300E A/C Help Needed

Hey Everyone, I need some help

I have an 89 300E and the A/C blows nothing but warm air. I honestly had to pull over half way through my commute (3.5 hours) because I thought I was going to pass out at the wheel. The only problem I have, is that the car has 207k on it, and im not planning on keeping it longer than next spring. Im not about to drop 700 to take it to the dealer and get it fixed. It still has the original AC in it (R12 I believe it is) and I just want to give it a shot of R12. Which brings me to my next problem, where do I get R12 (if your even allowed to buy it) and then how do I put it in. On ebay I see you can buy the little hoses to Recharge the stuff but I wouldnt know where the Freon goes. Can somebody please help me out. I kinda need to get it done by this weekend (I have my mom's car while she is out of town), and Im not looking to pass out at the wheel anytime soon. Thanks in Advance.

Drew

[G-Benz]

Air conditioning shops still have R-12 available for older systems, but it is getting more scarce and thus, more expensive whenever you are having an older system recharged.
Plus, it has to be reclaimed properly (another added cost).

You may have a leak in your system which could require parts and labor from a few hundred to a few thousand $$$. If the leak is bad enough (as mine was in the past), recharging the system will get you through to the end of the week, only to have hot air again by the following weekend.

If you are not planning on keeping the car, don't invest any $$$ in the A/C system, and get a plug-in fan. Sorry.

Maybe others have a more optimistic viewpoint?

Just because it's blowing warm air does not necessarily mean that it is low on freon. The climate control pushbutton unit can fail and allow the heater control valve to flow, which will make it blow HOT air, not warm, but HOT. This valve is near the battery, with heater hoses going in and out. A simple check would be to use a clamp on the hose to STOP the flow of coolant to see if this is the problem. If the clamp brings back cold air you really need a pushbutton unit, and if you replace it MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE AUXILLIARY PUMP FOR CURRENT DRAW. If the auxilliary pump is drawing more than 1.3 amps, it will blow the new pushbutton unit.

This gives you something to check without spending money.

Good luck,

The reason I thought it must be the freon is because I have noticed it dying as time has gone on. I could tell at the end of last fall that it was about done. Who knows, ill look over and see if any of those could be it.

Thanks for the help,
Drew

[stevebfl]

I presume that when you dispose of this car that you will expect someone to exchange money for it. If it came to my shop I would tell the prospective purchaser to deduct $2000 for an inoperative A/C. It is a fair risk assessment as a lack of A/C can mean many things. If it is possible to get A/C for less than that consider it a short term investment with the dividend being your comfort.

[TCCBass]

My 123 started blowing warm air. It was the control panel. Put a new one in, and it was amazing. It was blowing the hottest air I had ever experienced. Thought I would DIE on the trip to pick up the control unit. I would check that first. Just my opinion...