what's rolling around in my A/C (W124/92 400e)?
 

With the exception of a slow leak in my A/C evaporator, my A/C works mostly as it should. I say mostly because just recently it twice would not blown cold air when set on full cold. But just yesterday it blew cold just fine.

Anyhow, over the past couple of months I've noticed a noise that sounded like broken parts sliding back and forth whenever I make a sharp fast left or right turn. It sounds like it's comming from behind the A/C control panel.

Any thoughts?

The only way you will know is to pull down the kick panels and look for the loose part.

Good luck,

These sounds can be real hard to localize. I had nearly the same thing in my car when I first got it, and it sounded as if it was coming from the dash by the AC buttons. My tech listened to my description of the noise, and identified it immediatly. He said that small items placed on the dash tended to fall down into the defroster grill openings and work down into the the ducts, and often as far as the under-carpet ductwork, usually on the driver's side. Sure enough, he found a pen in the duct under the front carpet, that rolled around mostly on left hand corners. Removed the pen, and the noise has never come back! Easy enough to get to that I would check there first before moving on to the rest of the ductwork.

Probably not your problem but sometime past I posted:

"I had a 123 (300D Turbo) that had a very similiar problem. I went so far as to take the console apart, removed the radio, I was sure it had to be in the console area.

I am almost ashamed to say it was a golf ball rolling under the seat. My noise appeared taking left or right turns. I would hear nothing at first and then this rolling sound and then a light clunk. Drove us all crazy. I had been in the back seat feet area, down under looking under the front seats dozens of times.

I finally found the damn thing when I did a spring cleaning an pull the floor mats and the carpeting out. The golf ball was able to stay up agains the cross-member under the seats by the carpeting. Funny now! Not then!

Needless to say, check WAY under your seats. You might be surprised."

Haasman

Air Ducts under the Front seats
 

Yeah, I had the same damn problem. That is a VERY annoying sound. I figured it out by doing jack rabbit start/stops in succession. Sure enough it was a pen that had slid into the hole. Once on the driver and then again on the passengers. Nail the gas/Jam the brake. Talk about your whip lash! :D

Thanks for your inputs. Being that I have a 2 year old daughter, the objects in the vents/object under the seats could be just it. I'll have to take a closer look.

Vacuum it out
 

Forgot to tell you how to get rid of the the offensive rattle. Slide the front seats completely forward.If you have a good strong shop vac, you can partially tape the vents closed and suck the bugger clean or remove the vent opening. There's a screw in it, but as I recall its kinda hard to get it back in. That's why I vacuumed it.....the 2nd time:rolleyes: