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Alternator and AC woes

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Old Sep 5th, 2020, 00:03   #11
Tannaton
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Ah..... how come I didn’t know that?
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Old Sep 5th, 2020, 00:57   #12
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Too young??

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Old Sep 5th, 2020, 08:58   #13
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Too young??

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Yes - that must be it!
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Old Sep 5th, 2020, 23:58   #14
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Could it be a blown CCM thermistor ? The power steering is working fine ?
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Old Sep 6th, 2020, 10:49   #15
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The serpentine looks fine. No fault codes (other than air quality sensor which has always been there).

The compressor is showing coherent duty cycles in Vida when AC switch is toggled

the pressure is around 1000 kPa which seems normal.

The lines didn't seem to get cold though.

Thanks!
If all that is so, it would suggest to me that it is possible that you have no refrigerant in the system and that the pressure switch is giving an incorrect reading (stuck, wiring fault etc.), which enables the compressor to keep cycling whilst empty.

When you were monitoring the pressure in Vida, did you see any major fluctuations as the compressor cycled? Can you read the return line and/or cooling coil temperature (I *think* I have seen this sensor data in VIDA for at least one Volvo I've owned but can't remember which model) to check the lines aren't cooling?
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Old Sep 6th, 2020, 11:53   #16
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Thanks, both.

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Originally Posted by oragex View Post
Could it be a blown CCM thermistor ? The power steering is working fine ?
I don't think so because the temperature readings are coherent. Power steering is fine.

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Originally Posted by Moose Test View Post
If all that is so, it would suggest to me that it is possible that you have no refrigerant in the system and that the pressure switch is giving an incorrect reading (stuck, wiring fault etc.), which enables the compressor to keep cycling whilst empty.

When you were monitoring the pressure in Vida, did you see any major fluctuations as the compressor cycled? Can you read the return line and/or cooling coil temperature (I *think* I have seen this sensor data in VIDA for at least one Volvo I've owned but can't remember which model) to check the lines aren't cooling?
My first thought was that I had managed to get a hole in the condenser then the alternator thing happened just afterwards which makes me suspect it's linked but it could just be a nasty coincidence. Exceedingly hot day might have caused both to fail in a short period?

The measured pressure varies a little, depending on duty cycle, which makes me think that the pressure sensor is giving coherent values.

I didn't see that additional data in the available Vida readings for the AC, but I will have another look.

I'm going to replace the alternator first and see what happens. Anyone have a source for discounted OE parts?
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Old Sep 6th, 2020, 12:20   #17
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Old Sep 6th, 2020, 13:52   #18
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Quote:
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I didn't see that additional data in the available Vida readings for the AC, but I will have another look.
It may be more simple than that. Out of curiosity I just tried detecting the temperature of the refrigerant by hand. The low pressure return side is the larger black metal pipe in centre of the attached picture (servo LHS, heater matrix supply/return RHS). The smaller diameter pipe below it is the high pressure feed.

I turned my aircon to full (ie. cabin temperature to min) and within 30 seconds of starting the engine the low pressure line (larger diameter) was unmistakably very cold to the touch. It was also quickly covered in a layer of condensation.

On that basis I think it's very easy to know whether the system is pressurising correctly or not.
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Old Sep 6th, 2020, 14:14   #19
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I'll give that a try. I did try touching the AC pipes that were visible to me at the front of the engine bay and they were hot, but I didn't spot those ones.
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Old Sep 6th, 2020, 14:35   #20
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Those lines at the front are the flow and return to the condenser. They will never be cold if the system is working correctly - they are there to cool down the hot gas coming from the pump before it's fed into the evaporator in the car.

PS - I messed-up my high and low side in the previous post. The larger pipe is the LOW pressure return, it's the cold one.
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