My 1993 190e 2.6 just turned 126,000. All is well except my A/C is on the blink. This happened once before and the system was recharged. A dye pack was put in but the mechanic said (after I returned it to him about 2 weeks later) that he couldn’t tell if there was a leak because a previously inserted dye pack had exploded sending dye all over the engine compartment. So, he didn’t know what was fresh dye or old dye. I do notice that one of the A/C hoses does seem to be newer.

Anyway, when the system was recharged, the A/C ran fine. The recharge was done in March of 2003. Now the system isn’t cooling and the malfunction has returned much faster than before. Along with the lack of A/C, there is a hissing sound I can hear from inside the vents that sounds like a leak. Obviously, there is some sort of leak since the a/c failure took about 1 and ½ years before and now it’s dead again after about 6 months.

This time, I’m taking the car to a Mercedes Benz repair shop that has done good work for me before. My question, they (the shop folks) say there is a device they have that detects coolant leakage. They say they may have to charge the system w/ coolant (I assume R12) to check it out. If they find a leak and fix it, great! However, they also said that if the compressor is bad or one of the other components is bad, I will have to replace a number of the components together to ensure proper operation. Is this true?

Also, if the system cooled at about 45 degrees when I last charged it, doesn’t that indicate that the compressor and other components were working well and the system is OK other than a possible hose or fitting leak? Finally, is it possible for a component like the compressor to leak internally?

Just want to be informed as I approach the repair.

Sincerely Yours in Virginia’s Summer Swelter,

escarbor