That's really useful info. Rich. Thank you. I've seem videos where the clutch can be taken out of the middle of the pulley without taking the belt off. ie the pulley stays in situ. Is that possible with this compressor, or must the belt and pulley come off?

[callisr]

I’d say the belt and pulley need to come off before the clutch can be removed. The circlip that holds the pulley bearing onto the clutch seems reasonably accessible once the plate is removed but as I understand, it’s not possible to remove it without a puller. I didnt have time today to go any further than I did as I needed the car back together ASAP.

[callisr]

This is the only other picture I took and it’s not very clear but it may be of some use….

[Tony Rama]

OK. So just checked the clutch gap. Engine was hot at the time and it measured 0.7mm so I don't think this is the problem. When it works it's very good but it's not very often, so next is open the wallet and pay someone.

[robinbanks]

Have you tried cleaning the condenser. The symptoms point to poor cooling of the high pressure gas amongst other things. So often people ignore that poor unfortunate part of a refrigeration system.

[XC70Virgin]

Originally Posted by robinbanks

Have you tried cleaning the condenser. The symptoms point to poor cooling of the high pressure gas amongst other things. So often people ignore that poor unfortunate part of a refrigeration system.

Good point on this. When I fixed my ac summer '20, there was a serious amount of crap between the radiator and condenser. If you remove the radiator you'll get at the gap. It's a bit of a faff but worth doing. My condenser had a pinhole so I was removing it anyway. I think the radiator has to come out from below by taking out the intercooler.

[Tony Rama]

Originally Posted by robinbanks

Have you tried cleaning the condenser. The symptoms point to poor cooling of the high pressure gas amongst other things. So often people ignore that poor unfortunate part of a refrigeration system.

I would have thought that muck between the radiator and the condenser would be a steady state fault. My problem is intermittent. But thank you for the suggestion. I'll take a look.

[robinbanks]

Yes, but it would cause high temperature and cause it to trip depending on demand / conditions besides the condenser needs a thorough clean every now and then, so wouldn't do any harm unless you were heavy handed. This is a very neglected and important part of the system that constantly gets overlooked. Good luck

[robinbanks]

Could you do me a favour and take a picture of the condenser before you clean it and post it on this thread?

[Tony Rama]

Originally Posted by robinbanks

Yes, but it would cause high temperature and cause it to trip depending on demand / conditions besides the condenser needs a thorough clean every now and then, so wouldn't do any harm unless you were heavy handed. This is a very neglected and important part of the system that constantly gets overlooked. Good luck

Oh. That's very interesting. I didn't know that. This is very helpful. Thank you. I'll take a look and get some snaps and report back.