Does anyone know which is the low pressure valve on L322 air conditioning? A friend has given me a recharge kit to top up my rather warm air con and it has to be connected via the low pressure valve.Is it the one nearest the front of the car or further back? Many thanks

It will be the only one that the device can connect to as they use different industry standard sized valves IIRC

If it has a rubber or plastic cap on, most car makers label it 'L' FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

You connect to number 2 on the diagram.

Click image to enlarge

Thanks guys - the two caps appear to be identical with a small triangle embossed on the top with an image of a valve. On my car (2005 Vogue 4.4) the valves are not in the same position as the diagram either! I'll try and post a picture later but it's chucking it down with rain at the moment. But the diagram might help me decide as the pipework seems to be different sizes. (No doubt raining on kingpleb as well seeing as I'm in the Rotherham area as well!)

90% of the time, top up kits are a waste of time and money - not to mention bad for the environment.

The only case where a top up kit would be useful and sensible is if you have a very slow leak that you can compensate by using a top up kit every few years. Very seldom the case ( actually, 90% is probably to low - more like 99.9%).

In a best case, using a top up kit in a leaky system is more or less equivalent to punching a hole in the can and releasing the refrigerant directly. In a worst case, charging an otherwise mechanically sound AC system can lead to overfilling the system. This can result in the compressor drawing liquid refrigerant - and instantly self-destructing (you can't compress a liquid).

IMO top up kits should be banned. I am all for DIY - especially for all of us poor schmucks who have to deal with silly LR prices - but there are cases where I believe you are better off having the car looked at by a competent technician. The AC is def one of those. It doesn't need to be a LR dealer. Anyone really competent in auto AC is fine tho it is usually beneficial to find someone who knows the quirks of the L322 as well. 
RRC 2Dr, RRC 4Dr,
P38, and 2 L322s
(wife thinks I'm nuts - prob right, too)

I'm doing my bit for the environment - I bought a second hand car, and converted it to LPG, which means I can save the world an enormous amount of electricity by not using a cash dispenser quite so often!

The kit comes with a guage which can tell me the pressure in the system. Mind you, having read about KwikFit's A/C servicing, I could always go there...

I agree with SteveMfr on this, diy top up is not really to be recommended, you simply don't know how much refrigerant you are adding to a system you don't know the contents of. You might as well throw the gauge away for all the good it is.
The first thing is to check why your system is low on refrigerant and if it's because of a leak get it sorted.
To ensure the system then has the correct charge of refrigerant and oil you then first have to remove the contents of the system by vacuum.
You can then recharge the system with the correct quantity of refrigerant and oil.
It's surprisingly easy to overcharge an ac system if you don't know what you are doing, the usual result is a flooded compressor and a very large bill.
Have you checked on the cost of a compressor?
Plenty of people capable of checking and recharging ac systems, not sure I would include Sh Fit amongst them personally...

Compressors seem to be about £300 from indies - several people have posted on here about how good kwiFit's service has been when they've used it, and there are plenty of other service agents about.

Just had my Condenser replaced due to a leak and although the job is fairly strait forward for DIY I think the regasing is best done by a quallified person. I had the job done at a LR main dealers where they charged for 2.8 hours labour and although this is probably way more expensive than a Indy garage I do feel a certain peace of mind.

^^^^ as above, i fitted my condenser and had it re-gassed properly.. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
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Just a quick update - got the kit and couldn't resist using it. Put the valve on and seemed to be very little pressure in the system so I used the canister of gas (environmentally friendly not R134) and the compressor kicked in instantly and I now have lovely cups air from the vents! The gas has a dye in it so I will have a look for leaks.

I bought my car from a dealer but it had previously been standing unused for a few months as the.. owner had emigrated leaving it with a friend to sell.I wonder if this might have been why the gas leaked away as the seals would have dried out .Anyway it's working and all the gas went in the car.

If a leak shows itself I'll get a garage to deal with it.

Do you need an ultra-violet lamp to spot any leaks as with normal dyes?

yes...  ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
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Yes and fortunately I have one. Phew!