Evening all
A scorching day in Cambridge (on holiday) and my air conditioning decides to pack in. I can normally hear the compressor running at low revs but not today. The system needs topping up as it hasn't been ice cold of late but I'm wondering if I can test the compressor before diving into it.
When I get home I'll test the pressure in the system and that might give us a clue.
The car is a 2004 XJ 3ltr and I've checked the fuses in the boot.
Any advice most appreciated
Pete

 

When was the last time the air con was checked-out ? Unfortunately it is not a "fit and forget" item. It's always better to just let the climate control run all year with the air con set to ON so the air is dehumidified whatever the season.

 

Good advise, if your heater core is not restricted.

 

Got home today and hooked the gauges up.In fact I didn't need to connect them up at all, there was no gas in the system. Working on the assumption that the system is going to be evacuated I pressurised it up to 20 psi with argon ( gasps of horror ) It sat there all afternoon and didn't drop at all. It all points to a tiny leak somewhere so I squirted some soapy water around the obvious places but there's not much chance of finding so small a leak.
There seem to be divided opinions on the leak stop stuff so next step is to book it in for a proper pressure test and re-gas.
Will report back.

 

Hook up a vacuum pump draw vacuum see if it holds.
If it does refill & go, if not replace what leaks, then fill & go.

 

Rigging up a vac pump as we speak.
Thanks for the advice.

 

It should never be empty unless you have a leak. Look for yellow greenish dye staining on all hoses, compressor and condensor. The evaporator is a bit more involved to diag

 

Said it was empty Brutal
post #4

 

I put a vac test on it today, boxed it in and left it for about 4 hours. The vacuum dropped by about 1"Hg but that might have been the weather warming up. It got all the way up to 18 Deg C That's 64 Deg F in the tropical North of England today.
Groupon have a deal on with ATS at the minute to recharge any system for £ 40 . I can't buy the gas for that so I let them do it. It's all working and ice cold now but for how long?
Thanks for all the advice.
Pete

 

Slow leak can work for a good while on occasion, with a good recharge.
Good luck.

 

exactly why i commented for his "no gas" comment

 

hi PD,

I don't like the thought of leak stop additives potentially clogging small passages in the condenser, expansion valve, etc. But when you recharge your system it could be helpful to add an ounce of UV dye in place of one ounce of oil. Slow leaks are often at one of the service port valves or one of the joints sealed by an O-ring and can be simple to fix once you know the location.

Cheers,

Don

 

Don't fancy the leak stop either and some of the reviews aren't very encouraging.
My compressor has always been a bit noisy, I can hear it at slow speeds and I wonder if it might be on it's way out. Maybe a bearing a bit worn and starting to wreck the seal? If the system empties again in a short period that could be my next port of call. Used compressors seem reasonable on Ebay and I wonder if anyone has overhauled one? It looks to be a bit of a pig to get to but not as bad as the evaporator
We'll see how long the re-charge lasts in this scorching Northumbrian Summer

 

Just be sure to add an appropriate amount of oil when you recharge since oil leaks out with refrigerant and most of the remaining oil is removed when you vacuum evacuate. Your noisy compressor may have been telling you the system was low on oil.