Hi All,

I had the A/C recharged upon purchase of my '83 300TD. It held suction so the local indy shop said they'd put leak detector in "just in case" and recharge it. It worked great for about three weeks...today, all of a sudden, I found a puddle of the leak detector on the driveway. Looks like it blew out of the front of the compressor. Any reason why this would come out all at once instead of leaking slowly??? I'm so aggravated...really like the car but I don't feel like dealing with this.

Also, if anyone is interested in a 1983 300TD (beige) with 213k on the clock, let me know. Bought from original owner. Engine was replaced within the last 2 or 3 years but they couldn't remember exactly when...local indy verified that engine looked newer than car and runs great! 35mpg on highway, between 25 and 30 around town. Floors and rockers were replaced at some point as they're rust-free but the body needs some work, especially the inside lower portion of the front drivers door. Pioneer stereo with 12 disc changer, had cold A/C until today!!! Not looking for a ton of $$$. Just enough to get me something else (wagon, preferably) to drive. $1000 maybe. New brakes, PA inspected last month. Any takers? Be good to convert to R134A or something, I guess.

while it certainly could have blown through the front seal, it could have opened up the overpressure vent that some compressors had. I wouldn't give up so easily. Heck, you don't need A/C at all in PA really. It's nice of course, but it's not a big deal. Roll down the windows and feel the .

__________________
'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

Thanks,

I'll end up replacing the compressor if I find a cheap one...just frustrating.

avoid a used one or rebuilt one unless you are prepared to go through this again,

A new one while more expensive is less likely to fail.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

I can sympathize.

I got in the SDL last night and the a/c worked fine for the first five minutes. Then, the compressor disengaged and it stayed that way for the remainder of the trip.............55 miles.

Got home. Shut it down. Started it up. Selected the button for engaging the compressor (middle button). BAM. Compressor engages and cools the cabin in about three minutes.

Damn Microsoft control system.

I'm not far from Camp Hill and believe me the A/C is a must around these parts...at times. 92 plus this week with humidity.

Cheers,

Bill

Thanks for sympathizing, Bill and Brian! Bill, any interest in a driver/parts car?

Yep, no A/C is bad around here in the summer. That's the reason why I don't just drive around in my BMW 2002 all the time...well, that and the feeling of driving a rollerskate with steel wheels!

I appreciate the input on the compressor regarding new vs. used, bonehd. I'll have to make a few calls...

Anything else I should replace while I'm in there besides the obvious receiver/drier? Perhaps I'll just let it slide for now...summer's almost over

Way too many people on this board have had negative experience with the rebuilt units....some of these people doing A/C for a living....

and used? well you never know what you got.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche