Hi

Having removed the Main Radiator from my XJS V12 I noticed there was a slimmer one, which sits on Top of the Oil Cooler, which looks a bit fragile.

(1) What is it for

(2) What is in it

(3) How do I top it up or refill it

(4) What would happen if it got damaged or sprung a leak

(5) Would I have to stop using the Car until it is fixed

(6) If it got damaged or sprung a leak could it wreck the engine/power steering/gearbox etc.

 

OB,
My car has several coolers, listed below in order of appearance:
AC condenser
Radiator
Auto Transmission oil cooler
Power steering fluid cooler

These aren't layered, some are beside or below the radiator/condenser combination. The power steering cooler is the lowest one, but it's a bit protected by the front registration plate so I don't worry about it.

Follow the lines to see what it's cooling.

Yes, if any cooler is damaged it will leak the fluid it's cooling and eventually ruin that component. It needs to be repaired before driving the car.
(';')

 

that will be your a/c condenser OB.
Is your a/c working?
It is an integral part of your a/c system and contains refrigerant gas along with the rest of the system and is serviced as a complete system.
The car will still work fine if the a/c stops working.
Will not damage any other parts on the car.

 

Thank You Baxtor

That's just what I needed to know, I thought that it might be something to do with the A/C but didn't know if it would trash the engine.

In the UK we don't have much need for a blast of Cold Air in our Cars, its usually the the opposite.

It looks OK at the moment, although its also fragile and therefore looks easy to damage.

 

As Baxtor points out, if its just the A/C it will just stop cooling the Car, which is something you hardly ever need in a Convertible in the UK.

 

i beg to differ

even in the UK climate control or air conditioning ( yes, they are different ) is useful , as we are known for the rain , the aircon is useful for dehumidifying the air reducing condensation inside the car , especially if you have any water ingress from say ' a convertible '

i am amazed at the amount of drivers who don't know how to use climate control correctly

all the other info above is correct with regard to the layout etc

another point to make, it is ILLEGAL in the UK to knowingly vent refrigerant into the atmosphere from an AC system , always get it discharged by a professional AC company before working on the system , especially as the contents can also BLIND you..........

BB

 

OB,

I had the aircon serviced on my convertible on Thursday. I'd lost 80% of the gas over 2 years, presumably through minor hardening of the seals somewhere. It's my own fault fir not using it enough. After an evacuation and vacuum test, it held vacuum ok so there was no leak, so it was recharged and now functions fine.

As BB says, I find the aircon more useful for demisting the car in winter than for needing to cool it in summer. I've now finally decided that not running the aircon all the time is false economy as I've then needed to get it serviced every 2 years, so it's staying on now!

Paul

 

Hi BB I will bear that in mind, it was working ok but just thinking ahead, in case it gets accidentally damaged when putting the New Rad back in, which of course I will take great care to avoid.

 

Hi Paul

Great idea! I never thought of using it for that!

It was working OK 14 years ago, so when my Car is back on the road, who knows it might still work now.