My 2006 L322 a/c isn't blowing cold air out of the blue. My low side reading is 65 and my high is 100. I don't know a lot about ac systems but I think that tells me my compressor isn't coming on or am I wrong? If so I believe I can jump my compressor to the battery to test and see if it's the problem or a control valve.

I just got done chaning my front air suspension. Hopefully I'm not about to get a snow ball going with this thing. That's what happened with my Disco I owned before this Rover.

 

Since you have a difference in pressure between high and low, the compressor is doing something. Do no connect power to the connector on the compressor, it is not a conventional clutch style, on/off unit. It is always engaged, and a PWM signal from the HVAC ECU controls the displacement of the unit via a solenoid that controls a swash plate.
This system doesn't have many common issues, aside from an occasional leak, and the HVAC ECU sometimes going out(I've seen 1 wiring issue, a couple failed compressors, not including ones that were damaged at delivery, but thats a different issue all its own, and once had a bad PCM that wouldnt allow A/C grant).
Due to the design, normal pressure readings don't really apply, and as long as you're sure the settings in the car are correct (ie. A/C set on, and face level vents not set to warm) the first step in diagnosing it would be to have a professional recover and recharge the 134 from the system, and see how much comes out, low amount obviously meaning there's a leak somewhere.

 

Roverguy, thank you for your help. I've done a lot on these and other cars but never anything with the a/c.

When you say recover, what do you mean? If I get a ready on the low side shouldn't it show me whether or not it's charged?

 

By recover I mean remove the 134 from the system, by use of a machine that measures the weight that is removed. You definitely have some in there, however maybe not enough to allow the system operate correctly. With it being a variable displacement system, testing the pressures at your ports is only a reliable test if you know the system is fully engaged. Unlike a conventional system, where the clutch would not kick on with low system pressure, you always have some sort of compression in the system. I do not recommend just buying a recharge kit, and dumping more in, as damage can be caused due to too much in the system if this is not the problem.
I understand there is an expense involved, however, if I was presented with these symptoms in my shop, my first step would to see how much is in the system.

 

I really appreciate your help. I'll post the follow up once I get that done.

 

Rovrguy, one more qustion. How much 134 will it take?

 

Spec on the system is 0.70 kg. This is the weight that should come out, plus/minus 50g or so... If it's much lower then that, there is a leak. If it is a slow leak, you might be fine with just a recharge and it will work for a while. Let us know what happens.

 

Ok, I took it in the for the recovery and recharge. They recovered .31lbs(1.58lb capacity) so it was really low. They couldn't see any leaks.

My upper and lower numbers are still the same and the air isn't cold.


I didn't mention that when I first realized this was going on my wife and I were on our way to a funeral so we both needed the a/c on due to our attire. My side was fine but she was complaining that hers what warm. I felt her side and it was quite a bit warmer than mine was. Now they seem to be the same temp coming out.

 

That seems strange to me... It was low, which will cause it not to work well, and now that its charged properly its still not working, meaning that there's another problem. Seeing how it was working a little bit, one side cold, the other not, and got worse from there, it definitively has a leak, but was operable until it got even lower. As far as a physical problem, I would be looking compressor at this point, but something just doesn't seem right about this. Only justification I can make, would be system leaked, lost its oil, and burned out the compressor as a result.

 

For my Disco I had the Rave when I did my head gasket job so it was easy. I haven't gotten into this part of my Rover yet and without the Rave I'm kind of lost. Is it an easy job or wort taking it in to be replaced. I can't really tell if I have to come from the top to take it out or come from the bottom.