got up to 86 here in SC today....

noticed that the air wasn't coming out of the center vents and powerful as it should.... very powerful at sides...

I can here a thump, thump, thump noise...every second or so around the center vents.

if you are at cruising speed, economy gauge all the way to the right... the thumping sound disappears.... but the air still comes out of the vents weak...

at least its ice cold..

I guess my question is.... I am guessing there is an A/C pod issue... can you access the centers without a full dash removal...

or....is it likely something else..... you can't drown out the thumping noise with the radio... it's not terribly annoying...but I would like to fix it....

I haven't read about this type of issue...

__________________
1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

Lee

the bad news first - to replace the centre pod is not only definitely a dash out job but its the most difficult pod and normally requires removal of also the heater box components (evaporator I seem to remember).

I did a full dash out (see the pics on this link http://photos.wanadoo.co.uk/album/1259925) not long ago.

The centre vent pod is buried so deep I could not get at it without removing some of the heater box which I was not up for. In the end i tried a trick which I found on a forum which said you could remove the metal flap for the centres by bending it upwards and pulling it off. Then reaching in with a small hand and removing the pod. Well you can see the result on my pics - I did get the pod out but not without completely wrecking the flap for the centre vents. In fact this is not so bad as its the least important as you can switch them on/off manually using the wheel on the outside. So I now have full air permanently to centre vents and control them manually - fine really.

If you are happy with this solution and really dont want to spend six hours removing dash you could attempt to immobilise your centre vent flap by working throught the vents thus resulting in same situation I now have - manual wheel control. This is just an idea not something I have done so its entirely up to you. If you did it you would have to remove the centre vent assembly (see my pics) should only take 20 mins. Then you will see the top of the metal flap either horizontal (closed) or raised. If you lift it you will see the linkage pushing it up. You could try disconnecting it somehow and jamming the flap up or pulling it out completely. This may sound drastic but removing the dash still wont allow you to do the job without some disassembly of heater box (far too much effort in my view to when i can just use the external wheel on the vents instead).

Hope this gives you food for thought, sorry the news isnt better . I cant comment on how likely the pod is your problem but it does sound like it from what you described - have you checked the vacuum from the valve to all the pods - I would definitely do that first before embarking on any podectomy work , it could save you much time and pain.

let me know how it goes
Keith

well, I was (am) hoping for better news....

I am not in much of a hurry to deal with this right now.... i'll have to see how the car reacts in 93-95 degree weather...

at any rate...it would have to be a late fall early winter project....

I try to enjoy life from May to October....

Any other ideas would be welcomed....

I think I could handle the project.... and if it's only a matter of a few more hours work, I wouldn't mind....

I think the big issue is....once you take everything apart..you really can't trouble shoot along the way... so you could wind up replacing parts and have the problem be something else.....

I love the pictorial on removing the dash.
Thanks.

__________________
1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

A quick & dirty fix is to swap the vacuum lines for the center flap pod and the "diverter" pod. Do this at the seven-port vacuum valve. The valve is accessible by removing the glovebox (or passenger airbag, I guess - never had to do that particular task.)

The diverter is another way the climate system can send air out the center vents. It's normally only opened when the interior of the car is *really* hot. By swapping the vacuum lines you'll get decent cooled air out of the center vents. The tradeoff is that air from the diverter valve cannot be warmed - it bypasses the heater core. So on those moderate days when a touch of heat is mixed into the refrigerated air, you may have to manually close the center vents.

This is a good 15 minute temporary fix until you feel like pulling the dash. Unfortunately, I don't have the service CD handy, so I can't tell you which vacuum lines operate the center flaps & diverter. Try searching, I'm sure it's been posted in the past.

- JimY

this sounds very do-able.....

I need a/c more often than I need heat.

I am going to wait until it gets really hot before I do anything...

it's really the thump, thump, thump that bothers me..... in my mind I am picturing a flap that can't get quite enough vacuum to open... so the flap just thumps, thumps, thumps.

__________________
1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]