<djisfree@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1178678850.511275.61070@o5g2000hsb.googlegrou ps.com...
>I have a 1996 850 that I just bought in November and when I turn on
> the A/C it doesn't get cold. I looked at the manual and it called for
> a certain type of freon which I couldn't find in Autozone. I was
> wondering what do I need to get some cold air blowing? Break this
> down like I am an eight year old. I read something about converting
> the system over to a r134 whatever that means.
>

The 850 is not old enough to want R12 refridgerant. It'll be R134a.

The reason your's isnt working could be down to many reasons. Get a
reputable mobile a/c specialist to take a look at it initially. It could be
just down to low charge (good- system is probably workable), if its out of
gas entirely then making it work depends on how long its leaked and why it
leaked.

800's / 70 series cars are slightly peculiar in their operation compared to
others, especially when it comes to correctly charging them, and also they
often sufffer from a burst evaporator, which is a 6hr dash out job to
replace. Compressor clutches are another weakpoint, as is the overheat cut
out.

Your a/c guy will leak detect the system and where its leaking hinges in
what you do to fix it (if anything)

Tim..

<djisfree@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1178775283.441990.243050@n59g2000hsh.googlegr oups.com...
> Oh Lawd... How much is this going to cost me? Is this something that
> one of the quick lube places can do for me or do I need to pay a volvo
> mechanic 90.00 an hour to take a look at it?

I wouldnt trust one of the quick lube places to dunk toast soldiers into a
boiled egg, let alone diagnose an a/c problem!!

You need a professional, proper a/c *specialist*....

Tim..

djisfree@gmail.com wrote:
> Oh Lawd... How much is this going to cost me? Is this something that
> one of the quick lube places can do for me or do I need to pay a volvo
> mechanic 90.00 an hour to take a look at it?
>
> Thanks for all of your helpful replies.
>
> DJ
>
Definitely see a reputable Volvo dealer. I went the route of an indy
mechanic (that was rated extremely high by a local consumer magazine) a
couple of years ago to save a couple of hundered dollars on the AC
evaporator replacement. Ended up having to have Volvo do it over. Cost
to replace evaporator is very high - was about $1600 for my 1995 850
turbo sedan.

<djisfree@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1178775283.441990.243050@n59g2000hsh.googlegr oups.com...
> Oh Lawd... How much is this going to cost me? Is this something that
> one of the quick lube places can do for me or do I need to pay a volvo
> mechanic 90.00 an hour to take a look at it?
>
> Thanks for all of your helpful replies.
>
> DJ
>

Take it to an AC specialty shop, it doesn't have to be Volvo specific. A
Volvo dealer can fix it, but they'll rake you over the coals.

<djisfree@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1178775283.441990.243050@n59g2000hsh.googlegr oups.com...
> Oh Lawd... How much is this going to cost me? Is this something that
> one of the quick lube places can do for me or do I need to pay a volvo
> mechanic 90.00 an hour to take a look at it?
>
> Thanks for all of your helpful replies.
>
> DJ
>
>
Never a Quick Lube place. Volvo is a safe bet, but air conditioning
specialty shops are good, too. A simple service and recharge will run in the
$100 range, but there may be a different problem. Any way you slice it,
other ways of doing it are more expensive. This is not something to trust to
amateurs.

Mike

Well I stopped by an auto repair shop and he added some freon to the
car for me. While he was adding it he said that he didn't have time
to check it for leaks today but if it was just blowing hot then some
freon should take care of it. And for 69.95 it took care of it for
all of 10 minutes. Then the air got hot again. And when I turn it
off for a few minutes and back on it gets cold for around 5 minutes
and return to warm. Before he added the freon the compressor would
turn on/off every few seconds. While he was adding the freon, the
compressor stopped making the clicking sound. He put a temperature
guage up to the vent and it got as cold as 40 degrees, but it was
never ICE cold.

So now I am going to try and find an A/C specialist in hopes of saving
some dollars. One mechanic here told me he could look at it towards
the end of next week. It is 85 degrees here today... I would hate to
wait that long.

<djisfree@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1178829621.593998.282690@p77g2000hsh.googlegr oups.com...
> Well I stopped by an auto repair shop and he added some freon to the
> car for me. While he was adding it he said that he didn't have time
> to check it for leaks today but if it was just blowing hot then some
> freon should take care of it. And for 69.95 it took care of it for
> all of 10 minutes. Then the air got hot again. And when I turn it
> off for a few minutes and back on it gets cold for around 5 minutes
> and return to warm. Before he added the freon the compressor would
> turn on/off every few seconds. While he was adding the freon, the
> compressor stopped making the clicking sound. He put a temperature
> guage up to the vent and it got as cold as 40 degrees, but it was
> never ICE cold.
>
> So now I am going to try and find an A/C specialist in hopes of saving
> some dollars. One mechanic here told me he could look at it towards
> the end of next week. It is 85 degrees here today... I would hate to
> wait that long.
>

Sounds like it's leaking, which is no surprise as refrigerant had to be
added. As the pressure drops the compressor will start to cycle. If a system
is low, it has a leak that needs to be fixed, just adding refrigerant
without first fixing the leak is a waste of time and money.