The AC compressor on my 76 240D is shot and I would like to take it off and not replace it. Can I do this? What do I do with the hoses that run to it? Can they be removed? Do I have to seal them with plugs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks, kchemers

If you never want to want to use your A/C again, my guess is that you can let the hoses hang unpluged (maybe tie wrapped to something)
however, if you think that someday, you'd like to use it again, then plug the hoses good. You want as little debriss as possible in there.

NOTE: if your tired of the expense of using R12 you can convert to 134a probably for an initail few hundred(to get you by). look on the web for kits, they are out there.

Why do you want to take it off? If it's shot, you could simply cut the belt to it and leave it alone. That way your system is still reasonably tight in case you later decide you need AC. If you run around w/ the compressor pulled, I'd imagine you'd also damage your expansion joint unless everything is absolutely airtight. At that point, if you ever want A/C again you'd have the replace everything except the evaporator.

Oh, and on the R134a vs. R12 issue there's a million threads, my .02 is don't convert a car not designed for it.

__________________
Tjohn

82 300 SD
77 450 SL (gone)

A 76 would have a York (piston type) compressor. Not a candidate for R134 conversion. Not particularly expensive to replace though.

__________________
Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
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tjohn is right,
the major players in your A/C systems were specifically designed for the characteristics of one of the best refrigerants ever developed, R12.
R12, would certainly be my first choice for restoration if I believed that the system would remain charged for years to come. But the fact is that most automobile refrigeration applications leak. Some systems take years before they require recharging other not.
But r12 at between $40 & $50 per pound and r134a at about $6. per pound (which you don't need a licence to buy) the advantages are obvious.

WHOA Dave240.... you were not looking very hard if the best buy you could find was $40 a pound...
I bought, in the middle of the summer, 7 lbs for $18 a pound Including shipping....
You can go online and take an open book test for about $15 and get the certificate so you can buy the stuff yourself...
The dynamics of R12 have changed in the last few years since most new cars don't use it.. at one time the cost was just going up and up.... but it leveled off and then started falling....
If you can possibly manage it stick with what the unit was designed for...
New cars are designed with using the less efficient 134 in mind... and some of these MB's only did OK even with the R12 from what I have read...

I highly recommend that you follow the advice of just cutting the belt. By doing this you leave the system sealed up so that contamination does not destroy it for future use.

I like the York compressor systems very much. The compressors are inexpensive and work very well. R12 is coming down in cost.

I have converted a York compressor system to r134 with terrible results. I completely flushed the system and reverse converted to R12.

You may not wish to ever make it work again, but if you decide to sell it, an open system with no compressor in place would detract from the desirability of your car.

I urge you to just remove the belt and forget it for now.

Good luck,

Thanks for all the advice. I'll leave the compressor alnoe and cut the belt. I imagine on eof these days I'll put a rebuilt on and ge t the system working. The AC and the door locks are the only things not working on the car. 250000 miles and going strong.
Thanks

__________________
'05 Ford Escape 100,000 miles
'87 560SL 92000 miles
'89 300TE 199,000 miles
'02 Audi TT 100,000 miles
'00 Ford Excursion V-10 121000 miles
'92 Mercury Capri 100000 miles
'02 BMW 325XI 60000 miles
'92 230CE 160000
'87 BMW 535SI 160,000 miles
'93 Rinker Captiva 209
5 Kids
2 Dogs
1 Wife

You're not looking at a huge job to fix the a/c OR the door locks.

Good luck,