I have a 1991 190e 2.6 which had a perfectly functioning A/C until yesterday when a stone ruptured the condenser, spectacularly emptying the R12 charge (oh, what a sinking feeling in my stomach!). I would appreciate any tips on getting the A/C up and running again, most economically, if possible.

Does anyone see any problems to replacing the condenser and receiver/dryer with proper oem parts, adding the prescribed 20 cc of compressor oil into the condenser and 10 cc of oil into the lateral connection on the receiver/dryer, installing with new o-rings & torquing the couplings, and then, --this is the key-- taking the car to a generic A/C shop for a recharge of R12?

I'm a little concerned with how fast moisture enters the system and requires blowing out with nitrogen or R12, or is that somethiing that an A/C specialist routinely does before doing the recharge? (About 12 hours after the incident I put a bead of caulk on the hole to minimize the entry of moisture). Thank you.

The a/c shop will pull a vacuum on it for awhile prior to charging.

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Jim

Thanks Jim, that's good to know.

So then you see the renewal of the two parts as fairly unproblematic?

1. If you have full coverage, your insurance should cover it.
2. A perfect opportunity to convert to R134. You are going to replace some parts anyways and the R134 should be cheaper. If you want to save some money replace the parts yourself and then take it to an AC professional to vacuum and convert.
Good luck!

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J.H.
'86 300E