[xj-s] The facelift A/C compressors -- anyone knows them?

sbobev · August 21, 2014, 2:09pm

Gentlemen:
First, apologies for the long post. Been a very frustrating
experience, so I hope someone can provide some clues.

OK, the facelift XJS cars came with the Sanden 709 A/C
compressor. Both V12 and I6.
Jaguar part numbers were initially CBC6522 and CCC6592,
changed later to MHE7300aa and MHE7300ba, respectively.
The part # change must have been dictated by the R12 to
R134a changeover with VIN1905028. The part numbers can be
found cross-listed to numbers from a variety of vendors,
including Four Seasons, GPD, Bosch, etc. and this is where
the mess begins.

The I6 owners are probably lucky that can get a direct fit
SD709 from pretty much everywhere (ca. $200), including the
local AutoZone, but if you are a V12 owner, only a few
places offer the correct OEM compressor at a cost of $1000+.
ALL aftermarket versions are incorrectly listed, ask me how
I know.
Many hours on the internet seem to converge on the
following:

I6: Jaguar part MHE7300aa = FS78589 = SD7H15-7895
V12: Jaguar part MHE7300ba = FS58739 = SD7H15-7743

On top of that, the correct XJS part# is incorrectly shown
on the JDHT catalog – it shows a pulley using a serpentine
belt with 6 grooves – pulleys for both MHE7300aa and
MHE7300ba are 132 mm and use a V-belt.

Another Jaguar atrocity – apparently there is another part
number MHC7300aa, which must be equivalent to MHE7300ba
(different pulley), judging from some pictures I found, but
it does not come up searching the MY, and that is a whole
different story.

The questions.

Having seen ads for the whole compressor (brand new, no
core) for $200, I presumed this route will be cheaper
alternative to shaft seal/bearing replacement on the old
unit. As outlined above, it turned out it won’t be that
simple.

This page shows the compressor I have fitted in my car:

Same site says that the 6L V12 uses this compressor:

Can someone else with a facelift V12 confirm that the
factory A/C compressor is the former and not the latter,
despite the catalog’s suggestion.

I6 owners should have this one:

http://www.findpart.org/part/ast-mhe7300aa/

To me, MHE7300aa and MHE7300ba appear to identical in every
ways except the mounting bolts. Fabrication of an adaptor to
fit the readily available MHE7300aa in the ‘vee’ of the V12
will be beyond my abilities.

Looking up some other Sanden compressors, I found this one:

It is from Volvo and the dimensions appear to be a very
close match. Will this compressor fit my car (after a
pulley/clutch swap)?
All dimensions are almost identical, the only potential red-
flag is the Sanden model number (SD7V16). The Jaguar one is
SD7H15.

Again, I am sorry for the long post. The documentation in
‘The Book’ of the A-6 compressor used by Jaguar and the
generic versions is excellent, no such luck with the Sanden.

Hope this will help many facelift owners (when/if properly
resolved).

Best regards,
Steve–
'95 XJS convertible - V12 6.0L
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Big_Squatt · August 21, 2014, 5:00pm

In reply to a message from sbobev sent Thu 21 Aug 2014:

New AC Compressors for $280 with free shipping on ebay all
day long. For the 6.0 v12

Jim–
87’ VDP (black), 86’ XJ-SC (grey), 88’ XJS sport convert
Fort Lauderdale, United States
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sbobev · August 21, 2014, 6:26pm

In reply to a message from Big Squatt sent Thu 21 Aug 2014:

Hi Jim:
You probably didn’t have the patience to read my entire post
and click on the 3 links I embedded. The mounting for the
I6 vs the V12 is different.
6-cyl
http://www.findpart.org/part/ast-mhe7300aa/
12-cyl

Everything on ebay is of the mhe7300aa variety and fits only
the 6-cyl, where it mounts sideways.
All ads that say it will fit the 6.0L V12 (trust me, I’ve
contacted most sellers) are WRONG.

Best regards,
Steve–
The original message included these comments:

New AC Compressors for $280 with free shipping on ebay all
day long. For the 6.0 v12

–
'95 XJS convertible - V12 6.0L
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Roger_951 · August 21, 2014, 7:02pm

In reply to a message from sbobev sent Thu 21 Aug 2014:

The thing I question about the MHE7300 compressors you link
to is that they look like they have an R12 high pressure
relief valve installed and not one for R134A which operates
at higher pressure.–
Roger’95
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sbobev · August 21, 2014, 7:35pm

In reply to a message from Roger’95 sent Thu 21 Aug 2014:

Roger:
Those are the only pictures I found with dimensions. If you
look up the part numbers, you’ll find that many do NOT
valves in the back.

http://www.jaguarclassicparts.com/illustrations/part-
images/MHE7300AA.jpg

The key point here is the mounting and the clutch/pulley
size.

Sanden’s installed after VIN190528 are R134A, that’s 100%.

Steve–
The original message included these comments:

The thing I question about the MHE7300 compressors you link
to is that they look like they have an R12 high pressure
relief valve installed and not one for R134A which operates
at higher pressure.

–
'95 XJS convertible - V12 6.0L
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540itouring · August 21, 2014, 7:23pm

In reply to a message from Roger’95 sent Thu 21 Aug 2014:

Hi Steve

Do you not have the compressor that was on your car as I
replaced the seals on on mine and has been perfect. The
problem now is that my hose has I slight leak so I am
replacing both of them at the same time.

The compressors SD7H15 are fitted to many cars and have
the same body but the cylinder head is not the same and the
fromt pulley is also not the V Belt type or will not line
up when fitted to our engines. The cylinder head on our
compressor is QY I think and does not seam to be used on
any other car I have looked at. The cylinder head can be
swapped from old compressor to new by just replacing the
rear gaskets . The jaguar version also has the high
pressure switch fitted to the head. The front pully and
clutch can also be swapped over but the older compressor
shafts have a KEY and the later ones have a SPLINE and
think you need the older type with a KEYWAY . The older
709 compressors were R12 and I think all later R134a
compressors will have a GREEN LABLE on them from new and
the rebuilt ones (i would not use look like they are GOLD
lables)

I also have a brand new jaguar boxed compressor as a spare
that I got from ebay for only �300 GBP and then retail for
�934 GBP so I had to buy it for stock. I also have two
other new 709 compressors and was going to swap the head
and clutch and pully but the shafts on both are splined and
have a 24 volt coil but I think I will find a use for them
sometime .

The compressors fail due to seals / low gas or low gas +
low oil and just repaired mine intime when I got the car as
85% of the oil has leaked out from the front O RING . I get
all my compressor seals from the USA as no one wants to
sell them in this country.

I removed the front of my compressor and apart from very
low oil the inside of the senen cylinder compressor still
looked like new. Let me know if you need any more help.

Dave–
95 XJR6, 94 XJS 6.0 coupe, 04 XK8 ,99 Ka
Croydon , SURREY, United Kingdom
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CJ95 · August 22, 2014, 5:05am

In reply to a message from sbobev sent Thu 21 Aug 2014:

So far my only AC issue has been a leaky Schrader valve.
Unbelievable the trouble you are having sourcing a
compressor…but I guess I expect no less from our 6.0
liters!

What happened to yours…leaking front seal or something
worse?–
John. '95 XJS 6.0L convertible. Southlake, TX
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sbobev · August 22, 2014, 4:08pm

In reply to a message from 540itouring sent Thu 21 Aug 2014:

Hi Dave:
Thanks for the detailed info, that’s encouraging.
If you are right that the body style is the same for Dodge,
Jeep, Ford, Peterbuilt and Volvo trucks, then, indeed a
cheaper alternative to the outrageously expensive MHE7300ba
is within reach.

The head of the compressor swap, per the Sanden manual above
(in Acrobat PDF) is not hard and does not require special
tools.

The clutch/pulley swap is more challenging, do you think
that any of the available SD7H15 compressors may come with a
suitable 12V clutch/pulley that will work without the need
to change it?

Also, there are some SD709 models that come with a double
pulley designed for V-belts (model 4419-6000 for example),
but the pulley diameter is 125 mm (the Jag pulley is 132 mm
in diameter). Will this be a problem?

Steve–
The original message included these comments:

The compressors SD7H15 are fitted to many cars and have
the same body but the cylinder head is not the same and the
fromt pulley is also not the V Belt type or will not line
up when fitted to our engines. The cylinder head on our
compressor is QY I think and does not seam to be used on
any other car I have looked at. The cylinder head can be
swapped from old compressor to new by just replacing the
rear gaskets . The jaguar version also has the high
pressure switch fitted to the head. The front pully and
clutch can also be swapped over but the older compressor
shafts have a KEY and the later ones have a SPLINE and

–
'95 XJS convertible - V12 6.0L
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540itouring · August 22, 2014, 9:03pm

In reply to a message from sbobev sent Fri 22 Aug 2014:

The cylinder head will be easy to swap but must be the
correct trq on the head bolts and must have NEW gaskets.
The problem with the pulley is that the double V pulley I
have on one compressor , none of the two pulleys look like
they would line up with the belt position. I would think
that the slightly smaller diameter pulley as long as it
does not over rev the compressor will be ok but much better
to try to use the old clutch and pulley if you can get them
to fit.

I would think you would be able to find a sd709 compressor
from another make of car that has the same clutch . May be
if you could trace the sanden clutch part numbers you could
trace what other cars they were fitted to ?

I have ordered the two new complete hoses for my xjs and
the first one will be delivered Tuesday so I will soon be
able to get my ac going again.–
The original message included these comments:

The clutch/pulley swap is more challenging, do you think
that any of the available SD7H15 compressors may come with a
suitable 12V clutch/pulley that will work without the need
to change it?
Also, there are some SD709 models that come with a double
pulley designed for V-belts (model 4419-6000 for example),
but the pulley diameter is 125 mm (the Jag pulley is 132 mm
in diameter). Will this be a problem?

–
95 XJR6, 94 XJS 6.0 coupe, 04 XK8 ,99 Ka
Croydon , SURREY, United Kingdom
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wytchdoktor1 · August 23, 2014, 3:32pm

In reply to a message from Roger’95 sent Thu 21 Aug 2014:

that’s right about the valve…s#188+(nigel’s)came with the
sanden compressor and charged with r12.it was a seemingly
unending source of frustration.didn’t go the 134 route.went
the r12a route instead.works great…so far.
=dok=–
v12fun=thewytchdoktor/94 xjs 6 litre a.k.a.dok -)
Winchester Virginia, United States
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equiprx · August 24, 2014, 3:17pm

In reply to a message from sbobev sent Thu 21 Aug 2014:

I have a new Sanden 7 for cheap.
Contact me offline if interested.
Steve–
The original message included these comments:

OK, the facelift XJS cars came with the Sanden 709 A/C

–
equiprx
Pacifica, CA, United States
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JimD_in_Alabama · October 20, 2018, 1:32pm

Well, have reached that point that the a/c compressor needs replacement. From SBOBEV’s 2014 post it seems I need hen 's teeth… 1995
V12 XJS a/c compressor.
From a MY94 and later update to the ROM, both the I 6 and V12 take the same Sanden model compressor, the only listed difference in the manual is the belt tension on vee belt.

So I guess my question is whether Steve ever resolved his dilemma? Is there a source of reliable a/c compressor for the 94 and 95 V12 cars?
And finally, is there anyone in possession of an extra they want to get rid of?

sbobev · October 20, 2018, 3:47pm

Jim:

The situation with the sander compressors is “resolved”. Requires swapping the head. John in Texas (CJ95) – sold his car and no longer active – has nice albums.

http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap_view.php3?id=1429575347

http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap_view.php3?id=1429623938

http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap_view.php3?id=1429575933

There is also a nice discussion on the subject (search all posts by CJ95 around march-april 2015)

Good luck,
Steve

PS The issue with the lost pictures from the old site should be resolved. I am sure the forum admins are listening

JimD_in_Alabama · October 20, 2018, 5:58pm

Thanks Steve. Great picture essay from John Durant.

Now the hard part… finding a replacement compressor and then paying for it

John6 · October 20, 2018, 6:37pm

For the uninformed among us… what’s wrong with the compressor listed on RockAuto?

JimD_in_Alabama · October 20, 2018, 7:16pm

Regards for a 94 and later V12 XJS…
The nippondenso has serpentine pulley instead of single v belt, but at least the compressor mounts are oriented correctly… perpendicular to the compressor body. And doesn’t have correct input output fittings.
The Sanden 709 has incorrect mounts orientation.
I believe the absolutely correct compressor for 94 and later is Sanden SD7H15

equiprx · October 20, 2018, 9:56pm

Now the hard part… finding a replacement compressor and then paying for it>

How much would you want to part with?
They are buried in the catacombs and will cost something to ship but they are available.
I am still having no luck being able to send emails but you can text me.
Steve @650.455.1110

sbobev · October 20, 2018, 11:34pm

This compressor (and everywhere else you look) is cross-listed incorrectly as a fit for the 6.0L V12.
It does fit the 6-bangers though.

For the V12 in 94 and 95, the only option is to get a Sanden compressor that has the correct mounts and pulley and swap the head, IIRC, John (CJ95) got his compressor for less than $120 – brand new.

sbobev · October 20, 2018, 11:46pm

Jim,
Mine is driven with a v-belt. John’s (CJ95) was the same. I do not think there are XJS cars with serpentine belts, only sedans.

All one needs to know about Sanden compressors:

In any case, among the Sanden compressors, the one Jaguar for the 6.0L V12 XJS appears to be the unicorn (the head ). Swapping it is likely the only way to go if you want new (not rebuilt) compressor.

Good luck.

JimD_in_Alabama · October 21, 2018, 1:36am

Yeah I agree.

My comment about the serpentine belt was meant to answer John ‘s question about why the RockAuto listing couldn’t’ t work. The nippondenso looks to be a non starter because it is ear mounts instead of direct fit

Equiptix might have what I need

Lots of good info at the Sanden web site

Freightliner and Volvo tricks use the 7h15. Just have to find one with v belt and direct mount and correct end cap fittings