Air conditioning compressor not working

[Westy117]

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?

[andyv40turbo]

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.

[iainmd]

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.

[rkeegan]

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+

[Davidjsch]

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 ….

[imjohnson]

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.

[Simmy]

Originally Posted by Westy117

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?

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 look in vida for part nos for shims or ask at the parts counter.

[Westy117]

Originally Posted by Simmy

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 look in vida for part nos for shims or ask at the parts counter.

To update, I booked my car in with a local garage. They had provided a quote to supply and fit an aftermarket compressor if indeed it did require replacement.
On inspection though, they found that the electrical connection to the compressor had been left unplugged when the cylinder head and belts were replaced. Plugged it back in and the a/c is back working. I will monitor it though, as before all this the a/c would sometimes stop working so I do think the compressor clutch will need re-shimming or at least the cable tie method.

[mfevans1]

I had no aircon on my 2010 s40. I bought the car in July so had no idea how the climate control works. When I press air con button to the on position, the green indicator lights up but no cold air. I noticed that the compressor clutch did not engage on any noise from the engine cooling fan....silence. If I by- passed the air con relay the compressor clutch would engage and if the car was moving the air con would get cold (But 'anti-skid service in info panel') . Installed vida and through this software you can switch the a/c compressor as well as the cooling fan at 1/2 speed. The compressor clutch engaged proving that circuit worked. On switching the cooling fan on ..... Silence. I checked to see if the was a supply to the fan (Fuse checked out ok and there was a 12v permanent supply to the fan control module). The fan is fired from a signal from the ecu. This signal is, I believe, a digital one and can only be measured with an oscilloscope. The fan control module is available as a spare via eBay (May be a copy original is a bosch) so I bought a complete fan unit inc. said module from a scrap car via eBay. To test I plugged replacement cooling fan, switched the air con on and low and behold the clutch engaged and the cooling fan came on........aircon fixed. Hope this helps someone.

[Typhoon09]

mfevans1 I'm getting exactly these symptoms. What do you mean by changing the fan and control module? Does the system have a seperate fan to that of the engine coolant one? I don't suppose you have a link or picture to the item you replaced?

So far I've checked the voltage at the fuse, relay, applied a voltage to the compressor and it kicks in fine. I've bridged the high pressure sensor with no luck, and unsure how to bridge the low pressure sensor as there are three wires there. But now just got anti skid warnings on dash.... Thanks!