Advice on Rebuilding my 87 300D Turbo Air Conditioning System..
 

My Better Half is very calm and peaceful and says that you dont need AC in the summer, the whole trick is to be tranquil and to think cool. In the summer she does garden work in white clothes and never gets them dirty. However I sweat like a Pig and Dirt follows me like a magnet. Until I mellow, I need AC!
In that respect:
My 87 300D Turbo (newly purchased) has a very weak AC system. I suspect the compressor must be replaced. I have a few questions to those of you with experience on these systems:

(1) Who sells the AC Compressor? Are any of you still using the original model? I suspect that this is the primary leakage area since most compressors last about 15 yrs before the seals go..

(2) Any comments on the High Pressure Hose

(3) Is this a Lost Cause due to the Suspect Evaporator on the 87's?

(4) Have any of you done this also. Here in New Jersey its very very humid and hard to endure without AC

Thanks!!
Advice on Rebuilding my 87 300D Turbo Air Conditioning System..

Carrameow,

From what you've written it sounds as if your a/c does indeed work but you want more cooling capacity. If this is the case, the system is probably undercharged.

Other problems you might have could be that the automatic climate control is not working as it should. Start by holding a smoke source such as a cigaretter (Yuk) near the little grill near the rear view mirror while the ignition switch is on. Smoke should be drawn into the grille. If not, find and check the small fan that draws the air through the grille for the sample. It is in various locations on different 124 cars. Mine is behind and to the right of the glove box. There is tubing that connects the grille to the fan. If it is not drawing smoke then the system is fooled.

Also, don't operate this system like you would a manual a/c control. Set the temp dial at your comfortable temperature which will be about 20 to 25 C and leave it ALONE! Press the Auto Fan button and the center button in the horizontal row. You can move the dial a little up or down to stay comfortable, but DON'T put it on one extreme or the other.

After you've done all that including seeing that it has a full a/c charge and you STILL want to add cooling capacity, changing the compressor will accomplish NOTHING. The cooling capacity is determined by condensor capacity. Along those lines, see that the condensor is clean and clear with no bent fins. Clean and straighten the fins and make sure that the auxilliary fan is operational. You may never see it come on, but spin it by hand to ensure that it is free and check the aux fan fuse to see that it is not blown.

Good luck,

I was thinking the compressor is old and leaking...
 

The previous owner said he had the system recharged. My experience with AC Compressors is that they only last 15 years before the seals deteriorate.
When you recharge them, you blow what is left of the seals away. Since I read you have the same car, is this the Case?
Are you still using the original compressor?

Sounds like you're convinced its the compressor so why ask our opinion?

I would do the things Larry suggested.

If it won't hold charge find out WHERE its leaking. It MAY be the evap, it may be the compressor, or it may be one of the A/C lines. Diagnose before throwing parts at it. If its the evap you may decide to follow your Better Half's advise.

Regards,

md offers good advice about diagnosing first.

Yes, my car has the original compressor at 16 years and 268,000 miles. These seem to be really durable and long lived compressors.

If you put on gauges and find the system undercharged, put in some UV dye and find the leak. Proper diagnosis of an a/c system is PARAMOUNT to everything else. An a/c system is not something that you rebuild or overhaul like an engine. It is more important to simply find the offending part, replace it, check for leaks and charge.

Good luck,

Re: I was thinking the compressor is old and leaking...
 

These are Japanese compressors. Although I have seen them fail, I have never seen one fail due to seal leakage.

Auto repair and ZEN
 

I apologize for my rashness, I guess you all are correct-- , patience wins in the end..

Like ZEN says, all things are done, by doing nothing...if I kind of just wait, and be patient and shuffle along, everything falls into place, but if I run around wild taking things apart, I will just cause myself and others a lot of trouble~~~~

I am going to slowly and thoughtfully fix the System, there is no real rush...

It wont get done in one week like I thought it would--usually it takes several months to work the bugs out of a new used car---
it takes at least two months to learn about the car....I guess if it gets hot, i will use my trusty W123...