2006 VOLVO with weak cooling ability

[Ray]

The refrigerant is full and cabin filter is new. Is there any way to get the ac cooling better. Something to clean in the system?

[Tom Greenleaf]

It has been real hot, all over US.
Welcome to this small site, here to help you.

You need to explain, What the hell does "system Full" mean? Some death kit's gauge or WTF are you doing?


Easiest way to blow a few grand is DIY this stuff.

Response requested,

[Cusser]

The refrigerant is full

Did you or someone else recently evacuate the system and add full refrigerant (no sealer) by weight?

Is there any way to get the ac cooling better?

That sentence sounds like Mrs. Cusser - is the issue temperature of the air or volume of the air coming out the vents????

Is this 2006 Volvo new-to-you? If not, did it EVER cool well????

[Tom Greenleaf]

Crack me up Cusser.
Ray, only way to know it's properly 'FULL' is to start from empty. In fact a well held vacuum.

No systems work better with more or less product in them. Pure stuff no cans with color gauges on them. We've called those "DEATH KITS" for ages now.

Could they be OK? Read and hope it's pure product no claims it's better than something else?

Cusser? Long way away from me the oven heat ended here, if Mrs. Cusser wants to cool off I've got just the car (1989) still R-12 OMG (all OE, just some boosts* @ about 3 years) fog the windows was normal for them if humid on outside of glass,

* - Don't do that folks without wild understanding you'll wreck things that were not wrong!

[Cusser]

That sentence sounds like Mrs. Cusser - is the issue temperature of the air or volume of the air coming out the vents????

Cusser? Long way away from me the oven heat ended here, if Mrs. Cusser wants to cool off I've got just the car (1989) still R-12 OMG (all OE, just some boosts* @ about 3 years) fog the windows was normal for them if humid on outside of glass

Mrs. Cusser's 2014 Yukon Denali was blowing hot air out the driver side vents (intermittently), cold on passenger side. So I never even opened the hood to diagnose, knew it was the actuator near the console, under the dash. How did I know this? Because our 2005 Yukon had same issue, and before that our 1994 Suburban had same issue ! So when it was cooling, I disconnected the harness to that actuator so air would come in cool. So after that, I did remove the actuator (used ground-shorter 5.5mm socket for access, thanks GM!!!) and cleaned out some factory grease as I'd seen that on YouTube, then re-installed the actuator but left the harness unplugged for now, as Mrs. Cusser has a 200 mile trip upcoming, each way, and needs AC. The 2014 Yukon and my 1998 and 2004 Frontiers do cool great.

Without AC, the only other solution would be to be naked, or at least without knickers !

[Tom Greenleaf]

You are a hoot! Let it be.
GM actuators, how special. Some about impossible to get at can take a lot of foul language as we know, keep people out of "earshot."

Add a couple years on a car/truck learn to love busted dash parts and JB-Weld products.

Some of this is shear masochism to take on, everything is sharp so keep a supply of Band-Aids on hand.


Why to we do this crap, I'll never know............................

[Cusser]

I should add that the actuators in the 1994 and 2005 did the characteristic clicking as plastic gears slipped. The actuator in the 2014 did NOT click, so maybe the cleaning out of it will work. The Dorman 604106 purchased for the 2005 was $48 through Amazon, and current price for that there is $78; Rock sells actuator for this from $14 to $127 depending on brand.

Besides the ground-shorter 5.5mm socket, I cut down a 5.5mm magnetic nutsetter. Even though I had issues (thanks, GM) getting the plastic covers off at front of console, it was easier for me to get the driver side actuator mounting screw started by going over to the driver side underdash and reaching over, at least it was visible that way.

[Tom Greenleaf]

Check me, could be wrong? 5.5mm is exactly 7/32nds"

Thanks GM as you said,

[Cusser]

Check me, could be wrong? 5.5mm is exactly 7/32nds"

No, I'm not wrong in this instance. The underdash cover hex head screws (three on the passenger side, one on the left pretty hidden/tough to access) all take a 7mm socket. The two hex head screws that hold the actuator in place take a 5.5mm socket; there's very little access because of the small space between the transmission hump and the hex head screws, why I had to shorten the 5.5mm socket on a grinder to fit (like I did years ago to fix same on my 2005). I think a cut-down 5.5mm nutsetter with a 1/4" box or open end wrench might be a better choice, and I found that the left hex head screw can actually be seen if one accesses in front of the console from the driver side underdash/footwell area.

I do believe that manufacturers don't care much to make repairs accessible for the vehicle owner, brings more $$$ to their service departments. I remember my 1994 Suburban using 16mm and 20mm open-end or flare wrenches to unscrew the fuel filter, and those were not typically present in wrench sets (I used ViseGrips); maybe GM rationalized this would be as a "safety" precaution, I might lean towards the $$$ angle.

Yes: 5.5mm, which I actually had at least two such sockets here with me, and I also had a metric nutsetter set, and i hacksawed the 5.5mm nutsetter shorter, but actually did not use that because I started that left hex head screw from the driver side. I'm sure I have a 7/32" socket somewhere in a inexpensive kit, but I prefer to stay metric.

Photo shows ground-shorter 5.5mm socket, regular length 5.5mm socket, and cut-down 5.5mm nutsetter.

[Tom Greenleaf]

I don't spend much for the small ones end up grinding some to be thin walled, shorter if need be.

Notice that sets of wrenches or socket don't usually include 16mm? No SAE really works for that size!

[Cusser]

Notice that sets of wrenches or socket don't usually include 16mm? No SAE really works for that size!

That's what I found out for that 1994's fuel filter, and believe the ONLY reason is that GM didn't want folks who had 15mm and 17mm to be able to use what they had.

I don't spend much for the small ones end up grinding some to be thin walled, shorter if need be.

I've got quite a few ground-narrower sockets and combination wrenches, and even a ground-narrower magnetic spark plug socket I purchased in 1976 to get around the aftermarket intake manifold on my 1835cc VW engine.