I know there have been about 4 million questions on A/C system, but I didn't find this specific issue in the forum.

My 82 300D AC works well (for 134a) except for one possible issue. When I turn on the AC (with ACC) while parked the AC clutch does not engage right away. It seems to engage in less than a minute when I am driving. Also, it will engage with a VERY light tap on the clutch. I suspect it does not engage until I hit the first bump in the road. Once engaged, it operates correctly and will disengage when turned off. It seem like the clutch is "sticking." I don't know if I should try to lubricate it, because it is working (more or less) acceptably and I don't want to mess it up. Does anyone have experience with this?

Thanks,
Craig

Does the power steering pump leak? Clean the gap in the AC clutch and see if that fixes it. I'm pretty sure brake parts cleaner is safe.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

No, the area if clean and dry except for road dirt. I hoped it just it needed cleaning, but I wasn't sure what to try. I'll try a little brake cleaner.

Can you get strip of material from an old t-shirt and 'floss' the gap?

You can measure the gap. I don't know the spec.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

Thanks,

I'll try that too. The gap looks "reasonable" compared to others I've seen. Hopefully, it's just dirty and sticking a little. The compressor is only about 2 years old and seems to be otherwise OK. I'll let you know how the brake cleaner and flossing works out.

Craig