My 1996 XJ6 leaks refrigerant quickly (in a day or less). Took to Brit car shop and no leaks were detected on the engine bay side. I had gotten the same result with dye test prior to taking the car to him. (System works fine during the brief time it does retain a charge.) Tech says most likely problem is that the expansion valve requires replacement and that the job requires dash removal and cost is approx $2K. I've read that the expansion valve in 1996 XJ6 is accessible from engine bay side. Is that in fact true? I'm assuming that the tech is thinking that the expansion valve is part of evaporator so that may be why he is saying that the dash requires removal. I've seen expansion valve portions for sale separately for this year and model by aftermarket suppliers. So, based on that, can I replace expansion valve without going through the involved process of removing dash etc. ??

Jaguar expansion valve is NSS (Not Sold or Serviced Separately) and is sold as part of the EVAP core. There are aftermarket replacements but I doubt it is leaking. There aren't many places on the valve to leak.

The EVAP core can leak and is difficult to see. Sometimes you can pull the rubber 'boots' that connect the blowers to the climate control box and look into the box from each side with a UV light to see if there are traces of DYE.

Labor should be 7 to 8 hours to replace the EVAP matrix and EXP Valve assy. It will take significantly longer if you have never done one before.

bob

One place that does leak is the fill ports themselves. It was a rubber ball that is spring loaded instead of the usual tire valve type and over time the rubber goes hard and leaks. Of course it won't show when a gauge set is connected.

What I usually do is evacuate the system, then connect my BBQ propane bottle and give the system a shot of propane. Then I go over each joint with a gas detector good to 5 ppm and it can find the leak fairly quickly. That's how I found the fill port leak on my XJS.

Hello Bob and Thanks for your reply! One more question of course: If I end up having to replace the evaporator and/or the expansion valve would the far less expensive aftermarket evaporator be as serviceable as the approx $600 OEM assembly or should I just go ahead and bite the bullet??-----------Gene

I have installed aftermarket EVAP cores and most will fit OK. Sometimes they need to be 'tweeked' or bent slightly. Holes do not always line up but I haven't seen many that won't work at all.

If there is a significant difference in price I will often go for the cheaper part for a car this old.

The worst offenders were the 1993/1994 sedans. I replaced dozens and dozens over the years (first years for the 134a changeover). The X300 does not have the same fault and I don't replace many at all.

Not a pleasant job digging all the way to the bulkhead from the inside!!!!! Not hard, just tedious.

bob

Gene,

Often, if an evaporator core is leaking you will be able to detect UV dye in the condensation that forms below the core, flows down the drain tubes and drips underneath the car. So some evening it might be worth giving the system enough refrigerant charge for the compressor clutch to engage, then after dark running the engine with the A/C on and shining your UV light under the car to see if you can detect glowing dye in the condensation.

Cheers,

Don

Thanks very much Don. I very much appreciate the useful tips and help. I went ahead and told the tech I visited to go ahead and do the job as he says he's 100% certain of the problem area. He doesn't do aftermarket parts however and I'm not exactly wild about the price difference relative to OEM but it will be good to have the A/C working as it should.

Gene

I believe Denso was the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the A/C system, so if you can find a Denso part without going through a Jaguar dealer you can probably save a lot of money.

Cheers,

Don

So it looks as if I have the same problem on my 97 X300. Sorry but I'm a little confused. Does the entire dash have to come out for the evap core replacement?

The climate control box with the heater and evaporator are bolted to the bulkhead. The box is removed from inside the cabin. If the dash is covering the box, then it will need to be removed for access to the box.

bob

(Sigh). I was afraid of the answer. I'll probably just take a couple of days off from work to do it. Worse, I'm hearing a strange whirring noise periodically from that area. I think one or more of the servo motors are failing. As long as I'm in there, would it be wise to replace the heater core as well?