C230 A/c Recharge
 

A/C went warm on my '98 c230 last night. I want to simply buy the refrigerant (R-134A ?)at a local auto parts store and recharge the system. I will probably have the complete A/C service done next Spring (drain....replace oil...recharge). I have a few questions:

1. Am I going to do any harm to the system by simply filling it up again with refrigerant ?
2. Is this a simple procedure I can do in 10 min ?
3. Where is the receptacle that accepts the refrigerant in my engine bay ?

The car is only 3 years old with 35k miles, I do not think anything is wrong with the a/c system, it just needs refrigerant.

Thanks.

Hmmm, when you are low on refrigerant, the system *should* still cool, but not as much. If it suddenly went warm, I was suspect the problem is elsewhere. You should try and get some codes out of the A/C system.

1. Put the key into the ON position (position 2), but make sure the car is off.

2. Put the climate control into AUTO and LO.

3. Press and hold REST and DEFROST (front/windshield defrost) at the same time until you read dIA on the climate control screen.

4. Using the AUTO button, scroll through the codes, and record them. Report the codes back to me and I will tell you what they mean.

GOOD LUCK! ;)

Lets see. 98 with 35k miles? This would be a WARRANTY repair!

Remember this, if you have to add gas, there is a leak! Let them repair it for free.