V50 General : Air Con A/C stopped working

[mybubba]

checked in the car yesterday with the following result.
volvo repairer checked
- the pressure on the system (low press circuit) to be under a 1 bar.
- performed leak test with elec means and could not find any significant leak though the probe showed 2 minor readings
- vacuumed the system for approx 25 minutes and felt it was holding the suction pressure well enough to re gas.
- regassed to required level and added dye (oil) back to the system
a/c working fine now.
cost were £45 plus VAT plus £105 plus VAT for leak test which they reduced to a total of £78 plus VAT as the leak test was not , ie. £92 incl. I though that was pretty fair.

PS. elec clutch definately shut dwon whn elow pressure and thus no compressor activity not even for then 10 cycles mentioned earlier.

Hope thats the problem solved

[grass hopper]

the probe test is an out dated test,not accurate at all,never found one leak with that.

for a few years now the system has ultraviolet dye in the system,if there is a leak it will stand out by showing a luminous green/yellow area that is seen with a special lamp and glasses.

you can find the smallest of leaks with this kit.

the a/c system is a sealed system just like the cooling system,if the system has lost gas/pressure there has to be a leak.

[mybubba]

probe probably shows up arther to often as sensitive.
uv test i believe was carried as it only takesa couple of minutes if you knwo where to look.
in theory the system is leak proof but it only takes a minute misfit whether seal or otherwise (apparently on a some models hoses were "porous") to eventually drain the system. in general hydraulic circuits should be leak free to and yet some are meant to be changed every 2 years.
having said that i will aquire a uv light to check for myself

[V51]

I have the same problem, but the CCM-0070 CONFIGURATION update has not resolve this problem. cost = 66.16 €.

[Clan]

there are a lot of S40 / V50 condensor problems this summer , Firstly the leaks are so slow that the dye is useless , the dirt from the road sticks to it and it goes black ...
Secondly you have to take the intercooler out to properly fully check the condensor , you will find one or two dark oil patches / stains if it is leaking ..
Thirdly unless you have a big hole the vacuum leak test is useless too , any crack is pulled together by the vacuum and seales itself ! You need to check the system under pressure , the system doesnt run under a vacuum .. If it fails the vacuum test you can bet you can hear the gass hissing out if a small amount of gas is added .

A condensor is £299 + VAT This is a rare case where i would recommend a non volvo condensor at £150 .. It cant fail to be better quality ...

[grass hopper]

also had a couple of cars with obvious signs of dye showing on the compressor,but every car needs testing/inspection on its own merit,dependant on the leak area the smallest of leaks can be found many months after.

[sparkatan]

Can anyone tell me how I get to the air conditioning gauge ports on a Volvo V50 2007. I am an air conditioning engineer but car manufacturers always try to put specialusts like us off by 'hiding' the gauge ports.

Thanks

[sprout99]

back left of engine bay near suspension turret is the fill point

[Doveaboy]

Originally Posted by mybubba

good job I sat down when I heard the prices from an official Volvo dealership in North London.
£150 + VAT for testing the a/c system and £205 + VAT for re-gasing it.

Crikey. My Bristol Volvo main dealer charges £55 for all of that

[sprout99]

Originally Posted by Doveaboy

Crikey. My Bristol Volvo main dealer charges £55 for all of that

bit steep innit