Hey ya’ll! Leaking compressor on my ‘90 Xjs convertible v-12. I’m hoping with my sort of average skills to install the new one. Not sure what compressor to buy. It worked fine last year so I’m hoping a compressor would be all it would need. Any thoughts? Thanks guys!
Is your original compressor the GM A-6 type (black iron, longer than it is wide, weighs about 100 pounds) or the later Sanden type (aluminum case, shorter and squatter than the A-6, reasonably lightweight)?
If it happens to be the A-6, note that you can get a replacement A-6 pretty cheap, but you can also buy an aluminum version so you don’t damage your back lifting it in and out.
Thanks Kirbert, for the reply. It’s an A6 from your discription. Would replacement be straight forward or would I need special tools or skills/knowledge to do the job?
There is a treasure trove of information on the XJ-S air conditioner, beginning at page 493-550 of Mr. Palm’s book ‘Experience in a Book’. Whether you tackle it yourself or not the knowledge is worth having. Again, wonderful coverage there.
One problem with doing your one AC work is you’re not supposed to release refrigerants. They have to be captured. That means taking it to an AC shop to have that done.
The task R/R of the compressor is not all that difficult. However, keep in mind that you might also have to replace other parts, like the receiver/dryer and perhaps the valve. The warranty on the compressor probably will be voided if you don’t.
I did all of this years ago, but the project write-up seems to be missing from my website. I’ll have to track it down.
After you do all the R/R stuff, you should plan on taking it back to the AC shop for proper evacuation, leak testing, and recharging since yoy most likely don’t have the equipment to do all this.
1990 is the transition year, but I assume you have R134a, not R12. Although illegal to vent it from a car, it is legal to use it to dust keyboards etc… So you could connect a suitable hose and dust away. 
Presumably, some of it has already leaked out. Or, if you’re a tool lover like me, you can get an inexpensive recovery pump. You can also put a suitable container on ice (or dry ice) and most of the gas will condense in it without a pump.
BTW, R134a is pretty clean as far as ozone is concerned (hence its DIY status) but has now run into trouble for its greenhouse gas potential, and is in the process of being outlawed.
It didn’t take long to decide I should have a pro install the compressor! Ask me anything about guitar playing or luthierie and I would be an expert. But it’s wise to know your limitations. Just as an alternative, since the car driven top down 95* of the time, would it be a problem to remove the whole mess? I know the AC cools the fuel. Correct?
Smart choice.
BTW, I just put a link to my R134A conversion project in my home page:
http://www.efsowell.us/ed/jag/AC/rebuild/ACRebuild.htm
It would be something to read if you being to waiver 
Helllo William,
I just replaced my compressor, accumulator, cleaned the valve, flushed the condensor and pipes, and worked through the electronics too. I found all the information and guidance i needed on YouTube, Jag-aire (for electronics parts) and Palm’s book.
I did pay somebody to replace the compressor - it was the first thing I did and I didn’t have the confidence at that point…but after having done the rest of the system, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it myself now. It’s fairly simple.
Two thoughts though. First, find a mechanic that will evacuate the system for you. Then you can replace the parts and flush the system at your leisure. Then ask the same shop to recharge it. Second, I bought a 4 Seasons short, aluminium compressor. It didn’t exactly fit - the bolts at the back were in the wrong place and the plate holding the compressor in place needed some modification - not too much work, but it meant the fitting costs were higher. Also, the compression provided by that 4 seasons replacement compressors isn’t as high as it could/should be on idle. Again, not a big problem because mostly I’m cruising at 2000-3000 revs and at that engine speed, the compression from that compressor is fine. So. In a nutshell, it’s no problem to change the compressor, you just need somebody to evacuate before and recharge after. I hope that helps.
Where can I find Palm’s book, “Experience in a Book”? Alternatively, a complete wiring diagram or just all air conditioning circuitry for a 1994 XJS? Full shop manual with all wiring diagrams even.
Hello Ed @Ed_Sowell , i would be interested in reading about your conversion, but the link does not work any longer. Could you update or kindly send it by mail?
I am considering updating the AC in my XJ6 from 1985.
Or will anyone have hands on experience please jump in . Anything more modern and still a not difficult grade than R134A ?
Many thanks
Rui
Ed doesn’t get on here very often anymore. Here is his write-up for the AC conversion, albeit without photos. I’ve never uploaded a .PDF on here, so we’ll see if it works.
Air Conditioning Rebuild.pdf (151.0 KB)
There’s quite a few topics on here that people have started about converting to r134a. Fairly straightforward, but some specialized equipment needed particularly if your system is currently charged.
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Hello Rui,
I’ll dig around in my vast collection of old files related to the XJ-S. since I did all that work I’ve gone through a HD failure, a couple computer upgrades, and switching web hosting services. I never knowingly delect things like that but finding them gets more & more difficult.
Ed
Great see you posting Ed Sowell. I always really enjoyed your website
Great see you posting Ed Sowell. I always really enjoyed
Thx, Jim. Don’t know if you’ve visited it lately, but I’ve been working on fixing all the broken links. Focus has been on family history. The Jag stuff is going to be a lot harder for various technical reasons. If you go to www.efsowell.us you can at least see my current ride.
Ed
Ed, good to have you back posting.
When I click the link, it does not open your website. When I copy your website address and open in a new tab, it opens, but photos of " Ed’s 2013 XK SE".
Thx Ed. I will check it out
Rui
The conversion to R134a is either pretty painless or complicated. Many have evacuated the system, changed the dryer and oil. Then recharged with R134a and claimed satisfactory results.
My recommendation is to evacuate and flush the system. Change the dryer, condenser and expansion valve. Then add the appropriate oil and charge with R134a. Ed Sowell had a pretty good write up on his process. In my case I converted to R134a and was not happy with the results until I changed to a R134a specific condenser.
You can view my AC rebuild and conversion to R134a along with changing to a R134a specific condenser at the links below.
https://bernardembden.com/xjs/134/index.htm
https://bernardembden.com/xjs/pcond/index.htm
https://bernardembden.com/xjs/acup/index.htm
BTW the two links with the same name are actually two different links (sorry)
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