Hello everyone,

So I have been having an issue getting the air conditioner to blow very cold air. Even when temp is set to 65 and fans to high, it seems slightly cool at best and much warmer than what I am used to with this car.

Last winter, I was having an issue where the fans would shut off and I would hear a clicking noise as if something is trying to engage, then eventually they would turn on and spin as expected. That happened randomly whether the car was cold or warm.
Once summer arrived, that issue was gone and it worked as expected. Just a few days ago, it started to not blow cool air but ambient temperature instead.

I tried checking for the climate control amp fuse and any possible wear or damage to the wires connecting the amp to the car. I also checked the fuse close to the servo, on the right side, which had some corrosion I sorted out.

I also tried setting temp to auto and 85 degrees, then back to 65 to see if it would just kick in but no luck despite the servo working as expected. I did check if I needed to refill the system with R132a (the system was converted to this type by the previous owner) but it was at the expected level.

I tried disconnecting the climate control amp and the system blew cold air, then I reconnected it and spun the little dial (I will attach a picture of it) all the way to the right and it felt colder, but still seems not cold enough. It seems the right side of the car is colder than the left side also.

I am thinking of purchasing a Jag-Aire Climate Control Amp but I don’t want to spend that money just yet as I am not 100% sure this is the issue.


Any thoughts on how I can get that sorted out? And I apologise for the long text!

 

the clicking you hear is the large relay on the left side. There are 4 relays inside that big relay case. 1 relay per fan speed.

you mean R134a, correct?

it could be low on gas.

 

Yes, R134a!

I did buy a can to refill it. One of those with a gauge. And it says it did not need to be refilled.

 

R134 is not "very cold". It is the worst refrigerant ever invented. I'm still using R12.

Elinor here in this forum has used a better refrigerant than R134. Maybe she will chime on this. Or search the forum for her a/c posts.

 

The unusual thing is that it doesn’t cool down at all. I am actually okay with how cool R134a gets.

 

if the compressor clutch is engaging when the TEMP switch is rotated from 85 to 65, then you need to check the expansion valve at the firewall behind the engine. They get clogged.

If no cigar, then the most likely component inside the cabin is the A/C Amplifier but that does not mean it is the only component that could be bad.

Both the above can only be tested by substitution.

If the fans are going through their 4 speeds in cooling mode, the large relay is good.

 

When you tested the level with the gauge was the car running? I've been working on my AC this summer and while my Jaguar didn't have this symptom, my Traverse did. Not blowing very cold and I could only get one side to cool. It was low on Freon. Those gauges on the cans are not very sensitive I think. What may look OK while the system is cold and the compressor is not on, may be different when the compressor is running. Just a thought from a non-expert.

 

It was a while ago but I believe the instructions led me to have the car running and AC on max.

 

My ears were burning so I've checked in.
I hesitate to re-visit this subject as opinions are definitely Polarized, some even Incandescent, but Jose brought it up again so here goes:

Einstein,
Unless the Previous Owner who "converted" your car to R134a also changed out the compressor, the condenser, all the hoses for heavier barrier hoses, and the expansion valve (ideally also the evaporator, but that's difficult as these cars are built, Evaporator first, then the whole car is assembled around that), your cooling results will be less than satisfactory in very hot weather, These OEM components were designed for and work best with R-12.

R-134a has only an advertised 90% cooling capability (under optimum conditions and I think that was an advertising poly) compared to R-12 according to literature published at the time of the Great Changeover about 15 years ago. This means that if R-12 cooled your car down to, say, 75F on a blistering hot day in July, when ambient temperatures were well over 100F, R-134a will only cool the same car to maybe 85F if you're lucky, if no changes were made in the system other than infusion of R134a.

I know this to be true in Real World Application because I had an old Chrysler that was built to use R-12. The low pressure switch failed once when it was also low on refrigerant (I hadn't topped it up that spring), so the compressor kept turning until it Seized! I thought it was the perfect opportunity to have it converted to R134a as R-12 was getting scarce and I wanted to do my environmental duty. So I had it Professionally converted to R-134 (new compressor, barrier hoses and R-134a fill, the common practice at the time).

To say I was disappointed is an Understatement of Galactic proportions!

It had been Impossible to sit in front of a vent with the air on and fan on Hi speed under the original system without shivering. With the "New and Improved" system, inside air was cooler than ambient but only by maybe 10 degrees F. It was OK during Spring in balmy 85F, but the first Really Hot day (123F in the shade, much hotter out in the Real World) in the California Central Valley 85F inside the car was simply not cool enough. We tended to stick to the seats.

About that time I was introduced to HC-12a,(Propane), the same refrigerant used in RVs and campers. I simply evacuated my old Chrysler's system, gave it a load of HC-12a, and I was on the road. It cooled even Better than it had with R-12! Not only that, I didn't have to top it up every year like I did with R-12 because the molecular structure is larger so it leaks less. And even if it does leak, that is NO damage to the environment! NO contributing to the Ozone Hole!

I do have 2 vehicles with factory designed R-134a systems and they work very well. Nix still has the OEM R-12 system. Inside a Black car on a summer day she's entirely too comfortable to have any R-134a on board. We do not stick to the leather seats. If the time comes that she needs a top-up she's getting a charge of HC-12a, which is compatible with all existing hardware, lubricants and refrigerants; No Alterations Needed!

I'm told refrigeration shops are forbidden to install this for The Public, but you can put it in yourself just as I did.
You'll doubtless be able to find it online, I got mine out of Canada.
(';')

 

I'm about to try anything up to and including kidnapping Mr. Freeze from the "Batman" cartoon series, tying him to the passenger's seat and having him shoot me every minute or so.

I've thought about swamp coolers (mildew issues), even an oversized battery and alternator, inverter and honest-to-goodness 110V home air conditioner stuck somewhere with a hole cut for an external drain.

My car loses the ability to cool the cabin when the temperature gets over 92-93 outside. I live in Alabama. It gets 92 by 9 a.m. sometimes, with 60-70% humidity.

I'm converted to R134a and pretty sure all components have been converted. I've tinted the windows right up to the point of being illegal, including a stripe across the top of the front window that's probably a bit too tall. Nothing helps, nothing works. I'm at my wit's end.

Right now, I just have to park the car for three months every year in the summer, then again for 2-3 months in the winter because the heater sucks as bad as the A/C. I've spent around $1,500 on Delanair and JagAire products trying to fix it and nothing works.

Jess

 

I like where Elinor is coming from. I'll throw my 2 cents in. If the Delanaire system is slightly out of adjustment it is mixing hot air with the cold. While you are getting the refrigerant sorted, put a valve in the heater hot water supply line so no hot water, thus, no hot air. I have a switch that controls the heater valve. In my 79 this modification plus being able to force the system to recirculate the cabin air instead of pulling in outside hot steamy air makes a big difference.

Jeff

 

Jess,
I'm wondering if your air intake is plugged with leaves, cat hair, feathers, butterfly wings, whatever.
I've seen other cars with several pounds of crud that looked like felt built up on the outboard side of the evaporator fins. Not much air flow when that happens.
(';')

 

It's not. It's clean. Plenty of airflow.

My Delanair unit needs to be replaced completely. Blend doors don't do as they're told, temperature changes don't happen when they should (although using JagAire's products has reduced that problem greatly). But even with a spigot-type valve in the heater line so I can completely eliminate hot water from the system, I still have trouble cooling the car. I suspect a fresh air duct is stuck open, which means the system is lettting in 95-degree air into the system whether I like it or not.

All ducts blow air all the time (defrost, dash, floor) so that lessens the volume of air coming through the face vents.

I've owned four Jags now with Delanair products and none of them have worked properly. I had an old 88 XJS that came close but I had some door-closing issues with it as well.

We've come really close to putting in one of those aftermarket systems hot rodders use, but I would lose my glove box and maybe some foot room in the passenger's footwell. On top of that, you're talking about a system that would cost $2500 or more, parts plus labor. Even replacing the entire Delanair setup with a scavenged unit would be pricey.

My shop doesn't think the factory evaporator core was designed big enough for Alabama summers to begin with. Couple that with the various Delanair gremlins and I'm batting with two strikes from the outset. This is why they're nervous about attempting a retrofit: There is no guarantee the cramped dash of a Jaguar can hold the necessary components without losing functionality for other things.

At this point I'm resigned to having no options. I can only drive my car comfortably half a year. Fixing the HVAC is a multi-thousand-dollar endeavor right now and I have more pressing needs, both in life and with my cars (my XJS restomod is way over schedule and probably over-budget as well -- and it, too, has Delanair issues).

Jess

 

After doing the Chevy Conversion on my car 3 years ago, I did the R134a conversion and ever since then I was unhappy with how much the system cooled the car.
During the conversion I replaced the following:
Rebuilt A6 compressor
New Dryer
Larger GM condenser
R134a compatible expansion valve
New barrier type hoses.
Darkest legal tint
Like I stated above, it cooled (44- 50 degrees) but not good enough for the Florida heat.
About 6 months ago, I decided to lose the R134a and go back to R12 but the cost was more than I wanted to spend.
After doing some research, I decided to go with ENVIRO-SAFE.
(This is an edit from my order.
Enviro-Safe Industrial R134a Replacement Case/12 cans (equals 12lbs R34a) $59.95)

2 cans equals 2lbs of R134a was enough for the system.
I am so pleased with the result, I am posting a picture of the vent temperature so you can see the difference.
The car is at idle speed parked in my driveway today.
Outside temperature 91 degrees.
You can't ask for anything better than that.
Driving the car, the vent temperature drops even further.
SIX months later......

This is the actual vent temperature with the car at idle and outside temp at 91 degrees

 

Sanchez, can it be mixed with R134a? or do you have to do a complete flush and evac ?
same pag oil as R134a?

 

With a name like Enviro-Safe I would bet Money it's Propane!
As you're so pleased with the performance, I would bet even more money it's Propane.

Enviro-safe site says it's not harmful in any way to the environment. Propane.
Warnings on the can, FLAMMABLE! DO NOT USE NEAR OPEN FLAME! Propane!
Pharmaceutical grade mix! How many people know the major gas the anesthesiologist uses is PROPANE?!!
Not harmful to any existing equipment. Propane.
Compatible with all lubricants. Propane!
They say you can't mix their refrigerant with others not because it's dangerous to do so but because it's ILLEGAL. (where I grew up that means you just don't tell anyone)

However, I don't find Anywhere on the site or magnifying the labels what's in the cans. I'll still bet it's Propane!

I rest my case.

Sanchez' delight with Enviro-Safe's performance looks to me like a pretty good recommendation.
Maybe Jess would want to give this a fly before completely throwing in the towel.
(';')

 

to totally remanufacture the a/c system is a waste of money, just to use R134a??

forget it! not me. There are many alternative refrigerants which will work with the factory system. Yes Alabama is hot. I lived nearby in Tennessee 30 years, but you can fix the problema.

go to eBay and search "ac refrigerant". you will find hundreds of alternatives that you can study and they sell charging adaptors too.

the factory service manual has a section on how to evacuate and recharge the XJ-6 a/c system. you will need an Evac Pump, 3 cans of whatever refrigerant, compressor oil and a set of the proper gauges.

If you don't know the history of the Expansion Valve, replace it. Not expensive, It can be the cause of the lack of cooling. Make sure to cover it with that black tar sticky thing that is used by air conditioning service people in residential a/c.
except the capillary tubing, that is not covered with the stuff.

 

For sure it is a Liquified Petroleum product, but like any other refrigerant on the market, they are all flammable. Some more than others.
So whether it is propane or any other petroleum derived product, if used properly there should be no cause for concern.
I have Propane and Butane in my garage, Propane in my backyard and pipes running through my house with LNG.
Knowing that I still sleep well.
I am more scared of having gasoline in my garage, so I keep that in a shed in my backyard.
To those who wish to use this product,(I AM NOT RECOMMENDING THIS PRODUCT TO ANYONE. I AM JUST REPORTING ON THE RESULTS I HAVE WITH IT)
There is no need to replace the oil.
It cannot be added to R12 or R134a.
Enviro-Safe says there is no need to evacuate the system. I evacuated mine so that I could put 2 full cans into the system.
Verify that the system has no leaks, just like you would if you were using R12 or R134a
It has to be introduced into the system as a liquid on the low side(engine not running).
Trying to put it on the high side will cause the compressor to lock up on starting the engine.
The temperature reading I posted speaks for itself.
Six months and going strong.

 

"Recommendation " is probably not the best word.
Sorry if I put words in your mouth, Sanchez.
(';')

 

Like I said in my post......I AM NOT RECOMMENDING; I AM JUST REPORTING MY RESULTS.
Factoid:
The EPA recommends the use of R290 aka Propane as a refrigerant in food stores due to its lack of toxicity and because it is environmentally friendly.