AC Unit and water pump in 115 '76 300D

[Lifeinajug]

Questions about changing the water pump and housing gaskets:

I have the FSM on CD and looked up the job. The part about the water pump says something like, "On cars with climate control systems remove the A/C housing." Man oh man that was tricky. Especially the bottom bolts near the exhaust. So now that's loose.

Can I take the compressor off? I don't really need AC (or know if it works) and would really like the room in my engine compartment (for a SVO project). I've searched the forums to no avail. Can anyone explain to me how to go about this or give me a link. Preferably in a way were I could reinstall it if I move to somewhere really hot.

Do I need to take anything else off to remove the WP and the housing? I've got the AC mounting bracket off, coolant houses disconnected, the four large bolts off, and the aluminium return line off. Is that it? It doesn't seem to want to move.

Thanks!

travis

The Story:
This is my first car ever. I am a bicycle mechanic and farmer so I am familiar with how machines work, and a little with how diesels work. I just drove across the country (NC to OR) on this new-to-me car. 116K (now 120K) miles on it. Before I left it was leaking no fluids and seemed great (just replaced a brake master cylinder). Besides needing to replace the pre-filter (loosing power on a full tank when going uphill) everything seemed fine. I noticed some where it Utah when I was parked overnight a little coolant was pooled under the vehicle. Right before I got to Portland the heater was working intermitently. So I made it here okay, changed the oil (messy PITA with the #$%^ oil filter) and let a friend barrow the car for some errands. The call me on the way to say they can't get the heater on. I say, "It's older than you." Then they call me and tell me the car is smoking. So I go and find the car and it had boiled off a lot of coolant. A fuse had blown and the radiator fan had stopped working. The car cooled down and we added coolant and changed the fuse and everything was fine. Heater worked.

When I go to pick up a friend at the airport I notice a lot of coolant pooled under the vehicle. I see drips from the oil pan. I start the car and it leaks more rapidly. I assume it is the water pump or one of the gaskets on the pump or the pump housing. So... (see top)