I'm hanging a Sanden SD 508 off the air pump bracket for the cat's new A/C system.

Question...is replacing the expansion valve (which doesn't look like any fun at all) necessary/recommended?

Thanks,

John
1987 XJ-S V12
64,000 miles

 

All I can say is, from personal experience, if the system is empty, it is worth changing it but not absolutely essential. However, you have to be VERY careful to support the thing against the torque of your undoing and doing up spanners. It is also not easy to access, but it IS doable if you take as much as you can out of the way (eg heater flexibles, heater valve etc etc). Of course, if you knacker the copper expansion matrix pipes it is a dash-out job to fix them, so not an easy decsision to take! If it works OK with the old one and the new compressor, fine. If it does not, then you will have only wasted the cost of a refill. New dryer cylinder 100% necessary though.

Greg