My 93 300E 3.2 liter is 3 hours away (Orlando FLorida)

It got stuck there with a cracked radiator "connection" to the upper hose..

My son was driving and had AAA tow to what seems to be a reputable repair shop for older diesel MBs....so after replacing with anew radiator and hose...I got

called and was told it failed a gas test ....the thermostat was also stuck.

and need new head gasket...Costs 500 for radiator and total bill with head work will be between 3300 -3700 ....This I would still do the repairs however here is my question......

Prior to all of this the A/C was working and would blow cold but there is a definite leak where the cold would last less than 1 week after a full charge.

The shop says they cannot test for a leak because they can't run the engine long enough to test for a leak and where it is coming from w/o risking damaging the lower engine parts as well....

Any suggestions for safely testing for the A/C leak under these conditions prior to the head repairs? This is a nice 93 with approx 115,000miles on it,

and I can stomach the 3,700 tab but not knowing if there's another $1,500 right behind it is giving me questions about what to do overall.

The radiator is repaired and the head work has not started yet.


Thanks,
AA


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