Air Con Issue (Aus) And 1st Time Poster

Post by **dj1979** » 09 Nov 2008 02:19 am

Howdy all,

I have a 1987 360 GLT, bought it in Winter, and now that the days are warming up, have needed the air con here and there.

When it works, the AC works great, nice and cold, but the problem is that it wont engage all the time.

It seems that if the car is outside and it is warm, say 25degrees, it won't engage, ie compressor not doing its thing... no load on the engine etc

I used to have a 1994 Falcon (locals don't laugh) and its "smart"lock module would expand in the heat, needing a good thump to get the car going - and I suspect the Volvo might be a similar thing.

Hoping someone might have an idea on where to start

The car itself is a grey 1987 360 GLT in immac condition front to back, with 15" Alloys, fantastic little car to drive, and poles apart from the 240's I used to get about in. Sorry the pics are taken with snow - only pics I have at the moment I am afraid!

http://s430.photobucket.com/albums/qq26/1979DJ/

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Post by **dj1979** » 09 Nov 2008 08:09 am

never mind...! worked it out....

For some reason, when ever I turn the car on, I can turn the AC on ONCE only, and after that I have to turn the fan all the way off and on again to get it working again.

Odd, but I can live with it!

Post by **pettaw** » 09 Nov 2008 10:53 am

Hello, that sounds like a dry joint to me. When you've loaded up the system by turning the fan onto high, it drops the voltage just enough for the clutch not to engage. If you turn the fan off again it removes the load from the system. Culprits are the fuses and the multiplugs in front of and behind the fuse box, but really there could be a dry joint anywhere.

Post by **dj1979** » 11 Nov 2008 11:06 am

I have seen the term "dry joint" in a few places - and whilst I am not an idiot when it comes to cars - I have never heard it before. so what does this mean exactly? lol
To be honest, Electrics are not my strongest area of expertise...

Post by **Chris_C** » 11 Nov 2008 02:46 pm

Dry joint - solder joint where either the heat hasn't melted the solder properly, and the metals havn't fused, or it's also used for a joint thats had a lot of mechanical strain, and fatigued.