Jaguar I-Pace EV Recalls

All 2018+ Jaguar I-Pace EV Recalls, TSBs And Complaints

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The most likely cause the low-pressure pipe from AC compressor - T4K12780 . It has a welded bracket on it is of low quality. So you need to replace the pipe with the new one that has a plastic bracket instead - T4K19719. It's quite complicated to disassemble the pipe and it needs suspension and under frame to be dismantled. However, there is an option to try to fix the slow leaking of the pipe with this -

 

It's quite complicated to disassemble the pipe and it needs suspension and under frame to be dismantled. However, there is an option to try to fix the slow leaking of the pipe with this -

I know this is an old thread, but @Andlit (if still here), when you say there is an option to fix with the product in the video, do you mean without raising, removing the motor etc.? If so, it might be worth a try before shelling out 3K (or whatever they will ask for) to replace the hoses.

Although I really don't know where these hoses are located exactly. Any ideas?

Also, does this look normal to y'all? Looks like something sinister went on there. Don't know if it's related to the AC or not:

 

The problem is here. When you have the pipe in your hands AC serviceman is able to check it under pressure in water.

 

The 2nd picture may be a case where the bolts were too long and bottomed out before clamping the connection fully.

 

@symos look at the document linked in post

https://www.i-paceforum.com/threads/ac-poor-performance-another-possible-cause-and-fix.6515/#post-85506

It explains the complexity of pipe replacement once the front motor is lowered out of the car.

 

Thanks, I've looked at the document, I'm not planning to replace the pipes (I know my limits!).

I was just wondering whether you can reach the welded spot by hand in order to fix externally, using some kind of material like the one @Andlit posted above. I can see a few welded joints, but they don't look like the ones in question.

As for the second photo, yes, that's what I thought as well. Even though the long bolt described in the bulletin is a different one.

 

There were multiple long bolt bulletins. Some engineer really screwed up (pun intended).

 

So, an update for any DIYers or people that might want to follow a non-dealership road for dealing with AC issues.

Regarding the photo above and the possible leak (from what looks like the accumulator), I messed with the car a bit on my own and then took it to a shop that specializes in ACs (but not Jaguar specific) and these are the learnings:

1. Do NOT remove these bolts unless you are certain that there is no refrigerant fluid in the system. First of all, you'll lose any fluid that is still there (and it's expensive to replace), second of all it's... quite explosive. Also (and more importantly) this connection does NOT suffer from the long bolts issue, there is plenty of room for the bolts to tighten properly.

2. If yours is in a state similar to the one I posted above, this is not a clear indication that there is a leak there. It might be that there is condensation forming there (due to the low temperatures) which attracts dust etc. Refrigerant fluid contains phosphorus, so if there is indeed a leak, you should see green/yellow marks.

3. Having said that, there are 2 o-rings in each pipe that bolts into the accumulator and it's possible they need replacement. I took the car for the AC to be recharged (after I completely emptied it by mistake) and they replaced all 4 o-rings, they said they did see a leak there. It could be possible that the o-rings got slightly malformed when I removed and reattached. However I only did 1 pipe and they replaced o-rings in both. Don't know if both were leaking or just the one I messed with and they replaced all just to be safe.

4. Besides the o-rings, they also replaced the 2 charging valves (there was also a leak there). It seems this AC system will leak from every place imaginable. Jaguar quality 😄

5. They told me the refrigerant capacity is 825 grams. A typical passenger car is around 500 give or take (which costs 170€, material cost only), so that's quite a lot. Also, it's a "new type" refrigerant which is more expensive and more difficult to find. The first shop I spoke with said they could do older ones but not this one.

For the above (refrigerant recharge from empty, 4 o-rings and 2 valves replaced I paid a total of 300€. Of course, this is dependent on where you live, however I'm sure the same would cost 1.000€+ at the dealership. Last time (while in service) they even charged me 25€ for "DRIVE IN/DRIVE OUT". No joke 😂. Plus another 25€ to "Clear SDD and fault codes" and 60€ to "decontaminate the AC", so imagine what they would charge for actual work like the above.

 

So this fixed your issue? For my dealer, I am hearing that the only way to fix the ac is to drop the whole battery out of the car which is the reason for much of the $5000 they want to charge me? Though I can literally hear the refrigerant leaking out —so I am hoping that that is something that can be handled another way. They said they would charge me just $800 to add refrigerant. My car just went out of warranty two weeks ago so this journey has been a lot!! Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

Similar story for me that I posted about a few weeks ago. Only my dealer wanted $7,500 to fix it. I was 3k miles out of warranty. My service advisor went to bat (so he says) with the powers that be and got them to cover the cost. It is still in the shop, but is SUPPOSED to be ready in a few days. Seems like a pretty common problem, so they SHOULD fix it under the warranty.

I really do love this car, but I wonder about the future now that it is out of warranty. My general rule of thumb in 50 years of buying cars is, once they start developing issues, I move on. May be time.

 

There is no reason to remove the traction battery for AC work. They may have to power down the HV system though. Replacing the seals in the charge ports or a pressure sensor (depending on accessibility) does not require powering down the HV system. Removing the front motor to replace faulty pipes or some of the too long bolts does, though.

 

So this fixed your issue?

For now, yes. I mean I don't know if there is or will be another leak somewhere, but right now the AC works again!

They said they would charge me just $800 to add refrigerant.

"just" $800?

 

Thanks all! Now I have more knowledge and will look for another opinion from a trained AC expert who might also know something about electric cars!

 

It seems to me that a crafty AC tech could fix this with some cuts and splices.

 

The big problem with this car is accessing, not fixing.

If it was accessible, I could order the part and replace it myself. Same for other parts like the faulty wiring harness etc.

But if you have to remove half the car's front parts including the motor, isolate the traction battery etc. then it's in a whole different league.

 

Ok. My experience. I had to replace the tube once more because installed the old faulty design last time. AC sealant didn't help to prevent at all. So if you have this issue there are two options:
1) Cut the bracket from the old pipe and have it welded by a specialist. It really works.
2) Buy a new pipe with plastic bracket - T4K19719

Subframe has to be removed. Suspension can be lowered to get access.

There is no sense to replace the second high pressure pipe. System can be filled with regular R123 freon, no need to overpay for the R1234yf

It takes 1 day to replace the pipe. Price for the work actual for Ukraine as an example. Welding pipe - $25, pipe replacement - $200. Gas refill - 25$.

 

Hi @Andlit, any chance you can share a bit more info on what has to be removed and how? And any photos you might have.

You said "suspension can be lowered", do you mean air suspension? So I assume you lifted the car, lowered the suspension and then removed the subframe (I assume through the wheel arches, based on your description)?

Does anything else have to be removed in order to reach the AC pipe with the bad welding?

PS. Also, any ideas by anyone on how you can verify the leak is from the inlet pipe before you go on to take the car apart?
After I refilled the refrigerant the AC worked OK for a few days but now it works intermittently again.

I'm not even sure it's a leak, as it's a bit weird that it seems to work normally for a while and then stops. And if you stop the car for a while then it works again. If it was missing refrigerant/low pressure I would expect it to work with reduced efficiency, not work OK for a while and then stop.

Of course, I can visit the AC technicians again and they can measure how much refrigerant is left, so that's one way to find out.

 

Can't tell you how, since I'm not a mechanic. You need to remove the bumper, the subframe and either remove or lower the whole suspension system. Then you'll get some access to the pipe.

You can try to verify the leak but believe me it is there or will be there in a blink. ALL the cars are subject to this fault.
Usually, when they check leaks they refill with cheap nitrogen not with coolant.

Video

Hi @Andlit, any chance you can share a bit more info on what has to be removed and how? And any photos you might have.

You said "Suspension can be lowered", do you mean air suspension? So I assume you lifted the car, lowered the suspension and then removed the subframe (I assume through the wheel arches, based on your description)?

Does anything else have to be removed in order to reach the AC pipe with the bad welding?

PS. Also, any ideas by anyone on how you can verify the leak is from the inlet pipe before you go on to take the car apart?
After I refilled the refrigerant the AC worked OK for a few days but now it works intermittently again.

I'm not even sure it's a leak, as it's a bit weird that it seems to work normally for a while and then stops. And if you stop the car for a while then it works again. If it was missing refrigerant/low pressure I would expect it to work with reduced efficiency, not work OK for a while and then stop.

Of course, I can visit the AC technicians again and they can measure how much refrigerant is left, so that's one way to find out.

 

When it stops working does the airflow decrease or does it blow the same volume of air at a warmer temperature?

 

Same volume, warm (and humid) air.

 

That sounds like it might be the evaporator freezing up. I had a Nissan that had the same symptoms. I had to set a repeating timer to remind me to turn off the A/C compressor for one minute every 5 minutes to avoid the problem until it was fixed under warranty. Search how to diagnose car evaporator freezing

 

Thanks, I will keep this in mind!

I'm reading that low refrigerant levels can also cause the evaporator to freeze. So I will probably take the car back to the AC shop anyway, have them measure the refrigerant (to see if there is still a leak or not) and take it from there.

If it comes to replacing the inlet pipe, I'd appreciate any pointers on how to do it "DIY style". I won't do it myself, but I'd rather give them some directions instead of having them experiment with it. Unless they refuse to do it so I'll have to take it to the dealer.

P.S. My wife offered me her car to go to work due to the heat and my AC not working. It'd been a while since I drove it and in the meantime I had changed phones. At some point she called me and when I tried to patch it through to the car it wasn't working. So I made the mistake of picking it up the old fashioned way (was on an almost empty freeway), I got stopped by the police and they took both my license and my (wife's car) plates. So now I have zero working cars due to Jaguar's shitty QC 😄

 

Just an update for my AC issue, I took it to the shop again since it stopped working once more (last time they refilled the refrigerant and replaced some valves and o-rings as a precaution).

This time they did a more thorough leak check and found a leak in this part:

Supposedly the leak was between the aluminum and rubber. I have no idea where this is located, I only know (because I asked) that it was easy to access.
They asked me if I wanted them to repair in-place or order a new part and I said that since it's in an easy to access place, let's repair for now and in the future if the repair doesn't hold we'll see.

When I went by to pick up the car they gave me the above part, so I guess that repairing means cutting out the old part and installing (welding? no idea) a new pipe.

So it seems that Jag's AC is the gift that keeps on giving. A variety of points where it can fail.

 

@symos
It looks like it might come from the hose above #4 in the picture below.

They probably cut off the piece you have, flared the ends of the tubes attaching to the other components, and then put on a new hose with crimped fasteners like the original part.

I speculate that its current part number is T4K19677, previously J9D1139.