I have a 2008 XF SV8 which has developed am Aircon Leak, I hade the system re-gassed last year but when I came to use the system on Low this year it was blowing Hot air and the garage found there was < 200gms of refrigerant remaining.
They did a dye test but could trace no leaks so they pressurised the system and it lost 0.1 of a bar pressure over a 4 hrs period so there is a leak but it is so small they cant detect it, and as there is a leak they cannot re-charge the system.
Can anyone give me any clues where this tiny leak could be coming from so I can give the guys at the garage a clue where to start looking as they are not keen to proceed ripping everything out as they are not confident they can gurantee to fix the issue.
If someone has had a similar problem before and resolved it could they let me know please? :icon_confused

 

I've moved your question from UK & Eire Region to X250 forum. The model forum is the place to post technical questions.

Graham

 

You resolve it by firing your incompetent mechanic and finding someone that knows what they are doing and has the right tools.

The A/C in the Jag isn't anything exotic. It has the same components as any car A/C and any of those components could be leaking. There's no way some internet jockey is going to identify the component that is leaking by sitting behind a keyboard.

You can look at YouTube to see the types of tools and techniques that real mechanics are using to find leaks, and it's not just dye:

 

I have performed this type of work myself in years gone by and totally agree. A good A/C mechanic would have poked his sniffer testing tool into every orifice inside the dashboard and under the hood until he found the leak.

 

Thanks for the advice, I have visited another garage who uses an AC specialist and suggests the system is recharged with dye present and left in tbe system so that the car can be inspected over longer time intervals which will make the leak more obvious and therefore the dye leak easier to detect.
I will also check that the specialist has a sniffer in addition to dye detection.
I will update the thread if i get the issue resolved.

 

Apologies Graham I didnt realise, thanks for your help

 

If they can't find anything under the hood, then it could be the A/C evaporator leaking. Several things will tell you if it is - a horrible odor inside the cabin and refrigerant will leak out the bottom with the condensation drips out under the car. There is a cover there, so you got to put your fingers in there to feel. Otherwise, if there is dye in the system, the AC tech would see it with his blue light.

 

Condenser was bad on mine, out the dye in it and it was clear as day where it was leaking but all the shrouding had to be removed in order to see it.

 

I tried another local garage that was recommended to me for their expertise in AC repairs and after charging the system with nitrogen gas they traced the leak to the condenser, apparently it was leaking from a couple of joints at the top of the unit.
The AC was wirking perfectly when I left the garage but have left the car garaged for a week to ensure there are no additional leaks and will try it again on the next warm day to confirm the repair has been successful........sadly looking at the forecast up here that could be a long wait
Thanks to all for their contributions

 

Just a comment?
Most all modern day cars (Including Jaguar) already add UV dye to the refrigerant at the factory. That's why we get yellow/green stains anywhere there is a leak.
So this means all you need is a black light flash light to do your own inspection. These are quite cheap and easy to get. Do it in a dark garage and see what you find?

Now the limits to the UV dye method is you need to get a visual look at the spot your testing. If you have an evaporator leak it will be inside the dash and the UV dye will be of little help. So for those you need a sniffer with a flexible tube sensor to reach into the dash vents and check the spots you can't get to.

But the big thing is what everyone else said. The Jaguar AC system is dead common and any shop should have no problem working on them.
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