I have a 2003 jaguar s-type. The AC is getting to about 56-58 Degrees F on the driver’s side of the car. With the AC on full fan, recirculate, temp set to low. Auto was off. The car’s engine was warmed up and the ambient air temp was about 84 degrees.

I tried to charge the system with AC pro with their gauge. AC pro gauge moved from about 35psi to near 60. Middle of the green to just short of red and fluctuates. As near as I can tell nothing went into the system.

I tried to add more refrigerate but it never took any.

My compressor turns on and off but does not stay on for a long time. I do see the clutch plate spinning.

Should the clutch be engaged for the filling step?

The low-pressure line was cold but high side was warm to the touch.

Should the high-pressure line be cold or warm?

The left side of the car blows about ten degrees cooler than right. It is a split system. But I suspect that is a secondary problem or just designed that way.



Thank you

 

Bear in mind if the refrigerant is overfilled, the system will not operate properly.

The compressor clutch must be engaged to circulate the refrigerant when charging through the low pressure port.

The high pressure lines are usually hot going from the compressor high pressure port to the condenser and warm from the condenser to the receiver -dryer.

 

Concentrate on the temperature split before messing with the refrigerant. Both sides should be just as cold. Sounds like you've got a problem with the Dual Climate Control Valve (DCCV). The valve itself could be bad, or it's receiving a bad input.

Troubleshooting guide at this link. Specifically, see post #2 for details on how to test the DCCV. Take care of any problems there before digging deeper elsewhere. There may be more than one active fault, but take care of the temperature split first:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ol-how-185002/

 

It felt warm on the high pressure line while touching the line right aft the valve heading to the cabin.

how would i be able to tell if the system was over charged?

 

Yes, the high pressure pipes are warm. As the refrigerant passes through the expansion valve, it goes from a high pressure gas to a low pressure gas in the evaporator, releasing heat along the way. The transition from high pressure gas to low pressure gas also absorbs heat providing a cooling effect in the evaporator.

Modern air conditioning systems are charged via the high pressure side from a station that adds the correct amount of refrigerant by weight, not volume. The only way to tell if the correct amount of refrigerant is present is to evacuate the system through a recovery container station, and recharge the system with the correct amount of refrigerant by weight.

 

TSB for you.