What color is an evaporator?
 

Yeah, I know it sounds like a stupid question. But here's the rub. I recently spent a bunch of time fixing the a/c system in my '87 124. Said time involved numerous practice sessions installing and removing the expansion valve. In the process I noticed that my evaporator appears to be made of copper. Both tube ends jutting out the firewall are brownish, with perhaps a bit of greenish discoloration here and there.

I thought the 124 came with a rotten aluminum evaporator. If so, wouldn't it be silverish in color? Does the brown color imply my car has already undergone an evaporator-ectomy?

Inquiring minds want to know.

- Jim

My guess would be
 

that the tubes you are seeing are copper. The evap should be silver in color.

This is one of the reasons for the number of failures. Copper tubes on an aluminum core.

Oh great, so galvanic corrosion is a problem too. Just peachy.

- Jim