I'm new to the forum, but have been lurking long enough to gain confidence to attempt the dreaded AC evaporator replacement on my '92 300SL. I have almost completed the job with one, maybe two problems. The picture below shows a single brown/red wire in the passenger side footrest compartment. I can't for the life of me figure out where it connects. I hope it's related to my other problem. The soft top will not raise and I get a constant light in the switch. You can hear the hydraulic motor kick on, but nothing happens. I've had the battery disconnected for the last two weeks while replacing the evaporator coil.

On a happy note, the air conditioner is now blowing very cool air! I found a replacement coil on Ebay that has a copper core which I believe will last much longer than the original. I realize that some claim copper will not transfer heat as well as aluminum, but this unit seems to be working fine and the coil fit perfectly.The best part is that the evaporator was only $50, compared with Mercedes price of over $600. Here's a link to the Ebay store I used: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7918232224&category=33547

The other picture shows my baby completely dissassembled during the coil replacement. Yes, I did replace the heater core o-rings, but went cheap on everything else. I tested all of the vacuum actuators and found none that weren't working properly, so I opted not to replace them yet. I figure I can tear the dash apart much easier next time!

The bottom of the car has been upgraded to the rest of the body color and 2003 wheels have been retro-fitted.

This has been a very difficult job, but it sure beats paying a dealer $3,400!

Thanks for any help!

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