Hello. HELP!! EC will not turn off!!
 

What's up. This is Patrick in Eglin AFB, Fl. I have a 1998 C230. The problem I am having is that my EC button is not disengaging. Whether it is on Auto Climate Control or manual, the EC light does not want to disengage, leaving my family and I quite toasty here in Florida.

I just joined the site and was recommended emphatically by a stranger who I bumped into at the nearby autozone to check this site out and meet some actual professionals who know the deal on MB's.

Thanks for your technical assistance and input you can offer.

-Patrick :(

Try this thread, especially the last post:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/s...&threadid=86110

Dan

broken link
 

Thanx for the reply...but the link appears to be broke??

Are you sure it's not Eglin at Patrick AFB? I had a bro in law stationed there at Eglin, his last place before he retired to central FL, near Micanopy.
Anyhow, the constant EC light means the AC isn't operating, as yo probably know. There could be several reasons. Like most AC systems, the usual culprit is low freon level, so the underlying reason for that needs to be corrected of course. There was a bulletin out about this regarding a different control panel being needed, if the freon level is checked with gauges and found to be OK, then that's something that could be researched.

Gilly

Try this.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/86110-210-chassis-climate-control-problem.html?perpage=15

Dan

Gilly, it's definitely a sweet place here to retire...thanks. U know i've suspected low refrigerent for a while...the a/c just didn't seem up to par as my camry(brrrrr) and hopefully i can just fill her up w/ fresh refridgerent and the "EC" will start functioning like normal again.

- Dan "THE MAN"-thanx man for the link...i am goig to autozone to get a guage to check my refrigerant level and most likely refresh it. Your link was the eyeopener i was hoping for :eek: ;)

You will have to add some freon, THEN start the car, then make sure the compressor is running, then add more. If you start the engine and AC, and the EC light is on, the compressor won't engage even if the pressure comes up.

Gilly

Gilly-Roger that.

Well, I've been doing some research with everyone, and I've pm'd with blackmercedes and he is now telling me of the underlying problem of leaking refrigerant and my fix will only be a temporary "band-aid".

AMOF today, back at work I was chatting about my situation with an HVAC troop and basically he told me that I need to recharge the freon, because it leaked out somewhere. I imagine it is normal to lose your refrigerant eventually and as it won't last forever...right...and she is a 98 C230. Standard maintenance you could say.

I think I am convincing myself here and/or need reassurance that I should proceed as planned per link from Dan

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/86110-210-chassis-climate-control-problem.html?perpage=15

and hopefully there is not the underlying problem of a leak to be remedied.

If there is still "some" pressure left in it, and you knew it has been leaking steadily by slowly since the car was built, I'd estimate that it's be pretty hard to detect the leak source. Yes, i assume it's low on freon too, only a set of gauges will tell you that, UNLESS someone can tell you how to use the control panel as a pressure indicator, which i believe it will do (has a diagnostic mode, try doing some research on that before buying anything or before proceeding much furhter with diagnosing the problem).
There is of course the possiblity that you've suffered something worse, like a rapid leak you weren't aware of, like maybe a small puncture to the condensor (out in front of the radiator).
THANK YOU for serving our Country.
My bro in law in FL served for 21 yrs, incl far east Asia. Was stationed for a couple years in MI at the now-closed KI Sawyer SAC base, I spent most of one summer up there, '72 i guess it was, saw some shot-up buffs back from se Asia.
Gilly

PS ask Bill (blackmercedes) if he knows how to access AC diagnostic mode to get a pressure reading and what reading he'd consider normal. It will read in BAR, that I do know

On the W202, simply press "rest" for five seconds. Scroll to "07" and check the value. It should be up to about 17.0 under hard cooling.

It is completely normal under certain climatic conditions to lose freon over time. Being originally from upstate NY where the summers are quite toasty and the winters damn cold this happens a lot! Not uncommon to add freon every other year on some vehicles! It happens when using Defrost in the winter since it activates the AC Compressor when engaged to suck the moisture out of the air! The compresssor cycling in that cold air before the engine warms causes the Freon to leak out the seals. Now you are in florida so you probably don't get that cold but the principle still applies so it may just have leaked down over the last 6 years time to a level that of course is too low for the Compressor to activate anymore. Also could be something as simple as a pressure switch or other sensor. Not sure how many are on the newer MB's but my 190E has something like 4 or 5 odd sensors that all must be working properly for the AC to function. I am still working on getting AC to work in normal mode, it only works in Max mode now and keeps the compressor constantly on. It will not engage when the normal button is pushed. So I someday need to replace the Hi/Lo pressure switch and see if that works, I have it just not in the car yet!! Good luck and hopefully she just needs a recharge!

Thanx to all...there is a wealth of knowledge here apparantly that I am very fortunate to have recieved. I'm sorting out through the suggestions, and I'm looking for my angle of attack to start off with=Plan A- the simplest solution is probably the most likely and hopefully it's the freon recharge...and man, if that's not the case, I do have some Plan B-Z's courtesy of the members here ;)

Gilly- Thanx. I get that alot, but I would say that we're all just doing our job and taking care of business.

-Patrick

I just checked and "07" reads 4.0. Now I am interpreting that as low refrigerant levels. BTW what do the other values mean??

John's number of 17 is applies to an operating, correctly charged system. This number is the high side pressure of the system, expressed in atmospheres (bars) if memory serves. The value 17 equals about 255PSI, which is a pretty normal high side.

Your value of 4.0 is about 60PSI. Whether that's a problem or not depends upon the temperature under the hood at the time you took the reading. What was the ambient temp? Had the car been driven before you took the reading? Sixty PSI is low if the car was cool and the outdoor temperature in the 80s or 90s, as I expect it is in Fl. If the car had been driven, making everything under the hood nice and toasty warm, then it's really low.

I kinda doubt a 4.0 reading is low enough to cut off the compressor. Typically it would need to be something in the range of 2.0-2.5 to shut down the compressor. Not sure if low refrigerant is your main problem or not.

- JimY

I don't think that we'll be able to get a good diagnosis without reading the codes that have triggered the EC to engage.

The "codes", are they attainable from the on board diagnostics or do I need to plug her up at the dealer?

The HHT readings were taken on the cars first start up since yesterday. It's about 90 degrees out when I took the reading, around noon time when I started her up. It took me approximately 3 mins to figure out how to scroll to value "07" where I took the reading of 4.0. Engine off, posted the reading.

I can post the other values if it can shed more light on the matter.

Sokoloff, whom I have chatted with, with his identical experience

in thread http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/86110-210-chassis-climate-control-problem.html?perpage=15

in a nutshell, had to replace the sensor 210 830 05 72 under the dash and after reprogramming the climate control unit it did the trick. I am not sure though, I need to clarify if refrigerant was ever the issue.

Thanks all for your input and hopefully things will work out :(

I had basically the same problem as Patrick suggests. Freon level was never low and once the sensor was replaced, everything was right with the world again. Mercedes put out a technical bulletin about this issue, so it's a known problem with these climate control systems. The bulletin basically says to replace the sensor before you do anything else, reprogram the system and see what you've got. In my case, everything returned to normal and the system has worked well for six months now.

I sure wouldn't spend a penny doing anything until that sensor is right.

Len
'99 E300TD 68,000 miles

This Sux!!
 

Ok, I have my new Evap Temp Sensor ready to go, but
I am drawn aghast at my inability to locate where to plug her into.

I have edited an email below to my compadre Sokoloff, who has so kindly shared is EC staying lit problem(A/C not engaging) with me.

Len,

"Ok I have the drivers side underdash panel removed. In addition I removed the adjacent panel under the steering wheel. I am disappointed at the trouble I am having trying to locate the Evap Temp Sensor. You stated in your previous email that the sensor would be located on the driver side, high up on the console. Can you possibly clarify for this big knucklehead here, by where high up on the console is(:

From my contorted vantage point of looking up at the underdash compartment area, straight above I can see the back of the instrument cluster which includes the speedometer and odometer, etc. Then to the left (towards the center console) there are some bundled wires and I can see the air-flow housing that goes from my left to right, spilling into the terminating driver side vent. I can not seem to locate the sensor."

Can someone/anyone!! here share there technical expertise and help to get this sensor home?? Thanks all for any input you can offer.

I should clarify, the fix is for a W202 98 C230. Thanx all who can help.

-Pat

A Happy Ending
 

I installed the new Evap Temp Sensor. It was a pain to find, sadly I will admit it took me several hours just to locate the dang thing, and it was right in front of me the whole time(thanx Len and Steve) The dissassembly of the bottom panel was the easy part; only taking about 10 mins referencing this excellent thread here http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/17381-need-advice-removal-underdash-panel-r-v-mirror-assembly-97-c280.html


I fumbled around with the on-board diagnostics using the thread here

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/86110-210-chassis-climate-control-problem.html?perpage=15

which, from what I understand is for the E-Class w210.

My C230 on-board diagnostic reset was a little different, i.e. I didn't have to add 16 to the P2 value, and my 98 does not have split left and right climate controls like it seems to refer with the EClass, but like I said after I fumbled around a bit, and checked if it did the trick, I can happily say that the EC light is now off and the A/C...whewwwWW it was sadly missed!!

So in summary:

Bought the Evap Sensor from the dealer =$47.17(cheaper online $39.55 if you can wait a couple days)
Disassembled the bottom driver-side underpaneling.
Replaced Sensor
Reset the on-board diagnostics

I don't know what I would have paid for the fix at the dealer, but I imagine I saved a BUNDLE. Total cost to me:
Sensor =$47.17Contribution from fellow members=priceless
Approximate time to accomplish= 1 hour (considering u locate the sensor)

Anyone who happens upon this thread feel free to shoot me a message and many thanks to ALL who contributed to this mercedesshop.com success story, especially Sokoloff, Stevemlb.

-Patrick
Eglin AFB, FL

Glad to pass on what others have helped me with Patrick. Good job!!

Len

Patrick,

If you take the car to Quality Imports you'll pay through the nose. I've used C&B Automotive on Chicago...which is off of Hollywood...for several years now. Bill is honest and reasonable...if there is such a thing as reasonable for a Mercedes.