Blower seems blocked after prolonged AC operation (why is it snowing in my car?)

**eraas** · 09-02-2007, 07:02 PM

We've had an annoying problem with the AC on our 2003 XC70 for quite some time - on long highway drives in hot weather, the flow of air out of all vents stops after about 1-2 hours. Needless to say, on a hot day this can get pretty uncomfortable (I know I've become a wimp - don't know how I survived 12 hour road trips in my parents beetle with no AC as a kid...)

The strange thing is that the blower motor seems to be making lots of noise - there is just no air flow. I am wondering if it isn't blocked by freezing condensation? I also noticed that you can actually see little snowflakes blowing out of the vents on days when this happens, as well as a bit of mist. We recently figured out that turning off the AC briefly, or even cranking the heat, seems to restore airflow quite quickly (by melting the blockage?)

Is this a known problem, and does anyone know a fix?

I should confess that we have a tendancy to drive with the AC temperature settings on both sides set to the max. Not sure if this is aggravating anything...

Thanks for any suggestions!

e

**JRL** · 09-02-2007, 08:20 PM

Not a specific problem but it sure sounds as if it's freezing, usually caused by a blocked line somewhere

**Aviator** · 09-03-2007, 06:52 PM

Check your cabin (pollen) filter......if it's plugged up, or partially obstructing airflow, the evaporator will ice up. You might also have a partial airflow blockage in general, like in the fresh air inlets. You might also have a leak.....when the pressure drops in the evaporator, the temperature will be lower than the dewpoint and will cause the ice buildup, and thus an air blockage. I would advise going to an AC specialist to determine the problem.

Dave.

**eraas** · 09-04-2007, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Aviator

I would advise going to an AC specialist to determine the problem.

Thanks very much for the tips - do you think the dealer would not be equipped to handle this? The car is still under warranty and they've been pretty good about fixing other stuff no questions asked.

The same thing happened with our old 850 - never was able to fix it. Hopefully the info provided above will help get this serviced.

e

**Lilja** · 09-04-2007, 01:09 PM

This problem im 99% sure is caused by a failing pressostat (dont know if its called the same in english). Either way its located about 10 or so cm infront of the firewall under the bonnet directly on the cooling pipe.