Whining AC

[GrahamBrown1]

My S80 has suffered noisy AC for a while. It has always whined a little and at certain outside temperatures usually between 10 and 15 degrees it used to make a honking noise on then off on then off constantly. The whining went up and down with the engine revs. Really is quite intrusive inside the car. No noise from the engine bay however.

Thanks to info on here I had my local Volvo specialist change a pipe from
The compressor that Volvo updated with silencer baffles. It’s sorted the honking noise but the whining is still the same if not worse at times.

Noisy AC is a common issue on these cars, anyone sorted it once and for all? Thinking now is the compressor could be bad as well but it’s only done 45,000 miles. Our 2012 XC70 has a silent AC system and has never been touched to my knowledge.

Thanks

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by GrahamBrown1

My S80 has suffered noisy AC for a while. It has always whined a little and at certain outside temperatures usually between 10 and 15 degrees it used to make a honking noise on then off on then off constantly. The whining went up and down with the engine revs. Really is quite intrusive inside the car. No noise from the engine bay however.

Thanks to info on here I had my local Volvo specialist change a pipe from
The compressor that Volvo updated with silencer baffles. It’s sorted the honking noise but the whining is still the same if not worse at times.

Noisy AC is a common issue on these cars, anyone sorted it once and for all? Thinking now is the compressor could be bad as well but it’s only done 45,000 miles. Our 2012 XC70 has a silent AC system and has never been touched to my knowledge.

Thanks

Is it low on refrigerant? The compressor can make noise if its low on gas.

A/C compressor's aren't cheap, so it would be best to get the refrigerant level checked first.

My car makes the noise too... I've never been able to figure it out. It settles when the a/c is re-gassed, but it returns a few months down the line.

I wouldn't "jump" at replacing the compressor, as I've seen posts where people changed the compressor and it didn't make a bit of difference.

[GrahamBrown1]

I would think it would be full as with it having the pipe replaced it will have had to be degassed and then gassed back up. I’ll probably live with it for now but inside the car you’d think a bearing was about to let go whines that much.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by GrahamBrown1

I would think it would be full as with it having the pipe replaced it will have had to be degassed and then gassed back up. I’ll probably live with it for now but inside the car you’d think a bearing was about to let go whines that much.

Well, you’d think the system would be fully gassed, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it is.

It may be worth speaking to the garage to get their opinion on it. It might not be the compressor itself, it could be the clutch on the compressor.

[Auldgit]

All I can add is that the replacement pipe has sorted my whine, at least for now. Hope it's gone for good, but reading the various posts on here it seems that it can re-appear after a few months. Fingers xd!

[Andmurph]

How bad was the whine?

For a while I’ve had an occasional noise that made me think of worn out brake pads or wheel bearings and not been able to trace it. I had the system cleaned and regassed recently at my local independent specialist but still every now and then have a metallic rubbing noise. I’ve found it stops when I turn the air conditioning off. The local specialist says if it were his car he’d ignore it….. fortunately there are two more within a short drive.

Could it be just a pipe or does this sound worse?

[bananarama]

Mine was quite noisy and after getting it re-gassed (which meant new lubrication too) it pretty much went away. Yours sounds like it may be on another level of noisy and deterioration

Just in case: could the noise be a worn clutch?

[Andmurph]

Definitely not the clutch. I guess you mean the AC compressor clutch? I’m not sure, could be. Is that something that is serviceable? Could I try some grease or does it require a whole new compressor?

[Auldgit]

Originally Posted by Andmurph

How bad was the whine?

For a while I’ve had an occasional noise that made me think of worn out brake pads or wheel bearings and not been able to trace it. I had the system cleaned and regassed recently at my local independent specialist but still every now and then have a metallic rubbing noise. I’ve found it stops when I turn the air conditioning off. The local specialist says if it were his car he’d ignore it….. fortunately there are two more within a short drive.

Could it be just a pipe or does this sound worse?

The whine varied, I think according to how hard the AC was working, and how fast we were travelling, but it was really annoying. I think you've answered your own question- if it stops when you switch the AC off then it's the AC.
Can't really add anything else, look at the Volvo USA Data Sheet you'll find attached to a couple of the posts on this topic, which I think you'll find interesting.

[bananarama]

Originally Posted by Andmurph

Definitely not the clutch. I guess you mean the AC compressor clutch? I’m not sure, could be. Is that something that is serviceable? Could I try some grease or does it require a whole new compressor?

Yeah the AC compressor clutch, they can be replaced. Something to do first is see it operate (you'll need someone to turn the AC on/off while you look under the engine). Also, measure the gap when the clutch is not engaged because if the gap is too large the clutch will slip (somewhere online will mention the min gap distance). I'm no expert though!