Ok so for anyone who is like me and likes working on their own vehicles but also likes doing some research on what they'll need to do here goes...

The replacement of the a/c compressor on a 2012 Range Rover Sport SC 5.0 is pretty straightforward albeit get ready to say more than a few curse words. Lol. Here are the steps that I took-

1. Remove the engine beauty cover.

2. Remove the intake system and the LH airbox assembly (to gain access to the a/c belt tensioner. This vehicle does have two belts but you can get away with only loosening the a/c belt. No need to remove/loosen the other one). Basically you'll loosen about 3 hose clamps with the main one being at the throttle body, unclip/disconnect some hoses and the connector by the LH box, and remove a bolt that's near the RH box and the y intake assembly will slide out if you pull it towards the front of the truck. Be careful of course and make sure you aren't pulling on anything that you forgot to disconnect.

3. Remove the LF wheel and inner fender liner. Do this before loosening the belt as you get a lot more access to the belt on the pulleys this way.

4. Put a 3/8 ratchet and cheater bar on the tensioner from the top and have someone remove the belt off the a/c and powersteering pulleys through the opening created from removing the fender liner.

5. This is the longest step because it's basically removing the compressor. There are three 13mm long bolts holding the compressor to the block. The front two are easy to remove. The back one is the one that will make you want to punch the Land Rover engineers in the face. It is hidden behind the frame where the air strut is mounted and its near impossible to see. You'll have to reach behind the frame and unbolt this by getting creative with your tools. Use deep sockets with small adapters or extensions with short sockets etc etc. That really goes for any job. Basically the way I did it was removed the top bolt, then loosened the bottom bolt but left it on to keep the compressor in place. Then I removed the two 13mm nuts holding the a/c lines onto the compressor. Disconnected the electrical connector. Then I unbolted the line brackets so that I could move them around for some space. The bottom line I was able to pull down through the bottom of the truck and out of the way completely. The top line was in my way the whole time. Then I unbolted the third hidden bolt. That is the bolt that will ruin your life for a few hours. But it could honestly take minutes if you're good at this or have small hands. It took me a while to find the right ratchet socket combo. Anyway once it's out just finish removing the front bolt and you'll be able to slide the compressor out through the bottom front by bending the radiator hoses and rubber p/s lines out of the way.

6. That's basically it. Reverse procedure for install. Just don't forget about that electrical connector like I did. I had the three long compressor bolts started then realized I didn't know where the electrical harness went. I found it stuck in my rack and pinion. The harness comes around the back of the block not from the front harness in the wheel well like I thought. Also I had an issue with the connector that should come on your new compressor coming loose. After I bolted the compressor on I thankfully noticed it and plugged it in.

Anyway I hope that's clear enough. It won't make total sense until you're actually working on it I think. Just know that you don't actually have to drain the coolant, remove the cooling fan, or remove the p/s pump like I saw on a video that I watched that was for a 4.4 (closest thing that I could find for this repair).

Also please know this is at your own risk and I just wrote this from memory as I just did this on my own L320 RRSC a couple of days ago.

 

I will soon need to do this. I will take some pics and post them here. Thanks. (Please don't ever think your posting was ignored. This helped many people I am sure.

 

Did you do it ? Photos ?

 

I did that and did not take photos. Sorry. You don't have to disconnect any coolant hoses. I used silicone cable ties to move them away. The inner 13mm bolt is hard to reach. You have to have the right extension length and angle to get to it. Also need some 1/4" swivel 13mm socket to get to the 2 nuts.
Before doing all that, make sure you have a bad AC compressor. I learned my lesson the hard way.
See this: 2012 RRS 5.0L AC compressor not working. How to confirm?

 

Thanks for your reply. Would the third bolt be easier to get to if you drilled an access hole through the inner wing?

 

No need to drill. 13mm 3/8 socket, right length of extension and a low profile ratchet are what I used. You can "practice" the angle on the new compressor.
Forgot to mention, to set the coolant hoses away, remove the T30 bolt holding the thermostat to the upper timing cover first.