I'm getting ready to repair the air conditioning on the '84 300D and 300TD.
Both car's A/Cs heve been chargeless for several years, & the wife is not happy.
The TD is a no brainer...the compressor is locked up and obviously needs replacement. The 300D compressor has had the belt off and not turned for 10 years. I crawled under it and noticed it is not locked but turns with some resistance. Is it worth fooling with (purge,evacuate,charge) or should I just order a new compressor?
Thanks

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D

ive heard that if you do not use the compressor it will starve of oil and lock up. my van hadn't had a charge in about five years and i decided to recharge it one day and the a/c blew supercold but the compressor was very very noisy. after three days of cool a/c in 100 degree weather the refrigerant leaked out and i didnt want to waste any more money on it so i never got to find out how long the compressor would have lasted. my guess not long. as i become a little more educated on a/c as i go i would probably replace the compressor anyway because if you take the time to properly repair the a/c and use the old compressor it might take a poop on you and blow all the "black death" all over your system making repairs previously made useless. on the other hand proper repair procedures might prevent the black death.

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

If the systems was SEALED and pressurized over that period of time I might give the old one a whirl.

Otherwise, no.

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2012 E350
2006 Callaway SC560

Get thee a new compressor. Even if the damn thing still works, be prepared for Mr. Murphy's law to kick in.

I'd say yes it will, even after 15yrs of serving.
Be aware that only overheat and turning on the AV while speedy will damage the AC compressor. This is my personal experience.

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Master Computer Engineer, A+, Network+, MCP/MCSA/MCSE 4/2k/2k3 - Messaging, MCTS, MCITP, MCT, Brainbench, ICDL and starting Ph.D

380SE 1984 <------- Totaled by flipping accident
300SE 1988 <------- Sold
Volvo S70 2000 <---- 4 family
Opel Omega 2002 <-- 4 family
560SEC 1989 <------ Sold
560SEL 1990 <------ Sold
560SEL 1991 <------ 4 my mother
560SEL 1989 <------ Sold
600SEL 1992 <------ Current

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZkhazenzcc

Can a 10 year old compressor still work?

Not sure I understand the question. But mine still works fine after 18 years and 92,000 miles. Still an R12 system too.

Mine too, 18 years old and 88K .

btw: my other Benzes did not have a/c in the first place.

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1996 E320 since 1/16/08, 171K miles as of Feb 2011

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1989 300CE - R.I.P. Dec 29 2007
Other MBs (sold): 1992 300E-24 - 1979 350SLC - 1984 230E - 1990 300CE

mine died at 24 years old & 160k-looks original, it might be worth trying the old one, but if you get any weird noises or leakage I would change it before it contaminates the whole system.

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1982 300DT 190K (Diesel Purge + synthetic oil=smoothness at last!!!)
2004 Ford E-350 6.0 L PSD 227K
2006 Dodge Ram 3500 SRW HO Cummins 4X4 48RE 42K (brute force tow vehicle)
2005 Scion xB wife's rolling pop can
1993 GMC Sierra C3500 6.2 142K

His has not been run for ten years.

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2012 E350
2006 Callaway SC560

Thanks for the feedback. The system has been unpressurized for several years.
I've heard a lot about the 'delicate nature' of the R-4 units. I see the Nippondenso was used on later 300Ds...perhaps it can be retrofitted to my older cars.

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D

If you try it and it fails you need a new one,If it dose not then you are money ahead