Thanks for all the help...especially Gene2. With the car cut off, I connected wires directly to the compressor and then touched the battery terminals...NOTHING!...not even a click. Does this mean the compressor clutch is bad? It's very odd, but as soon as this test failed I drove up the road and the compressor started working and cooled like a champ. When I got home I turned off the A/C and tried to turn it back on and it wouldn't. This is really a mystery...or is it?

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85 300D 107K present
82 240D 190K present- next-to-slowest car I ever owned
81 240D 1995-2000- slowest car I ever owned
79 350 SE Euro 1996-2001- fastest car I ever owned