Every car I see in the junkyard has the manual controls.. ANd the 3 I now own are all ACC2..

Does anyone know how much of a PITA it would be to switch to manual controls?

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'84 300CD Turbo 132k (Anthracite Grey) - WVO - My daily driver - Recently named coo-coo-coupe by my daughter.
'84 300D Turbo 240k (Anthracite Grey) - Garage Queen
'83 300D Turbo 220k (Orient Red) - WVO - Wifes daily driver

I'm not a certified mechanic, but I did stay at a HolidayInn Express last night.

I wouldn't be too surprised that it really is an aftermarket set-up. I had a mid '74 Mazda from around 1979 to about 1982 and it had a very similar control panel as the one in the subject of this thread. While it looked fairly stock, it just looked different enough not to be 100% stock mainly from the color of the letters compared to any of the other accessories in the car. Plus I was working on my car one time and I found the refrigerant label and it had a different company's name on it.
That might be the easiest way to check that M-B by seeing if the refrigerant label might identify the system. All cars had to have them.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

I guess it all depends on your level of skill and patience. The FSM CD does have all the different models of A/C systems and I do recall that there is a description of how they operate and a wiring diagram as well.
I had seen some sort of "mickey-mouse" set of controls that you can "retrofit" the climate control on e-bay. I personally wouldn't recommend it even though I haven't used it and even though it looked very simplistic.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

While trying to heat and cool the driver and the passenger at different levels.... and other stuff like that... are complicated ...
An actual AC system is pretty straight forward...
If you get hold of a generic auto air conditioning manual... or a general manual with a chapter on auto air conditioning ( there are about 5 types of systems ) you can see how few parts it has.
Mercedes systems have all sorts of extra stuff not actually needed to keep you cold...
It is like the glow plug system.... this can be wired to a normally off switch.... and run 12 volts to the plugs... you keep your finger on the switch until you count to ( whatever )... and take it off and hit the starter switch... it is the automatic timer which messes up..and has people thinking the plugs have had plenty of time to heat because the dash light goes out... when if they had to use their finger they would probably learn that the plugs heat up for up to 45 seconds ( the factory shop manual says)....

If I had an evaporator leaking... or wanted to simply my system... I would make an evaporator which fit into the trunk...
The 57 Buick had that... and aftermarket VW units fit behind the rear seat.... really frees up the area under the dash....

Retrofit to manuel arrangement: I two would be very intersted in some info on the mapping out of wiring and tubing on a manuel AC 300 model. Sure sounds like it would be much easier to correct all the AC issues by just going to manuel.

Leather, do you have any links to in the trunk or otherwise evaporator AC systems?

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The Glow Plug Wait: This waiting period is a moment of silence to pay honor to Rudolph Diesel. The longer you own your diesel the more honor you will give him". by SD Blue

My normal daily life; either SNAFUed- Situation Normal... All Fouled Up, or FUBARed- Fouled Up Beyond All Repair

62 UNIMOG Camper w/617 Turbo, 85 300SD daily driver- both powered by blended UCO fuels

Those units used to be available out of Ft. Worth......
I have not searched for them lately.... it would be very simple...you are just moving the evaporator into the trunk with a way to pull the air into a container with an evaporator in it... and put it back into the passenger space... 100 percent recirculation....Some of the VW units were just like a home window unit.. used one electic motor with two squirrel cages ..... some of the factory units had finned lines under the car which went to a condensor mounted up front ... but I think the aftermarket one was completely self contained......
If you think about making one check out ' turbulator' pipes.....

http://www.driveonline.com/html/experts_david_stutts.html

http://www.rfci.net/airliner/55cadac.html

AHA !
http://www.vintageair.com/catalog.asp
then click on number 26..... trunk mount....

Lots of vans, trucks, and limos have rear mounted evaporators..

http://www.v-sales.com/rear_air_cond_.htm

Everything old is new again....

http://www.autoweb.lycos.com/content/research/index.cfm?id=10714;TAWEB&action=ShowArticle&aid=138915

this mazda has it at the back....

That seems like an awful lot of work to simplify something. I can't picture the details, but it seems like it wouldn't be too much trouble to take the controls from another car with an expansion valve system and connect them to the MB to replace the ACC. There are probably new parts available for replacement on cars with aftermarket AC. You just need a thermoswitch to the compressor and fan switch, right?

"That seems like an awful lot of work to simplify something."
Not sure which segment of this thread you are referring to.....

I once took the parts from three different ac's and made one good unit for my Karman Ghia....so with careful reading and understanding of the physics involved it is certainly possible...

But I did not have enough ' juice' from the generator ( old vw , not alternator ) and I installed a circuit breaker like a house has... this was back in 1987... I thought since MAC trucks had that sort of system it would do fine for me.... DUH.... when a fuse blows or a circuit breaker opens up... you are supposed to correct the cause before reengaging the electricity...
Anyway, it cooled me fine for its maiden trip to Brownwood and back to Elgin... well.... 8 miles short of Elgin that is.... it fried the wire at my ignition switch.... Of course , I knew every inch of this simple car and managed to fix it on site and drive home....

I had no technical help except an AC textbook, the internet did not exist for civilians, I borrowed a vacuum pump ..... and R12 was cheap.....and I got low 30's air out of the vent.