300sdl climate control / whats the best course of action? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Deezel · #1 08-05-2006, 05:51 PM

Just bought an 86 300 sdl and i am in the process of giving it the once over.
I am looking for some good advice on where to purchase some reasonably priced(dont laugh) parts for the climate control.

I have the dash and the whole "black box that contains the evaporator and heater core" out of the car.
One of the larger flaps in the front of the box that opens and closes has a broken tip where it pivots ...Is this a dealer only item?
Do i need to be concerned about the foam sound deadener that seems to be falling off of most of the air flaps...will it end up somewhere it shouldnt?

The evaporator has been all cleaned out and the bent over fins are reasonably straight now... I have a new reciever dryer and expansion valve on order from Germanstar....Man they have fast shipping!

I need to find a good place to buy the little pink vacuum pods or replace the guts of them,since i will replace all of them while i have it apart (i am not putting this thing back together to have to tear it apart for one of those things)

I also want to replace all the little vacuum hose 90's and Y's ....where can i get them?
Oh,also need all of the little 0 rings for the air conditioner lines and parts...any suggestions?

I think it would save me time and therefore money if i just replaced the electronic part of the climate control...the thing with the buttons on it... the ccu i guess its called.Where can you direct me to buy a good remanufactured unit,I do not want to buy a used one (a waste of time in my opinion)

On my old reciever dryer there is one switch that is jumpered...i think it runs the fan... does that mean the switch is shot or is there another possibility?

Any other suggestions that would help me to do this job only ONE time would be greatly appreciated!

Hatterasguy · #2 08-05-2006, 05:56 PM

Sorry MB doesn't have an aftermarket following. All that stuff would be OE.

I sudjest getting a list together and having one or two of the online suppliers price it all out for you. Also talk to your local dealer, sometimes the parts guys are cool and they can be surprisingly competitive.

Phil and Rusty are great just to name two of the online guys.

Hit Man X · #3 08-05-2006, 06:03 PM

The jumped wire for the aux fan could point to a fault in the cooling system. Fan clutch, radiator, thermo, etc. Fan clutches are cheap IF you use the M103/300E one like me

I agree on the CCU, just buy new/reman. I tried a few used to no avail. You can test if if you remove the Klima relay and ground Pin 10 to the battery. Should have ZERO Ohms.

When you replace that dryer, replace the pressure switch on there as well as that aux fan switch. I'd replace every o-ring while it's apart.

If you have the funds get a new compressor. These apparently (from my searching) use the same compressor as the 300E/SE/SEL. Which is GOOD. Means it's far easier than I thought to find one.

Hatterasguy · #4 08-05-2006, 06:06 PM

The SDL's use the same compressor as the 420SEL, except the pully is different because the M116 uses V belts. I have a spare in my basement, since a new one is $900 I found a used spare just in case.

Hit Man X · #5 08-05-2006, 06:08 PM

Cool, but the clutch is the problem with the one on my SDL

brandlj · #6 08-05-2006, 06:48 PM

George Murphy of the MBCA sells the diaphragms for the vacuum pods and he sells the tool used to open them without breaking them. You can find him on the MBCA website in the Technical Forums section. I found a Programa re-manufactured CCU for my 86sdl on E-Bay. The seal from the re-man was not broken and I won the bid last year for $22.00. It was the best $22.00 I ever spent. Sometimes you get lucky. I agree that Phil or Rusty are great sources for a lot of the items you need.

Deezel · #7 08-05-2006, 07:30 PM

Thanks for the quick replies.

I think i found the vacuum pods at this site.
http://www.autoluxmbz.com/index.html

Do you have any ball park figures for what would constitute a "good" deal on a ccu?

Just curious why you suggest replacing the compressor...old age perhaps?

What about that sound deadner stuff on the flaps....harmless or not harmless?

Hit Man X · #8 08-05-2006, 07:42 PM

Rebuilt are about $200, new are about $300 from what I've seen.

Yes, on the compressor. If you're that far into it and it's questionable, I'd stick a new one in...

a2t · #9 08-05-2006, 08:22 PM

What you are calling the CCU is actually an ACC (auto climate control) just so you are on same page when talkin 2 vendors.

I spoke with an outfit in Cali called gdl online and they are very knowledgeable on ACC and cruise brains. He told me the ACC on that model is not repairable, and the reman units sold on just about every site are suspect. This because, according to gDL, the unit is non-repairable. If you take it apart, you will see what he means, there is no way to access the circuit board without destroying the unit.

I think new ACC's were in the 300-400 range on the net, around $800 dealer.

I dont know if theres a significant difference between the new ones sold on net, and new ones at dealer.

as for rest of your issues, sounds like you are doing it right...as you should be. The 86 SDL is an AWESOME vehicle, once the 80's electronics are in order it will run quite well.

Does the cruise work?

Hit Man X · #10 08-05-2006, 08:24 PM

If it goes together, there has to be a way to take it apart... at least I'd think

Brian Carlton · #11 08-05-2006, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deezel

Thanks for the quick replies.

I think i found the vacuum pods at this site.
http://www.autoluxmbz.com/index.html

Do you have any ball park figures for what would constitute a "good" deal on a ccu?

Just curious why you suggest replacing the compressor...old age perhaps?

What about that sound deadner stuff on the flaps....harmless or not harmless?

A word to the wise on the Autolux pods. You can purchase the replacement diaphragms for the single pods only. The replacement diaphragm for the double pods fits over the existing diaphragm and the travel will be insufficient.

Just purchase a new pod from Fastlane for the defrost and main air flaps. There are a total of three double pods, IIRC.

BTW, you can replace all the pods with the dash in place. The only pod that is very difficult is the one behind the CCU........the center vent flap pod........IIRC.

I don't think the sound deadener material on the flaps will cause any damage.......however.......if it accumulated on the evaporator it will restrict airflow.

Deezel · #12 08-05-2006, 08:47 PM

woops acc not ccu...
The strange thing is the cruise worked as i drove the car home when i first bought it....but hasnt worked since. Any ideas?
Another thing that doesnt work is the telescoping steering column.

Brian Carlton · #13 08-05-2006, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deezel

woops acc not ccu...
The strange thing is the cruise worked as i drove the car home when i first bought it....but hasnt worked since. Any ideas?
Another thing that doesnt work is the telescoping steering column.

The cruise is always one of two things: The amplifier or the servo. I've been struggling with the cruise on the '86 forever. I'm going to toss in the towel and get a rebuilt amp from GDL. I'll probably send them the servo as well to test with the amp. A servo that draws too much current takes out the amp........and they don't guarantee the unit against this type of failure.

a2t · #14 08-05-2006, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hit Man X

If it goes together, there has to be a way to take it apart... at least I'd think

Hopefully it is. I just noticed the one in the 86 SDL is a different p/n than the one in my 87 D.

On the 87 300D, I know the circuit board is sonic welded to the case. You would have to break the case off it to get to circuit board.

Somehow, Programa offers rebuilds on those units as well. The guy at GDL seemed to think they tested it and stuck a rebuilt sticker on it if it worked. Granted, GDL is prime competitor of Programa, so who knows for sure.

The rebuilt units from Programa all have warranties, so heck, Id say go for a rebuilt. Although, having looked at the internals of my ACC, I dont see anyway to repair it.

As for cruise - common. Like was said, amp or actuator. Send both to GDL and they will fix it all for a few hundred bucks. I think its worth it, as Ive been trying to fix mine for almost a year on my own. The actuator works fine, I went as far as taping 14 wires to my dash and while driving, jumped in +12v DC to certain wires to get actuator to operate. Yep, worked fine, although a little scary when you hook an aligator clip on to the accel lead and it takes off on you. I accelerated by some lady on the freeway, sh looked over and saw all the wires and was obviously alarmed. Needless to say, my amp is bad (either that or the flux capacitor). I dont even think Christopher Lloyd could fix this one. The guy at GDL has been repairing the amps for 15 yrs, and he admitted he doesnt fully understand the PCB.

The telescoping steering column - dammn your 3 for 3 with my benz. The switch on the column for some reason is pretty weak. After many years, the grease on the shaft wears thin and slightly binds. The switch itself burns out. If you did it like mine, your kid was messing with it one day and scoped it all the way out and then it broke. So I drove around for 2 months with the steering wheel in my face, praying the 2.5 decade old airbag didnt decide to blow. I dropped the column - very easy - remove 2 bolts holding column on right below instr cluster. once colum was on drivers seat, you can access the electrical plug on motor (its on top side). I jumped correct wires to pull column all the way in and forgot about it. I suppose you could fix it by taking it all apart. Ive got all the diagrams for the column if you really want to fight that battle. Id say adjust it and leave it be.

Hit Man X · #15 08-05-2006, 08:52 PM

Is there a way to test the servo (minus the ohms per the GDL site) to see if it's pulling too much amperage?

I have three servos that SEEM to work... solenoid "clicks" and motor spins both ways. But is that a sign the unit still works?