I just purchased a 1995 Mercedes E320 Wagon with 138,000. The owner disclosed that the AC was not working. I wrongly assumed the compressor but that was my fault for not being more specific in my Q&A at the time of purchase. I determined after a charge of the AC it was in fact the evaporator. After reading many threads on this topic I concluded that while DIY may be a daunting task, it can be done if you are patient and watch what you do. Therefore I took on the task and here are the results.

Monday April 24th, 2006 - 7-8pm. I spent 1 hour just doing the dirty work. Draining the coolant, detaching the expansion valve, detaching and removing the battery, then disconnecting all of the heat exchanger hoses leading through the firewall.

Tuesday April 25th-26, 2006 - 6:30pm - 12:30am - These 6 hours covered the disassembly phase. If you are using the CD manual, here is what I would change. Disassemble the blower housing from the engine side and remove the blower and wires prior to starting inside. You will save yourself a lot stress in getting the bulky airbox out without the additonal parts attached. Also I forced the driver side floor air duct leading under the seat a little too much and caused a small crack in the air box. Not a big deal, but noteworthy. I also started with the center console and then went to the main dash. The notes have you do that in reverse but I felt it was more efficient to do the center console first. Removing the vents required 2 picks and you work loose a side at a time until you are past the detent. Also be prepared for a little antifreeze on your front passenger floor as you twist the airbox out of it's space.

Wedenesday April 26th-27th, 2006 - 6:30pm - 4:00am - These 9.5 hours covered the evaporator replacement in the airbox plus the reinstallation of all interior and engine bay parts. I wanted to get this put back together while everything is fresh in my head.

Thursday April 27th, 2006 - 7:30am - 7:45am - hooked up evacutor and drew system down.

Thursday April 27th, 2006 - 5:15pm- 5:45pm - Evacuated once more and started charging first with 4oz oil then remaining charge of R134a synthetic. Charge held and pressures were good. I did add 2 oz of dye to have a jump on any future problems that might arise but so far no leaks.

The key to this whole project is focus and keep moving. There will be times you will feel like you are not making much progress, but just keep at it. This is a very rewarding DIY project that does NOT require any specialty tools and/or exceptional strength. I learned more about the car in those 16.5 hours and now feel very capable of tackling anything that shows up.