My jag guy said that my compressor is leaking the yellow ac fluid. He said that sometimes when he sees this the part will continue to work for quite a long time (although it'll need to be recharged). My question is, is this common and what does it cost to fix it?

 

Not common but just about any part fails for someone. There's a non-R write up (in the FAQs, I think) but it'll be tighter access etc on the STR.

 

Talk with George (androulakis). He knows HVAC backwards and forwards. Also speak with Rick (joycesjag). He replaced his compressor last year. You will need to replace your compressor as well....

 

You will be good for awhile but eventually it needs to be replaced because of the oil loss. We know the V-6 cars use the same A/C compressor as the Lincoln LS and from looking at both (I have an LS and STR). I think they are the same too.

We have not confirmed this so far but it's mounted in exactly the same place using the same brackets so I can't see why it would not swap out?

If anybody can confirm this it would be a great money saver for us V-8 guys.
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How much do the compressors run? Approx how much labor?

 

From what I had learned while changing out the compressor on a V6 is. The V6 bolt sleeves are longer by about a 1/2" or so than the V8 housing. The V6 is really easy to swap out but in regards to the V8, I have seen where alot more has to be disassembled because how much more room is taken up by the larger V8.

The V6 is on the left and the V8 on right:


I found this out the hard way, when the company shipped me the V8 version by mistake.

As far as the leak on Joyces Jag went, it leaked for almost a year before running low on refridgerant to top up, (I checked on regular basis). The compressor finally gave up the ghost.

 

qwiketz, ebay has some really good deals on the compressor right now. I just looked.

Heres the FAQ that some have mentioned. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ics-faq-55212/

Note yours will be harder due to the V8! I believe that you will have to raise the engine on the V8's.

I believe we spent $114.00 on NEW OEM compressor (ebay) and $50ish in new R134A refridgerant

 

BTW in the picture in post #6, according to Brutal these are the "old" style compressors, the cover plate where I have "V6" and "V8" imprinted are not on the "new" style compressors, just a heads up!

 

I have now changed both A/C compressors out on my 2003 Lincoln LS and my 2005 STR for the same problem. They both were working great but developed a leak in the case and had yellow/green looking oil leaking from the bottom of the compressor. The compressor will last until the leak loses too much oil then the compressor will lock up spewing "Black Death" thru-out the system. You would be wise to replace it BEFORE the compressor locks up! You can do some internet searches to see the result of this Black Death!

The compressors from both cars are identical so we should have no problem getting a compressor for a good price. 2000-2008 4.2L N/A and S/C as well as the Lincoln 2000-2006 3.9L V-8 all take the same compressor.

Also wanted to point out that what JoycesJag said about the valve on the back side of the compressor. First this was where my STR was leaking from and I considered just opening that up and changing the O-ring. Second both new compressors came with the plate so I am not sure when they stopped including this valve?

The V-6 and V-8 engines have very similar compressors but use the correct one because the V-8's get a bigger compressor with 105 CC capacity compared to the smaller V-6 engines which get a 90 CC capacity version.

Using JoyesJag great picture I have labeled the mounting bracket width. I used DiscountACparts (AC Compressor, Condenser, Evaporator and More A/C Parts at Wholesale Prices - Discount AC Parts) and they had several errors in my order that could have been a disaster if I did not catch them! The S Type takes a PAG100 oil and they sent me PAG46. Big No-No! NEVER mix refrigerant oils!!

Second the compressor did fit but was NOT identical to the factory one. This is odd because I have my old Lincoln LS compressor and it's identical down to the numbers cast in the case of the compressor! The mounting bracket width was 3.580" compared to the factory 3.370" and the pulley was smaller too? Factory pulley is 12 9/16" in circumference and the one supplied was 11 7/8" in circumference. Plus the factory units had two small alignment sleeves in the top two holes to aid in installing the compressor correctly. The alignment sleeve is labeled in the picture.

But it was the weekend and I had no choice but to install it and see what happens? It did bolt up properly and the belt fit too. It's been about 3K miles and everything is working fine so it all worked out OK.

Here is the labeled picture.





I got the kit for $290 which had the compressor, the wrong oil, the O-ring kit and desiccant bag that came with the wrong plug. (Just reuse the factory Aluminum plug). Lots of errors but it all worked out OK. I purchased the correct PAG100 oil from AutoZone when I borrowed their free vacuum pump!
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Hmmm....puzzling. Our 05 V6 leaked at the shaft seal...but not in this way. Refrigerant got low, couldn't find any oil trails near any joints nor along the a/c lines, so I feared an evap leak inside the plenum. Recharged it and added a bit of oil with the bright green dye,(and performed the TSB with the valve and plate thing) and within a few weeks it had leaked down again. Inspection under black-light revealed the dye around the shaft and pulley. Still not discernible as an oily surface with the naked eye. I got the replacement from Yellow Rose.

The oil travels 'round the system suspended in the refrigerant, though some resides as liquid in the compressor. So everywhere oil can be, also is exposed to refrigerant. This is a new failure mode I'd not heard of before - losing a significant amount of oil whilst retaining enough refrigerant for cooling. (at some point, when the loss of refrigerant hits the "no go" point, the pressure switch prevents the compressor clutch from engaging - a nice protective measure that is useless if your oil leaks off first leaving enough R134a for the system to operate...up until the comp. grenades itself.

 

The compressor is the lowest point of the system so oil will always puddle there against the case. Then the leak is refrigerant pressure pushing the oil out until it's gone.

That's why I change the compressor when I find the green/yellow oil dripping off it. But it can take quite awhile before it needs replaced. I watched my 2003 Lincoln LS for almost 2 years before the leak was bad enough to start dripping. But it was stained yellow and slightly damp the whole time.
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I had pretty much the same experience, the compressor was covered with a green coating or quite a while before I changed the compressor.

 

As a licensed dealer who is also certified in mobile AC systems, my advice to you is to change the compressor. I've seen my share of ruined systems that have a low AC charge and end up grinding away the internal part of the compressor due to metal shavings from lack of lubrication. The end result is a complete system flush, new expansion device, new condenser and AC drier.


If you change the compressor now, you can probably get by with a reman compressor and a drier. Look at where the other components are located and you'll spend $1800 in labor just changing parts.


Don't like my advice? Run it till it quits.

 

Who builds the OEM Jaguar compressors? Their failure rate appears to be quite high....

The aftermarket replacement compressors may turn out to be of better quality....

 

I think Denso?
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The problem is usually not the compressor, but he lack of lubrication. All systems leak some over time. The typical practice is to gas it back up and go on. After a few of these, the lubrication is 50% of specs and the compressor starts grinding itself apart.


Best to change the drier unit every 3 years, do a complete evacuation and add a few ounces of refrigerant oil. Of course, I do that for my cost.

 

I still believe that component quality does indeed vary. My 1999 Dodge Ram pickup was sold new to its first owner 15 years ago come February 15th. Still has its original HVAC system intact including the factory fill of refrigerant. A/C remains as ice-cold as the day I purchased the truck in late December 2000....

 

I think a lot of S-Type owners could say the same. But short of a proper survey it proves little.

 

The AC compressor on the STR is at the bottom of the engine and tucked in front of the driver's front tire, the body cross member will be in the way. You need to unbolt the engine mounts and raise the engine an inch or so to get the old one out and replace.

 

There are several ways to get it out of the STR and I left that out of my post. The JTIS wants you to remove the driver’s side motor mount bracket from the engine completely and drop the steering rack. Then jack the engine up. Then remove the A/C compressor from the rear of the engine on the bottom.

I unbolted the two motor mounts where they bolted to the frame. Then raised the engine with a floor jack using a piece of plywood between the oil pan and my floor jack. You can raise the engine a surprising amount without anything binding. Then I took the P/S pump off and then the A/C compressor removing both from the top of the engine. I really did not want to disturb the rack or the motor mount bracket as both of them have never been removed and I had replaced the P/S pump several weeks before and knew how it came off.

All in all it's a pain in the butt because of the sub frame!! On my 2003 Lincoln LS it was much quicker because the front sub frame has less cross bars and bracing on it.
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