Heater and aircon.

Post by **dalahare** » 01 Mar 2006 09:14 am

Hi again, I have a 85 360glt with the 2litre petrol motor, got a few questions about the heater and aircon, I don't have an owners manual for it and was wondering how exactly you turn the aircon on and off, my car only has a dial for the temperature with aircon written on top, no seperate switch to turn the compressor on, at the moment no matter what i put the dial on the temperature of the air coming out of all the vents remains exactly the same, also on there are four slide switches on the dash, one of them, the bottom left one, says "temperature" and can be adjusted from cold to hot, but makes no noticable difference to anything, whats that switch menat to do?

Post by **Chris_C** » 01 Mar 2006 11:19 am

Ok, not totally sure how you panel works, all my 300's have had th elater panel, with only two sliders, and a separate A/C switch.

I will have to pass over your A/C question, but the temperature slider should be connected by a bowden cable (wire in tube) to a "tap" thats plumbed into the engine colling, radiator system, that has a second smaller radiator mounted in the bulkhead that the air for the blower passes through. This tap allows or stops the water flow from the engine cooling circuit to this smaller radiator, meaning it either heats up or doesn't. Hope that helps.

As an aside, don't supposed you have seen on your travels a A/C button for a later panel have you? Would gladly take one off your hands

Post by **dalahare** » 01 Mar 2006 11:46 am

Mine has four sliders and a round dial, and no switch, i might chuck up a pic tomorrow so you guys can see what i mean.

Don't go looking my way for bits, i'm on the other side of the planet.

Post by **Chris_C** » 01 Mar 2006 12:27 pm

Yeah, I know the four sliders type, it was on early MK2's (if not all MK2's, but I could be wrong)

And yeah, I know you are on the other side of the planet

You are the only place that got A/C standard, it's rare as you like over here! I only want the button!

Post by **Chris_C** » 01 Mar 2006 12:28 pm

Yeah, I know the four sliders type (there is a few pics on here some where...), it was on early MK2's (if not all MK2's, but I could be wrong) I've been trying to suss out how the left and right "direction" sliders work though, as in later models there is just a single flap that chooses direction.

And yeah, I know you are on the other side of the planet

You are the only place that got A/C standard, it's rare as you like over here! I only want the button!

Post by **dalahare** » 01 Mar 2006 12:34 pm

Fair enough, i'll keep an eye out at wreckers.

Post by **Chris_C** » 01 Mar 2006 12:40 pm

Excellent, cheers mate, I'll dig out a piccy of what the button looks like.

Anyway... back to original problem

You say theres a dial for the A/C, you've lost me there, do you mean like this one?

Unless there is a serious differnce to the switch, that only operates the fan motor afaik, but could be wrong. Do the four sliders on yours do the same thing?

Post by **dalahare** » 01 Mar 2006 01:19 pm

Nope, i've got that dial for the fan up there, but down where your cigarette lighter is i've got another dial marked "aircon" which spins around and goes from blue to red for temperature. Pic tomorrow.

They same Mate in the UK? or are you trying to make me feel at home.

Post by **RandomHero** » 01 Mar 2006 01:20 pm

This is a pic from a MK2 with aircon, also from Aussie.

I guess that switch was also on 400 series, but was this the standard one on the 300 series too?

Post by **Chris_C** » 01 Mar 2006 01:32 pm

Ahhh, ok, got you now. That picture that I posted is one from one of the UK guys, so yeah, the sliders are the same for the early ones.

Not sure if the switch is the same as a 400 one, I think that for A/C in 400's the replaced the dials with sliders, but not 100%.

Right, ok, so I have no idea how that dial would turn the compressor on or off, but then again, I'm still stuck at a problem I came up with a little while ago and was talking to a few people about, how do those four sliders work? I know there is a cold and hot air feed going into the cabin (it's how Mk3's at least get constant cold air to the centre vents, and hot/cold to the outside ones), so do those sliders switch between that? You can't tell me they have two heater matrixes.

And how do the position (floor, dep, off sliders) work to choose between each side? There is only one flap in a Mk3, and I can't see Volvo deciding to completely re plumb the thing for a facelift.

At a complete guess, I reckon that dial for your aircon triggers a relay when it's round to fully cold, and the relay isn't firing. However, I don't beileve it. Have you ever had the A/C going? If not, check see if it's not like the mondeo A/C, and you have to push the dial in to get it running. Other than than, could just be in needs regassing, but anything technical like that I'm not that well up on, Pettaw has A/C over here, and has completely rebuilt it for a different kind of gas (can't remember if he was in a saving the planet mood, or trying to get even colder... but I know he had to change a load of bits)

Post by **dalahare** » 02 Mar 2006 02:46 am

Mine's the same as that pic, i'm pretty sure the aircon will need a regas, when i turn it to the red you can hear the flap on the haterbox in the engine bay close, but no hot air comes out anywhere, it's coming into winter here so i am actually more worried about getting the heater to work than the aircon..

Post by **petefarrell360** » 03 Mar 2006 12:00 am

Chris_C wrote:And how do the position (floor, dep, off sliders) work to choose between each side? There is only one flap in a Mk3, and I can't see Volvo deciding to completely re plumb the thing for a facelift.

I cannot really help on the air con matter, but the sliders in the early cars have had me puzzled as well! It must be the two sides of the car, and don't forget Chris that the Mk2 heater box is comlpetely different, possibly with a flap either side. There were a lot of changes at the Mk3 change over, many subtle, but some a bit more drastic. I should find my Mk2 leaflets out and have a proper look, but the heater box is definitely different, so this may be the key!
Pete

Post by **ebdl** » 03 Mar 2006 12:33 am

Yep, the Mk.2 allows you to control left and right sides of the car separately, but only whether you are closing the vents entirely (OFF), sending the air to the screen (DEF), or to the floor (FLOOR). If you have a MAX/REAR/OFF like I do, this helps to direct air to the back of the car. The temperature will be the same for both sides, as there is only one temp control.

Hope that clears things up a bit

Post by **Chris_C** » 03 Mar 2006 01:12 pm

Does a bit Ed, I just don't get how it works! The flap I'm on about is behind the dash, not in the heater box, ahh well, I'll look one day I have a bit of time in a scrappy.

As to the orig topic, this is a system that I think only one other of our members has had, so might be a case of taking a few bits apart (like popping that A/C dial panel out) and seeing what the connections are behind it. The heater is nigh on identical to a MK 3 on all means, so lets start with the obvious, does the blower fan still work?

Other than that, if you move the temp slider, you should get hot air out, not matter where teh A/C dial is, I think. If you don't, we'll have to investigate further!

Post by **foggyjames** » 03 Mar 2006 10:27 pm

That piccy of the mk2 control is from 'Lonewolf's car...maybe a PM to him for advice would help you out?

cheers

James