Hey Everyone, I got a 1985 Mercedes Benz 300d Turbo Diesel with a mess up A/C. When i bought it from someone The A/C Blew Cold but the Center Pods never blew cold air at all. now this year it needed a recharge with 134a, it doesn't seem like it wants to take the freon from the bottle, i shook it and everything.


Is there an easy fix for the center pods, i can feel the smallest air coming through it but it seems pluged? and how hard is it to remove freon from the system?

Could be vacuum pods or switch-over valves if you have cold air from the outer vents. As for not taking a charge, have you put guages on it to verify the system is empty ?

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Sharing my partner's 2012 Forte 5dr SX til I find my next 123 or 126..
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Do I miss being a service advisor ???

That is one thing i still need to do is throw a gauge on it. i looked on the sight glass for someone on the A/C on the left side of the benz and saw like this poopy brown stuff. i had really cold air from the outer vents, is there a way to switch the lines so i can get them coming from the center vents if thats the case?

Lack of cold air from the center vents is usually caused by a failed vacuum pod for those two vents. Replacing the vacuum pod is not trivial, I believe the dash has to be pulled to get at it.

However, it is fairly easy to disconnect the pod's lever from the flap and jam the flap open. That not only solves the cold air problem but allows you to have warm air there during the winter. I have performed this modification on my '85 300D Turbo and am very pleased with it. If you don't want air from those vents at any time, you can always close them individually.

If you want to do this mod, there are threads in this forum on how to do that. For example, see post #9 in this thread.

Jeremy

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

also, it may seem i have high pressure but and how can i tell if my compressor isnt working?

Poopy brown stuff ? Sounds like your compressor may be on it's way out. I'd evac & flush the entire system. I just did mine 2 months ago - compressor seized. I had to flush the evaporator & condenser. It was all "poopy brown".
If you remove the drivers side lower dash panel, the vacuum pod that controls the center vents is just above and to the right of the accelerator pedal. Use a hand vacuum pump to open it and see if it holds vacuum.

__________________
Sharing my partner's 2012 Forte 5dr SX til I find my next 123 or 126..
-
Do I miss being a service advisor ???

I dont Think my compressor is working, i know the blower is, and when i switch the climate control to heat ALL the vents work...

Could be switch-over valves then but the more-knowledgeable will chime in...

When I got my car last year, it only blew from the defroster outlets no matter the setting. It was 3 of the 5 switch-over valves.

__________________
Sharing my partner's 2012 Forte 5dr SX til I find my next 123 or 126..
-
Do I miss being a service advisor ???

I think you are on the right track with reference to your compressor. Do you know when it was convereted from R-12 to R134a? If the conversion is not right it will cause compressor failure. Check your low side pressure if there is none its not working and if the pressure is to high around 70 lets say, it will not let you put anymore in. Also you might check the clutch on the a/c to see if it is engaging.