My small Craftsmane ratchet just gave out. I have owned it for 20+ years. I had a choice - return it, or mess with it.

I took it apart. Messed with it. Now it's as good as new.

At Sears, they have exchanges for tools that went - they give you another one, not new, but they work perfectly. I realized they did the same thing - messed with it, and it was ok. They did the same thing to the ratchet that I did for it, except that I did not have to drive to the place it, go through the paperwork to replace it, and swap it.

Yeah, they are a good deal, and an honest deal....

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Henry Bofinger
1989 560 SEL (black/black)
2001 Audi TT Roadster (silver/grey)

OK, I've figured out that it's my expansion valve thats leaking slightly, meaning that the A/C charge/retrofit to R134A (done late Spring '03) is still within specs and works fine but the seeping oil has destroyed the insulating wrap (now a black goo) around the lines. The picture in Fastlane doesn't show much, and I've read this thread, how much of the dash will have to be removed to get the valve out. As you probably know there isn't much room to see or reach it. OR could it be that the one line that seems to be leaking just needs to be tightened up, I presently live on a dirt road and the car gets shaken every day going in and out from my house. PSST, I've done a lot of mechanical work over the years using nothing but the eyes on the end of my fingers so if anyone has a picture (from a manual would be great) of how the thing is mounted with the screws shown as well I can figure this out. Thanks.

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1991 300SE (my ride, 279,000 miles, looks almost new
1954 Cadillac (21 yo son's car, he bought when age 15)
1972 SeaBird 19 ft runabout (old but solid, slant six, Volvo sterndrive perfect condition, undergoing complete overhaul and refit)
1998 Toyota Rav4 (my sons daily driver when he is in the Continental US, PROUDLY serving in US Navy)

Bruce,

You'll probably have to do the expansion valve. Go to a junkyard that has old Benzes. By looking at the sad wreckages (usually with good paint!), you'll see that some may have the bottom part of the dash removed. Just study it - you'll see the expansion valve and its location.

I have not done mine yet, but having actually spotted the location of it in a junkyard makes me less intimitated by the job. And it's fortunately not an expensive part new.

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Henry Bofinger
1989 560 SEL (black/black)
2001 Audi TT Roadster (silver/grey)

.....I can see the valve, the bottom of it anyway, so I know where it is. I just can't see the screws holding the thing down, screw points up or sideways, etc, or how it is attached to the evaporator (or condensor, the part under the dash ). I've read that of all the parts on a 126 THIS particular one seems to be the headache of all headaches.

Anyway, the smaller of the two lines on the bottom is where the leak/seep seems to be coming from, perhaps a bad "O" ring or the fitting is just loose? To get to it, I saw yesterday, that a metal bar will have to be moved out of the way so I can reach the fitting with a line wrench. I know that should it be a bad ring I'll need to change the filter/dryer before recharging the system.

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1991 300SE (my ride, 279,000 miles, looks almost new
1954 Cadillac (21 yo son's car, he bought when age 15)
1972 SeaBird 19 ft runabout (old but solid, slant six, Volvo sterndrive perfect condition, undergoing complete overhaul and refit)
1998 Toyota Rav4 (my sons daily driver when he is in the Continental US, PROUDLY serving in US Navy)

I'm back. Yesterday I did the expansion valve. Yes, the dreaded expansion valve. I did it. AND THERE WAS NO FOUL LANGUAGE! (Or better, "hardly any foul language" :p ).

Pictoral will follow, but I can now say a couple of things about this job for certain:

1. It's doable. As long as you are aware of the pitfalls, it's actaully doable in an afternoon (evacuation and refill not included).

2. With the right tools, it's not a headache.

3. You have to be mentally prepared for what will give you trouble.

I spent more time figuring out how to get stuff out of the way (none of that was ever mentioned on the CD), but this is why the upcoming pictorial will help others save time not having to figure out everything from scratch. I Could have done it in less time had I known a few things.

In a nutshell, before you get the valve out, you have to loosen a support bar. To get to the critical spots where it is attached, you need to remove a bunch of stuff, including the instrument cluster (one crucial bolt is behind it).

In my model, you only really need a 22mm and a 19mm crowsfoot wrench (no 24mm) for the valve, the suction hose (17mm) will go out with a regular wrench. The tourques are light - these connections won't fight you.

Most important is that when you put in the new valve, all the threads must go in straight, and you NEVER tighten down until you have ALL threads in ALL THE WAY by hand.

More to follow....

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Henry Bofinger
1989 560 SEL (black/black)
2001 Audi TT Roadster (silver/grey)