My brother has a 1990 240 Volvo Wagon. He's NOT handy with cars - at all. He had his air conditioner charged w/ freeon two weeks ago. Last night he heard a squealing noice from under the hood and saw a little smoke, also. He called AAA and the mechanic said it was his AC unit locking up and suggested he cut the air conditioning/power steering belt until it was fixed.
Recently, I was told that Volvo air conditioning compressors require a mixture of oil and freeon and that lack of oil might have caused the AC unit to have friction/fail. Note - the AC compressor shaft still turns fairly easily by hand.
- Do you think it would be worthwhile putting the proper mixture of oil into the AC compressor to see if it solves the squeaking noise/smoke problem?
- If repair is necessary, what do you recommend to keep the cost to a minimum? (He was recently laid off by IBM after 20 years and is driving around without any power steering. By the way, if you know of anyone who needs a mainframe data back up professional around the West Point, NY, area, please let me know.)
- Finally, any other suggestions regarding the repair or related advice is welcomed.
Thanks,
Matthew at snipped-for-privacy@aol.com or 703-527-5660