Hi guys,

I've pulled the dash out of my XF to sort out a problem with the heater fan and in the process I cracked the pipe coming off what I believe is the AC thermostat. Do I need to replace it or could I just join the two connectors that run to it?

I don't actually know if the AC works so even if I cant short the wires together permanently, can i do it temporarily just to see if everything else works before spending money on a new thermostat?

Also is there any routine maintainence i should be doing while I've got things pulled apart? I've cleaned the leaves out of the heater box behind the resistor pack. Any other suggestions?

Thanks
Mike

Replace the old foam seals, so that they seal better. You probably noticed that they are falling apart & turning to dust.
The A/C "thermostat" you talk about, is it next to the firewall? If so, that would be the TX Valve. If its cracked, then it will need replacing.
The switch on the TX valve is a pressure switch, no pressure, no turn on the A/C compressor. That means if you go to switch it on, it won't anyway.

Other than the Tx valve, the only other thing he may be meaning is the evaporator temp sensor - which sits on the heaterbox on the dash side, has a metal tube which goes through a grommet and sits between the evaporator fins.

This tube goes to what looks like an adjuster, and has a 2 pin electrical plug. If it's this, best to get one from another XF, cut a hole in the heaterbox so you can insert the tube and position it correctly between the evaporator fins, and glue the cutout back in.

I'm fairly sure its not the pressure sensor (isn't that in the engine bay?). Its mounted on the heater box just behind the glove box. My gregories manual calls it an AC thermostat, from snap's description i would say its the evaporator temp sensor.

A quick bit of research tells me that its to shut off the system if the evaporator drops below a certain temp (to stop ice forming). That sounds like a feature I probably do want. I assume I can bypass it temporarily to test if the AC actually works first?