What’s happening in La Cañada on April 16th?

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

^^^^100% good advice for anyone working on a leaking AC system.
A basic halide gas detector, from the Chinese Communist Party, can be had for about $20. It's an invaluable tool to have in your arsenal. Jeff Bezos will gladly drop one in your mailbox in as little as a couple days.

The gas detectors are extremely sensitive devices. If your compressor will come on, let it run for a bit to pressurize the system, then shut the car off. It's important to be in "still air" and move the "sniffer" over your fittings and lines. It'll find leaks in places you couldn't even see soap bubbles.

If you suspect a leaking evaporator, close all windows, run engine with the AC on for a bit, shut it down and "sniff around" the dash and vents. You'll know, pretty quickly, if it's leaking into the interior. (or, if it isn't...big sigh of relief)

Geo and Jim’s GTG - 2000 and older MB.

Saturday
April 16, 2022
3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
STARBUCKS Parking Lot
1929 Verdugo Blvd. Unit A
La Canada Flintridge,
CA 91011

And wow, I had no idea the halide detectors were so cheap now. Oh man they’re so cheap no sense in using and returning to HF. My leak was so bad I’d charge and run the AC and the thing would go nuts when stuck down the vents. AC on or off. Wind blowing or still. It was really clear my evaporator had a leak. So sad.

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79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

Yep, I know, hard to believe you can get the detectors so cheap now. As you mentioned, doesn't make sense to NOT have one in the toolbox.

Sorry to hear about your evaporator failure. That really is a "worst case scenario" and something we ALL fear. Naturally, some makes and models are much easier and less labor intrusive to r/r an evaporator. Sadly, MB doesn't seem to be one of them....no matter what year or model

My '97 E300 gotta be about the worst evap r/r job I've ever seen. This one truly "haunts my dreams" and like you, the car will be sold if it goes Tango Uniform.

Take a quick look at this time lapse video. If, after watching a bit of this insanity, anyone still might consider an E series W210, tell your friends to slap you silly until you come to your senses....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3OAiyX3mnM

Like these ? : https://www.amazon.com/s?k=halide+gas+detector&crid=3B3LVBW8S0QL&sprefix=halide+gas+detector%2Caps%2C122&ref=nb_sb_noss

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

More like these I'd guess : https://www.amazon.com/s?k=freon+gas+detector&crid=2NVKO7OF6XHRZ&sprefix=freon+gas+detector%2Caps%2C130&ref=nb_sb_noss

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Yep thats them.

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79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

@123boy well full disclosure it was my fault the evaporator went dead.

It was my first w123 and I kind of abused the car during my ownership of the thing. It served me well for 10 years.

I had swapped a compressor and a hose on two different occasions and didn’t vacuum the system. I converted to R134a by just charging and adding a pressurized can of PAG oil. Never thought to replace the drier each time. Eventually I think I ended up with some water in there which probably formed acid and corroded away my evaporator. It started as a slow leak. I just added refrigerant every other year and it turned into every year, every half year, every month and then I bought the halide detector and got the bad news. So I did this. I tried sealant at that point but it was too little too late. The evaporator was done.

I wasn’t in the right place to restore the HVAC not to mention the rest of the car which was well worn. So off it went.

So now when I mess around with my AC system I always replace the drier and vacuum before filling. I learned the hard way.

On my current cars which I intend to keep I will keep track of refrigerant leaks. If I get any indication I have a slow leak in the evaporator I’ll reach for the sealant. Avoiding the goo shot in the past allowed the problem to get out of hand. Even though I love my cars I don’t think I am willing to pull their dash boards to replace evaporators.

Looking ahead if sealant doesn’t work it’s time to move on to another kind of car.

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79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

Live and learn, especially when it comes to Freon and AC systems! I am on my first W123 and first MB. Unfortunately, mine is also "well worn". I'd been hearing about these cars for years and this one kinda "fell into my lap". I've had it about 4 years.

It's a "rust belt" car and although it just turned over 211K miles, the climate and location have taken their toll. My son and I just replaced the front coil springs yesterday. The drivers side spring broke, prompting the change. Don't really notice much difference in ride height or handling with the new ones. To say these cars were overbuilt is the understatement of the century.

A couple years ago I found a '97 E300D. Original owner, window sticker, etc. It's got 141K and was very well kept. Having an issue with the low pressure line, from the compressor to the firewall. Naturally, the part is NLA. It was $300+ when it was last available. Not sure what I'm gonna do. Haven't pulled the trigger on the "goo", yet. Love the car and the way it drives/handles. I understand the evaporator core was made with copper and aluminum. Built in dissimilar metal corrosion! Yay! Thanks, Mercedes. What the heck were they thinking?

Been working on cars most of my life. However, my knowledge of these cars is limited being "late to the party". Are all MB cars extremely difficult to replace the evaporator? I agree 100% about pulling apart an entire dashboard to change an evaporator.

I'll reach my Federal Retirement Age this year. Wish I had explored these great cars a little earlier in life. I hate to think about all the prime examples, with low asking prices, that passed me by (even in the rust belt). I'd love to have a minty W123 but considering the astronomical price of ALL used cars now, I don't think it's gonna happen. Not to mention, my energy level and enthusiasm for working on cars "ain't what it used to be" (gettin harder and harder to crawl around on the garage floor).

Yes, failure to properly evacuate the system is the primary cause of most pin hole leaks .

Sadly, the W123 is not the only automobile that requires the entire dashboard to come out for evap. or heater matrix replacement .

I stopped doing AC repairs in 1985 or so .

A few years back one of those ripoff for profit colleges went belly up and they sold off the tools, the HVAC service carts were nearly new and sold for $35 ~ $45 each, I surely wish I'd had anyplace to store one but didn't so I didn't buy one .

I'm on the fence about buying a leak detector, I ass-U-me the narrowest point / tip on the goose neck part is what to look for as I'm betting my leaks are under / inside my dashboard some where .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

The tip of the gooseneck is kind of a straw. The handle has a vacuum pump in it to suck in the sample. Maybe it’s just a little fan.

If the leak is in the evaporator you stick the straw down the center vent and that will do it. You can do things like run the compressor or charge if the system is low on pressure to get it to spew refrigerant at the leaky spots.

For under the dash I pulled the passenger kick panel and snooped the TD valve and it’s connections. There is a balance between the leak size and how much ambient breeze you want. Too much breeze there’s no gas around to detect. Too little breeze the local area fills with refrigerant gas an saturates out the wand and it is difficult to pinpoint the exact location. For example I opened my doors and shut down my car before sticking my straw down the center vent. The car has fresh air and the air in the center vent was off the charts in 134a as the gas accumulated in there. So it’s kind of an art. Like finding a smoker exhaling just by looking for smoke in a room. If the room is thick with smoke you’ll never find the smoker. But if a gale force wind blows through you won’t see any smoke. There’s a balance depending on the leak size and ambient conditions. But rest assured, the tool works well once you understand how the gas is diffusing around and you’ll quickly pinpoint the issue. Hope that explains it right.

How you snoop it depends on how big the leak is and how much wind is blowing.

I used to want an ac charging manifold and pump till I found out I can borrow them free from Autozone. I’ve borrowed that loaner five times or so. $355 fully refundable deposit. And it’s one more tool I don’t need to store. They let you keep it as long as you want.

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79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

I was asking about MB cars, mainly. Not being too familiar with the marque, was wondering if they all had their evaps buried deep in the center of the dash? As I mentioned earlier, on my '97 E300D, not only does the ENTIRE dash have to be removed but also the steering column, complete center console, and on and on....

I recall earlier GM vehicles had the evaporator on the engine side of the firewall. Easy to access and r/r. Don't really remember a lot of them failing, either. I believe they used that config into the early 2000's. These were the systems with the HUGE cylindrical Frigidaire compressors before they moved to the R4 design. They were about 16" long with the pulley and clutch, weighed about 50 lbs and had 6 pistons with the swash plate configuration. R12, of course and ice cubes spittin out of the vents at all times......lol Can't recall what Ford and Chrysler did with their evaps, though.

My son had an 04 GMC Safari and the evap was still on the engine side. I had a Ford Aerostar (cant remember the year) and the heater core was about the easiest thing to change out I've ever seen. The Safari was basically the same. Disconnect the hoses on the engine side, open the passenger door, take a plastic cover off in the footwell, and there was the heater core. Literally a "piece of cake"!

However, there really is no comparison of American cars and MB of similar vintage. My '83 240D is a little rough but "all there" and mostly original. Pretty sure I wouldn't feel the same about an '83 Buick Regal. Doubt it would be in as good condition, either. To be fair, the American cars were about a third of the price, though. Hard to beat that value at the time.

An HVAC service cart for 40 bucks, or so, would've been a great deal! As you mentioned, though, only so much room for "stuff". I've got the same problem.....

yes, I remember Ford Escorts having that same trap door, the heater core was easy-peasy to swap out but better equipped Fords and their fleet trucks were miserable, to do anything in the dash you had to take it completely apart, even for a $12 vacuum element....

The way HVAC systems are designed changed greatly in the very late 70's or early 80's ~ no more hot water valves, the heater core was as close to the firewall as possible, this meant hot air faster in Winter and the heater core was a critical part of the cooling system so it couldn't be by passed like on older vehicles and still have good engine cooling in Summer / the desert .

When the heat was turned off or to vent, blender doors dumped all the unwanted hot air out under the car .

That HUGE Delco AC compressor was the R6 ~ yes it could cool a station wagon but it also sucked up an amazing amount of engine power doing so, why they also had the cheap and effective "pancake" R4 that isn't bad, it just doesn't like to be rebuilt and had input shaft seal problems from day one .

If I'd had anyplace to store them I'da bought every one of those near new high end HVAC carts ~ they recycled the Freon and stored it .

I knew a gold mine when I saw it but I also know that to sell a thing has to be like new and look it, not dusty or rained on...

I'm getting rid of my auto trade parts and vehicles, no one seems to want my 300CD that I took for a drive today, I hope I don't have to junk it .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

"That HUGE Delco AC compressor was the R6"
Nate- I think you mean A6 (Axial 6 piston=3 double acting), and the R4 ia a 4 piston Radial.......Rich

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All Diesel Fleet
1985 R107 300SLD TURBODIESEL
2005 E320 CDI (daily)

LOTS of parts for sale!


EGR block kit
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/355250-sale-egr-delete-block-off-plate-kit.html

1985 CA emissions 617 owners- You Need This!
Sanden style A/C Compressor Mounting Kit for your 616/ 617 For Sale + Install Inst.

Sanden Instalation Guide (post 11):
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/367883-sanden-retrofit-installation-guide.html

Thanx Rich ! .

I didn't often touch Buicks, Pontiacs and Cadillacs that used them so I don't remember the correct nomenclature .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better