2000 E430 A/C Problems worked last fall but not now?! Wife upset!!

[ljfIV]

I'm new to M/B but have a fair working knowledge of cars in general. My wife and I purchased a 2000 E430 last fall to replace her 99 accord that was totaled by a 17 year old driver ( rear ended her while she was sitting still) the a/c worked fine, heat was hit or miss all winter, driver side had heat passenger side blew cold or just the opposite. When climate control is activated we now hear a hissing sound in the center vents and once again no a/c. Whats up??? Is there a fix short of taking to a dealer and taking out a mortgage for this repair?? HELP!!!

[retroguybilly]

It seems to me that your major problem is your wife, not your car. Have you told you wife in no uncertain terms that you don't like being bullied about; that the A/C failure is not your fault, and it is not necessarily your job to fix it or get it fixed, since it is HER car? Why can't SHE take care of it herself, rather than simply complaining? Man, I sure got tired of that stuff when I was married. Being divorced and single is much better!

[e300D97]

Originally Posted by retroguybilly

It seems to me that your major problem is your wife, not your car. Have you told you wife in no uncertain terms that you don't like being bullied about; that the A/C failure is not your fault, and it is not necessarily your job to fix it or get it fixed, since it is HER car? Why can't SHE take care of it herself, rather than simply complaining? Man, I sure got tired of that stuff when I was married. Being divorced and single is much better!

Well that being said. I would check the refrigerant pressure. You can get some cans with a guage at Autozone etc. If the R134 pressure is marginal the compressor will still engage but you will get the hissing sound at the evaporator valve. I would get it evacuated, recharged and dye tested. You might have a leak somewhere. Also check the AUX fans and make sure they are functioning. If your AUX fans fail, it can create high pressures in the AC system and blow seals in the compressor. Give us an idea of what work was done in the fall. I have recently replaced the Condensor, compressor, and aux fans. If you have the system opened for any repair make sure they replace the receiver drier also. From what I understand the EVAP valve can be troublesome, however its somewhat easy to replace. Good luck, I fully understand your frustration, I was chasing an AC problem last summer.

[ljfIV]

Being bullied is not the problem here, she relies on me for these problems because of her lack of knowledge of autos and their repair. I'm sorry you misunderstood this, also for your lack of being able to understand a husbands responsibility to provide for, respect and listen to your mate. The real problem here is, Summer is on the way and with 80 degree weather now on us, our a/c is now more important than ever, not to mention the care for any problems that may arise from the current problem. However, I do appreciate your response but I need tech help with this a/c problem not marriage advice. Thank you.

[mbdoc]

Having a regular a/c shop check & refill the refrigerant would be a good starting point.

If you want to see how much refrigerant there is in the system now, the system has a self diagnostic ability to look at system pressure & temp sensor inputs.

[ILUVMILS]

Originally Posted by ljfIV

.....When climate control is activated we now hear a hissing sound in the center vents and once again no a/c. Whats up???

The hissing sound you're hearing is very common on 210's when the refrigerant level is too low. In my experience, the most common leak is the hose between the receiver-drier and condenser. Thankfully, it's probably the cheapest part of the A/C system.

[Matt L]

Another common leak is the condenser, but a common fault is a plugged dryer. This manifests as hissing and poor cooling at the left vents, exactly as a slightly low charge. In fact, the climate control unit will report a low charge if the dryer is plugged, but the problem is that the head pressure is going through the roof (as the sensor is after the dryer).

[retroguybilly]

"I'm sorry...for your lack of being able to understand a husbands (sic) responsibility to provide for, respect and listen to your (sic) mate."

It's just that you gave us more information about your domestic situation than anyone wanted or needed to know.

What I DO see is that you are letting your wife dictate your agenda. You should understand that women will attempt to dictate your ENTIRE agenda if you LET them do so.

I DO understand that she feels she is ENTITLED to have you take complete responsibility for fixing her car whenever it breaks, and she does not think her attitude is sexist. But tell me, if YOU were to adopt the attitude that YOU were ENTITLED to have sex whenever you want it, or ENTITLED to have her cook dinner every night, or ENTITLED to have her keep the house clean, would she think THAT was sexist? I'll bet she would!

C'mon, face it, what she is really telling you is that she never learned to work on cars because she didn't think it was important enough. But she sure does think it's important to know how to fix her car when it breaks, doesn't she? How does it make you feel when she belittles and disparages your car repair abilities with her psychologically-defensive attitude that it is "too unimportant to learn" (i.e, refusing to admit that she made a big mistake by never learning), while at the same time she pressures YOU to fix it in a big rush? Don't you ever get tired of such hypocrisy?

I really don't like double standards. That's one of the reasons I say that divorce is a great thing.

Also, in the future could you just ask your question and not tell us how upset your wife is? It really adds nothing to the post to tell us how upset she is, except to make everyone wonder why you would gratuitously mention something like that. If you felt compelled to mention it in your post, you must find it upsetting yourself that your wife cops such an attitude. Some things are better left unsaid, if you get my drift.

Thank you.

[nissanzx1]

Take this car to an independent repair center with an a/c machine. The reality is, even though you do know cars--electronic auto climate control systems are very involved and somewhat complicated. You need to have the proper diagnostic equipment or know how to use the on board test functions.. If it's found to be low on refrigerant, then the next course of action should be to figure out where exactly the leak may be and get that part repaired or replaced. Sometimes, this is easier said than done.

In my opinion, this is not a do it yourself thing. If you can afford a W210 8 cylinder E (not a cheap car), then you can surely afford to bring it in for service. I understand it isn't fun to pay $$, that is why I'd stay away from the Mercedes dealer. This may only be a $300 repair, so given that you're concerned about the wife being upset--It will be $300+ well spent. When I was "married", I would have gladly given $1000 to shut her up

Good Luck and let us know what you find,

-GH

[Cliff_W140]

Originally Posted by retroguybilly

"I'm sorry...for your lack of being able to understand a husbands (sic) responsibility to provide for, respect and listen to your (sic) mate."

It's just that you gave us more information about your domestic situation than anyone wanted or needed to know.

What I DO see is that you are letting your wife dictate your agenda. You should understand that women will attempt to dictate your ENTIRE agenda if you LET them do so.

I DO understand that she feels she is ENTITLED to have you take complete responsibility for fixing her car whenever it breaks, and she does not think her attitude is sexist. But tell me, if YOU were to adopt the attitude that YOU were ENTITLED to have sex whenever you want it, or ENTITLED to have her cook dinner every night, or ENTITLED to have her keep the house clean, would she think THAT was sexist? I'll bet she would!

C'mon, face it, what she is really telling you is that she never learned to work on cars because she didn't think it was important enough. But she sure does think it's important to know how to fix her car when it breaks, doesn't she? How does it make you feel when she belittles and disparages your car repair abilities with her psychologically-defensive attitude that it is "too unimportant to learn" (i.e, refusing to admit that she made a big mistake by never learning), while at the same time she pressures YOU to fix it in a big rush? Don't you ever get tired of such hypocrisy?

I really don't like double standards. That's one of the reasons I say that divorce is a great thing.

Also, in the future could you just ask your question and not tell us how upset your wife is? It really adds nothing to the post to tell us how upset she is, except to make everyone wonder why you would gratuitously mention something like that. If you felt compelled to mention it in your post, you must find it upsetting yourself that your wife cops such an attitude. Some things are better left unsaid, if you get my drift.

Thank you.

If somethings are better left unsaid..... why do you feel the need to keep responding in a condescending manner to a subject that you yourself brought up in another man's thread.

Just something to think about for you.