Hi guys, just had the ac regassed,it's holding pressure, BUT,

1. It takes ages to get cold.
2. The Left centre blower gets much colder than the right.

Is there anything I can check to see what's going on?

It's a 2012 xk 5.0.

Much obliged! Appreciate any guidance.

 

Kind of an obvious thing, but is Zone Temp Control turned off and both sides show LOW (MIN??? I can't really remember, I usually have the top down and seats set to cool).
Also, check the engine fans in the front, should be on with AC on.

 

Please include your location in the box in the upper RH corner so we don't have to poke around in your Public Profile to find out where you are. Thanks.
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Zone temp is off. I've put it down to lo, still same prob a few degrees warmer on entire right side drivers. No loss in gas. Will check fans. Any sensors I need to check? Location?

Cheers gents!

 

How about heat? Same thing happen with the heat on? Is one side weaker?

 

A person would think that a blend door was stuck with this symptom. I've not messed with those on a Jaguar though, so I would be zero help.

 

Hi CorLeonis,

A difference of a few degrees between the driver and passenger side is fairly common and not usually considered a problem. But a very common cause of a significant difference in cooling between the driver and passenger sides is low refrigerant.

Did the shop do a proper evacuation and recharge by weight, or did they just top up your existing refrigerant?

If they just topped it up, there may be air and/or moisture in your system or they may not have gotten the charge correct. Topping up a system is an artform and is tricky to get just right, especially in very warm or very cool ambient temperatures.

Cheers,

Don

 

Tha ks Don, I distinctly remember the guy that did it said there was 125 gm of gas in there and he topped it up to 750, sounds like he's not drained and refilled as you recommend, it's due back in this morning.

Fyi after the guy finished both vents were very cold, two days later, is where I'm at now.

Had it done at local KF who have generally looked after me. I also recall a mist coming from the system yesterday for about 5 mins on startup yesterday evening.

I'll keep you all posted!

 

Apparently the ac system had lost about half its gas in 3 days. Now been drained and refilled and is blowing v cold through all vents. Will see if it holds any longer under full pressure the guy said it was 6 bar.
If its empties again, what would you gents suggest next course of action to detect a leak?

Thanks

 

Common methods for locating a refrigerant leak include inspecting for compressor oil leaks (if oil can escape, so can refrigerant); injecting UV leak detection dye into the system and then inspecting all the plumbing with an ultraviolet light (blacklight); and using an electronic refrigerant detector (sniffer). Your shop should be equipped to do the first two methods but may also have a sniffer. My experience with sniffers is mixed on automobiles, since the radiator fan and belt-driven components tend to move the engine bay air around and quickly dissipate leaking refrigerant gas, making the test difficult to conduct with the engine running to pressurize the system.

Cheers,

Don

 

Sniffers work best when the system is pressurized with the Evac/Fill setup still attached and pressurized. No running engine, no fans.

 

That's an interesting idea, Cee Jay, but how do you prevent the system from being overcharged if the fill setup is forcing refrigerant into the system under pressure? I guess if you are using an automated machine that will shut off after the correct weight is injected you would have a window of time in which to run the sniffer around the system components.

Also, most fill setups don't apply more than about 100 psi to the injected refrigerant, while the compressor can easily exceed 200 psi when it is running, which could increase the rate of leakage and make it easier to discern if the leak is on the pressure side.

I'll ponder your idea the next time I use my sniffer.

Cheers,

Don