Volvo A/C magically starts working better

[NJC]

6yrs ago I had my 1989 Volvo wagon A/C refitted to R134A ... since that time I've never seen puddles of water under car after A/C use - until about 2 wks ago.

But now I do get decent-sized puddles and the A/C - which never seemed to work that well after the refit - works much better. Maybe the hose was clogged from evaporator ... but I checked today and didn't see any hose - just a drain hole in the bottom of evaporator leaking down onto frame rail. Maybe I knocked it off during pressure washing.

But why the sudden decrease in cabin temps with decent drainage??

 

[Colt45ws]

You might have a leak and it was initally overfilled.

 

[JHZR2]

+1

 

[bluestream]

Humid weather will cause more drips from the evaporator. Also, a system low on gas will be colder until enough gas leaks out and it reaches the point where it does not cool as much.

 

[mechtech2]

^^ All great advice.^^

 

[mechanicx]

I think this car uses an expanison valve. Maybe it was not operating correctly before and jarred loose or something.

 

[mormit]

The old Volvo wagons just sometime heal for lack of a better or true technical term.

I'm waiting for the rust on my 85 240 to heal.

 

[NJC]

Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
You might have a leak and it was initally overfilled.

If I recally correctly, the shop filled it with N2 and let it sit for 8hrs during the retrofit. It was farmed out to an A/C shop from the garage I dealt with, but they seem to be reputable. So I hope there isn't a leak - esp since I'm going to be driving through Northern BC this weekend with temps around 90F. It's not Arizona, but hot enough.