Hello Members,

I have a 1996 XJ6 and my AC is not working. I have had it tested and it has been diagnosed as an Evaporator blockage and that it needs to be replaced. I am told this is a major job. Can anyone let me know what is involved in replacing the Evaporator, and how much it would cost?

Thanks for your help.

Raj

 

Welcome to the forum rainydays,

I've moved your question from Jaguar Forums Advice / Feedback & Suggestion Center to X300 forum. The Advice / Feedback & Suggestion Center is for posts about the forum and not for technical questions

Members here with the same model will be able to help.

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some info about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

Well, let's start with evacuating the refrigerant. You can either do this the "right" way and take it to a shop for proper extraction, or release the gas by pressing down in the Schraeder Valve.

Once you have that done, you can replace the evaporator, along with any other a/c part you've been meaning to get to. Maybe the right time to replace the compressor? Condenser coil perhaps? I would consider replacing the expansion valve, I don't recall it being too expensive.

Once you're done replacing, you'll need it pull a vacuum to get rid of all air in the system. harbor freight sells one cheap enough.

After that, refill with the proper amount of refrigerant and oil. Make sure you get that right. On the XJS we're given only the weight needed for refrigerant. The amount if PAG oil you'll need depends on what gets replaced. If you're only doing the evaporator, you won't need too much, probably just 1 oz.

Do not use the refrigerant cans that come with oil or any sealers!

There are some great videos on YouTube regarding how to discharge then recharge an a/c system. Replacing the parts is the easy part if the job.

 

I haven't had the pleasure yet but pretty sure removing and replacing the evaporator requires removal of the dash which is a bit of a bugger of a job. Could you provide some more info?

What are your symptoms?
Did you have any trouble codes?
How did they diagnose the evaporator?
Are you sure it's not a blocked expansion valve? That is easier to do as you can access it from the engine bay.

You will of course have to evacuate and refill the refrigerant which is not too bad of a job if you have the right tools. Or you could have that bit done by a garage.

The main thing is to be sure of the diagnosis before jumping in and changing (expensive) parts.

 

if it is blockage and not a puncture hole as you claim you can always use nitrogen and chemicals that can unclog it, and best way is to send it to pepboys or autozone, or any automotive airconditioner shop. There is nothing you can do alone unless you have all the equipment to start with.

 

Thank you. I will try one of them.

 

Alan,
Thanks.
My cooling tapered off gradually and the fan started to blow hot air. I took the car to a shop that deals with British cars, and they said that the compressor was working fine, but when they opened up the condenser, there were all kinds of debris inside, which they cleaned and put back. When they started it back up, the flow stopped as there was a blockage further down and isolated it to the Evaporator. To take the Evaporator apart they said the dash has to come out which is a big job they said.

I was wondering if there was an easier way to get at the Evaporator. Or maybe it is the expansion valve. Do I take it back to them and ask them to check the expansion valve? Where is the expansion valve in the engine bay?

Thanks

Raj

 

I suppose your dessicant bag could come apart, otherwise....if the compressor is working fine, there is precious little to generate debris in the system. Thermal Exapansion Valve (TXV) should be located at the inlet/outlet pipes of your evap core...not that it simplifies your issue a great deal.....but I'm dubious much debris made it through the TXV to clog the evap.

 

Raj,

There is no other way that I know of to get at the evaporator, I reckon the dash has got to come out. I'm not totally sure where the expansion valve is. I thought it might be accessible from the engine bay on the firewall where the A/C pipes enter the cabin. If it's not there then it's probably mounted on or very near the evaporator.

Curiously, I can't find a part number for the expansion valve, it seems Jaguar only sold it with the evaporator. You might be able to match it to a known part at an auto parts store.

I agree with Alhobro that there might be desiccant in the pipes. If so I would think it would block the valve first as it is downstream from the drier. If it is just some muck in the system, them you should be able to clean it with chemicals which any garage that handles A/C systems should be able to do no problem

I'm sure we have some A/C experts here who can chime in.

 

Hi Raj,

I'm not an AC expert, but it seems to me that you could easily get a second opinion from another shop and that they could easily test for blockage of the evaporator by evacuating whatever refrigerant remains in the system, then opening the lines in the engine bay and testing for air flow through the evaporator. Only then would I consider replacing the evaporator. Unfortunately, I believe in the X300 a clogged expansion valve means an evap swap too, since the two are connected as one assembly.

Have you tried simply adding a can or two of R134a to the system to see if it's just low on refrigerant? I once had a repair shop tell me I needed $1,400 in work (including the compressor and evaporator). I not-so-politely declined their offer and drove the van off their lot. I discovered that to test the system they had charged it with refrigerant and it was now working fine, and that charge lasted for 1-1/2 years! Slow leaks due to old green O-rings are far more common than blocked evaporators (in fact I'm not sure I've ever heard of a blocked evaporator).

Please keep us informed, but I highly recommend a second opinion.

Cheers,

Don

 

Don,

Jag only sold the items as a single unit, but I'm pretty sure you can change just the valve if you can source one.

Seems like there was a thread some time back that showed the assembly?

 

Keeping in mind that a "blocked evaporator" could have two connotations: Refrigerant path blocked or air path blocked - the blower motor blows air through the fins of the evap which allows the heat in the air to transfer to the expanding - yea "boiling" refrigerant (R134a in our case) inside the core. A common air-side blockage is ice formation, normally a harbinger of low refrigerant charge. In the case of ice, yes, you will get less and less cool air and eventually it will feel "hot" or ambient. Your recanting of the shop's description certainly sounded like they were talking about a refrigerant-side blockage. I would think that somewhat rare excepting with compressors that have come apart - even then, the passages through the TXV are smaller than the pipes leading to the core so a lot of trash should be caught there - rendering the valve more or less inoperable.
Having said all that.....it is still possible the airside is effectively blocked with hair/dirt/ladies panties...what have you...but I would think equally unlikely.

 

Correct!!!!!

Jaguar only sold the EVAP core complete with expansion valve assy. It IS an expansion valve and NOT an orifice tube setup.

I guess you could pull it off and try to 'match-it-up' at a local climate control parts supply house.

I would estimate 7 to 8 hours labor to replace EVAP unit.
Diagnostic time might be added to that???

bob gauff

 

Assuming the expansion valve was clogged but the evaporator was okay, could a good AC shop remove the expansion valve and connect a standard refrigerant hose to the evaporator, then install an XJ40 expansion valve in the engine compartment hose? I realize this could get expensive quickly...

 

You say the expansion valve is accessible from the engine bay? Could you tell us where it is? Other information says it is part of the evaporator which is a b...h to remove.

 

with a use of a manifold gauge you can easily detect what is wrong when reading thru the gauge readings, why get into so much trouble when you can just send it to an airconditioner specialist, it is much cheaper than having you do it yourself with all the unknown that can be more costly and time consuming that is if you do break any parts during the disassembling and assembling process. usual blockage happens with the drier 9located infront of the engine bay, you would need to take out the radiator grille, it looks like a black long tube, its the silica gel bag that has broken up and the silica gel would have gone through the system blocking where ever it is. Have a second shop take a look at it and hope you do find an honest shop and one who is REALLY knowledgeable.