P38A AC suddenly lost pressure - Now re-gassed but got strange noises

pwood999 said:

Need to check idler pulleys tomorrow, but getting a strange tinkling noise when AC is on. It goes away if I switch AC off, or unplug compressor.

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Clutch plate rattling?

If you turn the clutch by hand a few turns can you hear it? Any play there?

It could well be the bearing behind the clutch mechanism, mine went bad after it was soaked in water.... Errrr..... For four hours it's held on by a circlip once the clutch is removed. Watch out for the shim if you remove it!!! Unfortunately I broke the circlip end of the bearing shaft on my compressor it's been loctited on for over a year now

Do you have the regassing slip - did they put PAG oil in as part of the refill? Hopefully yes, but otherwise the compressor is running dry. Where did your AC lose pressure from originally?

kermit_rr said:

If you turn the clutch by hand a few turns can you hear it? Any play there?

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on that theme... energise the clutch with a 9V battery, engine off...can you manually move the clutch at all (ie could the clutch be slipping) maybe just check the clutch gap with a feeler gauge, for good measure

Yes they put PAG in. Will try the other suggestions soon. At moment it seems to have quietened down & AC cools nicely !!

Datatek said:

Top right corner of the condenser seems to be a favorite place for pin hole leaks.
On one of mine, a recharge would last 2 weeks, the vac test at the garage showed nothing. The dye in the recharge located the pin hole.

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Same here - leak at top right corner of condenser. New condenser, problem solved.
(That's top right when viewed from driver's seat, as per standard JLR procedure.)

Found the AC Gas leak on my P38. Looks like clutch needs doing as well, so new compressor complete with clutch required.

pwood999 said:

Found the AC Gas leak on my P38. Looks like clutch needs doing as well, so new compressor complete with clutch required.

View attachment 297276

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Result, some manufacturers demand the drier to be replaced as well for the guarantee. Worth asking

Might do that as well, but not looking forward to bumper off.

Trip to Bedford EuroCarParts with tools required !! My son can get staff pricing, so I can fit them & get Gas recharge in one trip.

I try to spray some wd40 or similar the day before trying to remove something... Good luck?

On a different AC note:
Will a pressure test adequately check a system? Mine was tested and refilled hence assume no leaks. However AC does not cool :-( Cold at compressor/pipe in engine bay, and compressor just cycles on/off every few minutes.

Is there a good idiots guide on the AC system to troubleshoot?

kermit_rr said:

Could you pressure with propane? If it's leaking in the van you'd soon smell it. Molecules might be too big to leak though

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Come on shirley that is the best worst advice offered this year, unless you were advocating an insurance job pmsl here

TXV?