How realistic is fixing the a/c? (83 300SD) - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #16 09-15-2013, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 97 SL320

Rather than battling 30 year old parts I'd:

Look at a old style under dash unit or similar, a modern compressor and new condenser. Places like Vintage Air sell all sorts of kits / parts for street rods and such. If you are not worried about cutting up a Pebble Beach winner, this would be the way to go.

There is no room for this.

ROLLGUY · #17 09-15-2013, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Codifex Maximus

I want ICE CRYSTALS coming out of the vents and my passengers complaining that it's too cold. I said I was dreaming didn't I?

You will never get ice crystals coming out of the vents, but you will need to point the vents away from you after a while. When my car is cooling down after sitting in the sun, I have the vents facing me. After a while the air is so cold on my arms, I need to point the vents upwards (or away from me)....Rich

whunter · #18 09-15-2013, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 83w126

It has been over 100 here for the first time this year, so I was thinking about how tired I am of driving a car with no a/c.
I haven't done anything with the climate control at all on this car since I bought it, and it pretty much doesn't work at all. The fan doesnt do anything at all (I think someone tried to rewire it didnt do it right) and if you set the temperature all the way to hot the heater will work, or if you turn everything off the heater just turns on and off for no obvious reason. And it has probably been at least 20 years since the a/c was working. The only good thing is that I think other than the blower wiring there isnt actually anything missing.

My thought is that it would be at least $3k to fix, and require buying another car to drive while I fixed it, so I would be better off just selling it and buying something else that the a/c works already, but am I making it more complicated than it actually would be?

A negative attitude assumes failure without any supporting facts.

Go through the basic diagnosis, before making a decision..

If you DIY, the total repair can be anything between $50 and $1,300.00.

.

83w126 · #19 09-15-2013, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whunter

A negative attitude assumes failure without any supporting facts.

Go through the basic diagnosis, before making a decision..

If you DIY, the total repair can be anything between $50 and $1,300.00.

.

I honestly know nothing about electrical and a/c diagnosis. If I decided that right now I had nothing else to do today and I wanted to start trying to figure out what was wrong, beyond just looking at it and determining that none of the controls do anything anymore I really wouldn't even know where to start. It may end up not being that hard, but I just don't understand it.

Of course now I have to replace the turbocharger, find and fix whatever is loose in the drivers side front suspension, then figure out if that was why it pulls to one side or the other under braking before I should worry about the a/c lol. I do have another car to use until I fix the turbo and brakes though, so I'm not driving the mercedes anymore.

ROLLGUY · #20 09-15-2013, 05:16 PM

If no help can be found here (I would find that hard to believe), tell us what city you are in, and I am sure there is someone close by that can help you figure it out. The Climate Control system is fairly easy to troubleshoot, so it can be repaired once you actually find out what the problem is.

vstech · #21 09-15-2013, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 83w126

I honestly know nothing about electrical and a/c diagnosis. If I decided that right now I had nothing else to do today and I wanted to start trying to figure out what was wrong, beyond just looking at it and determining that none of the controls do anything anymore I really wouldn't even know where to start. It may end up not being that hard, but I just don't understand it.

Of course now I have to replace the turbocharger, find and fix whatever is loose in the drivers side front suspension, then figure out if that was why it pulls to one side or the other under braking before I should worry about the a/c lol. I do have another car to use until I fix the turbo and brakes though, so I'm not driving the mercedes anymore.

... you need a new turbocharger?
feel free to start a new thread on all the other things your car needs help with.

83w126 · #22 09-15-2013, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

... you need a new turbocharger?
feel free to start a new thread on all the other things your car needs help with.

As long as its ok to replace a KKK turbo with a Garrett one from a 300D of the same year (which from searching on here it sounds like it is), then I just need to swap them. It would be a long list if I made a post about everything I would have to fix for it to be perfect though.

whunter · #23 09-15-2013, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 83w126

As long as its ok to replace a KKK turbo with a Garrett one from a 300D of the same year (which from searching on here it sounds like it is), then I just need to swap them. It would be a long list if I made a post about everything I would have to fix for it to be perfect though.

Make a list here.
We can suggest or help break it up into related topic groups.

Since there are two moderators involved already, we can help in many ways.
As an FYI: "vstech" works with A/C for a living.

.

Codifex Maximus · #24 09-16-2013, 03:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROLLGUY

You will never get ice crystals coming out of the vents, but you will need to point the vents away from you after a while. When my car is cooling down after sitting in the sun, I have the vents facing me. After a while the air is so cold on my arms, I need to point the vents upwards (or away from me)....Rich

Yeah, I'm slowly working my way thru all the Wagon's systems repairing and replacing as I go.

I've got the rear end up off the ground - fixed SLS.
I've got the rear end to stop squeaking - replaced axles.
I've got the brakes working great - replaced almost everything front and back.
Next is all mounts, flex disks and center bushing.
I should be ready for AC repair come winter.

BillGrissom · #25 09-17-2013, 02:59 PM

Not sure why everybody assumes the AC compressor is bad. R-12 and mineral oil is pretty robust, not like R-134A when people let it sit without refrigerant pressure and moisture gets in and causes severe corrosion. The immediate problems appear to be the climate switch and the hot-water servo-valve. Both are common problems and easy to change, with many posts & photos here. I grabbed a spare climate switch for <$10 last time I was at PickNPull. I see 300D's there regularly now, so you shouldn't have to pay $200 any more. Don't fool with a used servo-valve, since all fail eventually. A thin rubber diaphragm fails. You can replace the innards for ~$30. I paid $80 at a parts store about a year ago, but only because I couldn't wait on ebay for my son's car.

After above, see if the AC clutch kicks on. If so, take it to an AC shop and have them refill the R-12. If they want too much, do it yourself with Duracool or Enviro-safe like I do. Best to pull a vacuum for 30 min first. Where do you get a vacuum pump? Your car has one to pull it down part-way, then use a hand pump like a Mighty-Mite (~$30 Harbor Freight). I have also used gas engine intake vacuum to get started. If too wimpy for a hand pump (only takes 5 min of pumping to get to almost pure vaccum), buy an electric pump off ebay (for VW door lock system or brake booster).

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode