Driving in heavy rain, using the defrost, my air conditioner compressor suddenly stopped working. Now if I press on the “economy” button, the red light stays on and the air conditioner compressor will not kick in. At this point all other components in the air conditioner are working, blowers etc.

I suspect that this is an electrical issue because when I was last having compressor issues, I could still turn on the compresses by pressing the economy button, the light would go off but the air conditioner would not work.

A separate issue I am having , the driver’s window will not work. I here a click in the door (relay?) but it is not working. Coincidence or related?

I have checked the fuse’s

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1999 E300 DT 178k
1960 Ford Thunderbird Convertible 82k
2000 BMW R1200 CE 12k
2000 Nissan Xterra SE 145k
1994 Go Ped 1,000,000 miles

you might be low on refrigerant, but below is a procedure you can use to help identify any problems you might be having. I have a 96 e300d, so I hope it is the same for your model car. Good luck!!





Part 1 — Collect Sensor Data
First we’ll get the values of all the various climate control sensors. These sensors constantly monitor data like air temperature, refrigerant pressure, etc. Odds are if something’s wrong, a sensor will pick it up. Let’s get started!
· Start your car.
· Press the “AUTO” button on your climate control.
· Turn on the A/C (i.e. “EC” light must be off; if the light won’t shut off, continue with this test. We’ll address your “EC” light on the next page.)
· Let the car idle for about 3 minutes.
· Set the temperature on each side to 72°F. You can do this quickly by pressing both the red and blue arrows simultaneously.
· Press and hold the “REST” button for five seconds or until the left side of the display says “01.” The left side indicates which sensor you’re checking. In this case, #1 is the in-car temperature sensor. The right side of the display shows the value of sensor #1 (in this case, the actual in-car temperature).
· Press the “AUTO” button on the left side to move to the next sensor. Press the “AUTO” button on the right side to move to the previous sensor.
· Record the ID number of each sensor (left side of display) and its corresponding value (right side of display). For example, in the picture on the right, you would record that sensor #5 has a value of 6.
o You only need to do this for sensors #1-8. You can write down the values for the other sensors, but they’re not really related to air conditioning function.
· When you are done, press the “REST” button again to exit the self-check mode.
Part 2 — Collect Trouble Codes
Now that we have all the sensor values, let’s check the computer for malfunction codes. Read this carefully, because you have a 20 second window after switching on the ignition to load the trouble code display mode.
· Ignition must be switched on. 20 second timer starts.
· Increase the left side temperature (left red arrow) until left side says “HI.”
· Decrease the right side temperature (right cold arrow) until right side says “LO.”
· If your 20 seconds passed, switch off the ignition and switch it back on. Your HI/LO settings will be preset. Timer restarts.
· Press and hold the “EC” and “REST” buttons simultaneously for at least five seconds.
· The screen will go blank.
· Load the first code by pressing the right side “AUTO” button.
· If you have any error codes in memory, the screen should look like the figure on the right. The ‘E’ stands for “error.” In this case, we have error code B1234.
· Write down each error code. To cycle through the codes, press the right side “AUTO” button.
· When you finish, press the “REST” button to exit.

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96 E300d

Thanks pimpernell,

Here are the results:

Part 1,

1-84
2-82
3-85
4-85
5-84
6-170
7-06
8-107

Part 2 error codes:

Eb1 234
Eb1 416
Eb1 459
Eb1 341
Eb1 ff

What do you think???

__________________
1999 E300 DT 178k
1960 Ford Thunderbird Convertible 82k
2000 BMW R1200 CE 12k
2000 Nissan Xterra SE 145k
1994 Go Ped 1,000,000 miles

It looks like no cooling is occuring; 3, 4, & 5 = ambient. Codes 1416 and 1459 both pertain to the compressor from memory. 1234 is the sun sunsor; ignore it. dont recall what 1341 is off hand. FF = finished.

Is your main engine belly pan installed? If not, check the electrical connection to the compressor clutch.

__________________
Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

I am not that well versed in the operation of the a/c system, but below is a link that I used to help explain the test procedure, and what some of the error codes mean. I am sure that other posters, who have more experience that I will be answering some of your questions. The information about the ac unit is under the heading "Magazine Articles".









http://continentalimports.com/ser_index.html

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96 E300d

Could it be as simple as the belt slipping when it rains?

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92 300D 2.5L OM602 OBK #59

No chance of this, but thanks. I have been driving in all kinds of weather for weeks since I lost the AC, it's not an intermittent issue.

I'll crawl under tomorrow and check the electrical connection to the compressor as suggested.

Thanks,

__________________
1999 E300 DT 178k
1960 Ford Thunderbird Convertible 82k
2000 BMW R1200 CE 12k
2000 Nissan Xterra SE 145k
1994 Go Ped 1,000,000 miles

So much for memory....1416 refers to the coolant circulation pump and 1459 refers to the CCU display conection to the cluster.

I find no reference in my codes resources to code B1341; it must be B1241 Refirgerant Fill???

On a variable pressure system, checking fill is best done by evcuating and then refilling.

__________________
Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

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