General: 70: a/c not ice cold

[jack taylor]

Hi, I have a 1998 V70, 2.5 auto. Early last year an a/c guy fitted new seals and re-gassed the a/c. It blew ice cold throughout the spring, summer and autumn. This spring a/c still ice old but in the last week the temp has increased. Could there be a leak or is there possibly another cause.Does it simply need re-gassing. thanks jack.

[cheshired5]

Next time the ac output warms up, you need to check that the compressor is still engaged.
If it isn't, the clutch gap could be the problem.

Also with you having seals done previously, if air is making it into the system, it can increase the system pressure and restrict gas flow.
This is sometimes only noticeable when it's very hot and the ac is working hard.

[jack taylor]

Hi Cheshired 5, Many thanks for coming back so soon and for the info.
Is the clutch gap something that can be adjusted. This past week the temps over here have increased and the a/c is on max. I assume that air leaks can appear in numerous places, is it a matter of going through every connection and renewing each seal. thanks jack.

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by jack taylor

Hi Cheshired 5, Many thanks for coming back so soon and for the info.
Is the clutch gap something that can be adjusted. This past week the temps over here have increased and the a/c is on max. I assume that air leaks can appear in numerous places, is it a matter of going through every connection and renewing each seal. thanks jack.

If the clutch gap is the problem, it can be fixed for free.
This is my video when I had to do mine.

If it's the seals, I would say you'd need an AC person who tests the system with positive pressure rather than a vacuum as pressure more closely mimics a running system so is more likely to find a problem leak.

[Luxobarge]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

If it's the seals, I would say you'd need an AC person who tests the system with positive pressure rather than a vacuum as pressure more closely mimics a running system so is more likely to find a problem leak.

Correct. Even a qualified A/C specialist will have trouble finding a leak as it is, but if it's lost gas it'll need re-filling again, so ask them to fill it with gas that has a UV dye in it, then they can go round the system with a UV light which will make it much easier to see where the gas is leaking from. Of course the system will then have to be emptied again to fix the leak. I went through all this palaver several times on mine, but as you'll have noticed with the recent hot weather, it's worth it!

Clutch gap is well worth checking, you can check it with feeler gauges without removing anything, just need to jack the front right corner of the car and crawl under.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by jack taylor

Hi, I have a 1998 V70, 2.5 auto. Early last year an a/c guy fitted new seals and re-gassed the a/c. It blew ice cold throughout the spring, summer and autumn. This spring a/c still ice old but in the last week the temp has increased. Could there be a leak or is there possibly another cause.Does it simply need re-gassing. thanks jack.

You probably have no problem , unless you use a thermometer to measure the air temp from the vents it is all a bit vague , when it is 30C outside you cannot expect to feel 3 C air from the vents it could be up to 10C which still feels cold when it is 35C outside