Hello folks:
I was so proud of my retrofitted AC on my benz. Now its grinding all of a sudden. Tried adding 2 oz of oil no use.
I have 2 Questions.
1. How difficult is it to change the compressor as DIY project.
2. Do you think its ok put a generic bur NEW R4 or should I go and find the AC Delco.


I am not going to put the rebuilt one so dont even go there. Please give me a suggestion to above 2 Q.

Thanks

MVK

__________________
One penny saved is three penny earned.

1985 300D Turbo 179,000miles

Before you trash it be sure to see if maybe it is only the clutch on it doing the grinding...
Is it still cooling ? What exactly did you do on the retrofit ?

By " change the compressor " you are meaning to a different style/type/configuration ? Where is yours located on the engine right now ? high/low/driver/passenger sides...

Compressor on the 240d and 300d is a DIY project. If it is cooling and holding a charge I would take Gregs advice and look at the clutch. You also need to check the pressure and make sure you are not over charged and make sure the belt is tight. My 300d compressor was kind of loud using 134a, 240d sounded like it was was going to fly apart. Can't hear either running duracool. Head pressure is about 1/2 with 12a vs 134a.

Its was retrofitted at home by using the kit. Change HP and LP ports, and charged with the new oil and some r134 ran good for 3 yrs. It had a small leak from last 4 yrs sop i just kept adding the r134 one can every summer along with a little oil. It was never lod and it just started today.

Location. Its lower, on driver side below the steering fluid reservoir. Its never modified. Its on its OEM location and yes its is the OEM compressor( AC- Harrisons).

No I dont want to change the location or the type.

I think its the compressor but how would i make sure its not the clutch.
Yes it cools but a little less now- after the new noise event.
I have no major leak as I have the green dye i there and its not visibily leaking.

No belt is fine. System is not overcharged.

Where should I start.

MVK

__________________
One penny saved is three penny earned.

1985 300D Turbo 179,000miles

If you need a new compressor or other AC parts for a W123, let me know... I have some sitting in the garage and have no use for them.

Once grinding has occured it will be very important that you flush all parts of the system when you put it back together... and it may help with getting the proper amount of oil since you will not have any in it after a flush..so you can measure exactly.... although I am not convinced that the engineers have done a good job of providing ongoing ways of determining how much oil should be in the system or if it is in the proper place...I have read that any coolant leak takes oil with it... so after several years of a small leak maybe you finally got low enough for it to effect the compressor... however, it could have just worn out, particularly with the higher head pressures with the 134a.....
Since you are not trying to change the mount this should be a diy job... not fun , but possible.... check out acsource.com and aircondition.com for lots of answers ....

I had to almost remove the compressor on my 300d to change belts. Lets just say it was a PIA. It is a straight forward job, not something you need a degree for but I'm glad I don't have to do it every day. You will have to put the car on ramps and have some good wrenches. Plus won't hurt to brush up on your german swear words as this the only thing these cars seem to respond to

Thank you all for the tips. Thank God it died on me at the end of the summer. So I have some time to decide. But one thing for sure i have not been using it since it started grinding. I dont want to make too much particulate matter in the system.

Thanks again.

MVK

__________________
One penny saved is three penny earned.

1985 300D Turbo 179,000miles

MVK: Sent you email. Thanks for your interest.

If you're lucky, it is a clutch air gap problem. Go to www.aircondition.com then click "straight to the board" at the top. Post the question and you should get an intelligent reply shortly.

Good luck,

My AC compressor on my TD just started grinding. Have refilled a leaky freon too many times and probably lost all the oil. Can anyone let me know how you get oil in there?

thanks

dp

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There are two ways of getting oil into the system... one is that they sell pressurized cans with "oil charge" in them,so it goes in the service port (schraeder valve in 12 systems, the quick connect fittings in 134a )... or , when you have a part off the system you can just pour (the correct) oil into it...

They say , if you take a part off , you should measure the amount of oil in it and put that much back into the replacement part.. but if you have lost oil due to freon leak I do not know how one properly determines how much oil to put back in....

Some compressors have a dipstick to measure the amount of oil which is supposed to be in the 'crankcase' ... but that is in addition to the oil which circulates with the freon and lubes the top end of the compressor....

I wish someone would tell us how to do this right...