i have read many threads on A/C systems and they are all about cars already fitted with compressors. for those now without A/C, and just possibly with black mb-tex, what's the best approach?

i myself live in a marginal region, so i wouldn't need a large compressor, and i don't care about making a bracket or the choice of refrigerant. having removed defunct A/C from my old car, i have the impression that the hardest part of the job would be mounting the condensor and hoses.

In that case an afyermarket sanden kit pulled from a euro would be best

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Trying to find a after mkt Sanden in the yards is verrrrry rare. the 2 that I have run across (off a 617 Na) were mounted on the lower left like the R-4 compressor. they had a hole on the front side of the engine under the vacuum pump that the later engines didn`t have.

With your 77 240D, best to find a 240 in the yards with the York compressor. use the bracket and then mound the Sanden comprssor to it with the after mkt bracket that is available.

No matter how you go about adding A/C, whether you want a whole bunch of cold air or just a little bit. It is the same amount of work and $$$.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

I've always been curious to see if anyone can make something like this work in an MB.

DENSO Automotive OEM Products

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Current fleet
2006 E320 CDI
1992 300D - 5speed manual swapped

former members
1984 300D "Blues Mobile"

1978 300CD "El Toro"

You wouldn`t have to worry about one additional belt with this unit, but would make the alternator work a little harder. might have to upgrade the alt to a 115amp one. the extra Drag on the alt probably wouldn`t be as great as the drag of a compressor.

The total cubic foot area of the cars these are installed in would have to be known, and compared to the MB you would want to install this into. wonder if 2 could be used in tandem?

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Did this car NEVER have AC? If so, you'll need to pull he dash and change the heater system to a unit with AC. Or is it your old car that you 'removed' the AC from?

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

if it's designed for hybrids, likely it runs on 300V not 12v... really kinda hard to adapt to a standard car...

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

really?
odd, 3 of the cars I've acquired have it...

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

OTOH my Euro TD has the R4 compressor, but with the factory manual-heat/AC setup, like that used in a 240D.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

thanks guys for the responses. mark, the car never had A/C and has the original manual climate controls. i understand the dash has to be opened, that's fine. what i am averse to is depending on finding very specific parts in the yards. i assume i could take everything off of any 300D i ran across - given enough time - but here's what i don't understand. talking about unrebuilt 30 year old compressors and with the debate about which refrigerant to use, would i be better off with a modern, aftermarket compressor and custom mounting bracket? i assume the stock condensor and evaporator are still worth finding since they fit in place, but all the hoses are valves are commodity parts - right?

I have 4 PNP`s I got to and 5 if I drive 3 hrs to Sacramento. I have only come across 2 of the Sanden Compressor installs, and they were on 617`s.

Most are R-4`s and a few Yorks. maybe there are more in your area.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

If you're planning to pull the dash and add AC to a 300D, Avoid automatic climate control headaches and look for a manual heat-AC system, controls & wiring from a salvage-yard 240D. If you plan to stay with R12, the easiest and quickest install would include the rest of the system - lines, condenser, compressor, brackets, and aux-fan from a similar 300D. DO install a NEW filter-drier, pressure switch and expansion-valve. With all this work, I'd conside NEW AC hoses as well
If planning an upgrade, particularly to R134, you should consider a Sanden compressor and better condenser (Do a search for 'Sanden' and 'Parallel-Flow Condenser), but that could require alot of custom work and/or finding aftermarket parts that will fit a 300D. Good Luck.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

just received quote from europeancoolerair.com: $1950 for "8 Cubic inch Sanden Compressor, R134A Freon, Pallell Flow Condenser/with Fan, Heavy Duty Evaporator System". not sure about the bracket and pulley yet, nor the cabin controls. just FYI.

Heck, I'm having a problem just finding a Sanden period, much less on a 617. I've been looking for an SD508 which seems to be kind of the "universal" model and the only one I've seen was on a Mazda truck, and that was early in the swap game when I didn't realize how difficult they would be to find. With any luck I'll get a good one, but at least if I get it at a half-price sale at the yards it will be worth it as a mock up for fabricating/testing a bracket.

When I get to that point, I'll document the process and results.

(Right now fuel system issues, upper ball joint and getting the conversion signed off are the top priorities)

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Current Stable

• 380SL (diesel)
• Corvette C5
• Manx
• Baja Bug
• F350 Powerstroke
• Auburn Boattail Speedster replica

i have toyed with the idea of taking a 5000btu window air con unit and disassembling it to fit on the firewall in my nissan pickup that never came with a/c. there's actually enough space for it to fit. just haven't figured out how to get 120 volts (although i remember reading something about alternators being rewound to produce 120V but i think it didn't work at idle or something)