Got NO A/C and lucky me it's only been in the 90's with 90% humidity

My next door neighbor is an Army mechanic and is the captain of his squad. He is telling me to take the car to Wal-Mart or K-Mart and have them re-charge the A/C....

I know he's good at what he does, but may I have a few more opinions or is this an easy enough DYI?

Thanks

ToTheTop....come on now, noone has an opinion on getting A/C charged at Wal-Mart or K-Mart ??

i was hoping to get a DIY out of this.....anyone

There is no "quick fix" of DIY fix for this.

Getting it "charged up" is not the answer, becasue you don't know if it's low or not.
Get it fixed at an A/C repair shop or known good MB independent. Freon is not something to mess with in your home garage. Stay away from Wal-mart/K-mart....do I really need to tell you that?

Is the EC light on?

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2012 E350 Bluetech

First >> I hope the CAPT is not really in charge of a "squad"... hopefully a "Company" >> ok > enough of Army Talk \\

A/C talk >> In reviewing multiple posts of AC "issues" > unless you are really a skilled DIY'er and know AC systems > best to find a AC shop that knows Mercedes >> or a Mercedes Indy that knows AC...

There are multiple subsystems of the overal AC system that may be faulty... and unless you really know what you are doing > you're just pinging rndomly at the problem...

One guy noted that AutoZone has a VHS tape that discusses AC systems > might be good to get that > review it and see if you really want to delve into fixing the AC issue

Personally my 97 C230 AC systems is experiencing a AC issue >> it works fine some days >> and other days >>the HOT ones >> it blows hot air... why ?? beats hte hell out of me..

I just roll the windows down and suck it up .. Hell I drove 5 months in Baghdad when it was 120+ in a HUMMWV // I can drive in DC when it's 90+

I will get around to figuring out why my intermittent AC is though

good luck

If you're going to do any of your own ac work you need to acquire at the very least a decent set of gauges. The 96 c280 has onboard diagnostics which is accessed by using the buttons on your climate control unit. Do a search as there is plenty of information explaining how to access the system, how to attain the actual values and how to attain the error codes.

Here's both the Pushbutton Control Unit Diagnostics and what the meanings of the numbers are.

Hope this helps someone
_____________________________________________________________
NOTE --> These Diagnostic Trouble Codes will remain in memory even with the vehicle's battery disconnected.

FAULT DIAGNOSIS
1. IGNITION : Position 1
2. Temperature selector wheel : "LO"
3. Within 20 seconds press the REST and DEFROST buttons simultaneously for more than 5 seconds.
4. The LED in the RECIRCULATE button flashes and "dI A" appears on the display.
5. Press the AUTO button until all DTC's are displayed and recorded.
6. The current faults are displayed first, then the intermittent faults. "END'" is displayed when all codes have been
displayed.
7. To erase codes press v and ^ simultaneously for more than 5 seconds. The display will then show "---". Press
AUTO to cancel the erase.
8. IGNITION : OFF to end the test program.

FAULT CODES
DTC Readout Description

026 CAN Bus Communication
226 In-Car Air Temperature Sensor (B10/4)
227 Outside Air Temperature Sensor (B14)
228 Heater Core Temperature Sensor (B10/1)
230 Evaporator Temperature Sensor (B10/6)
231 Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor (B11/4)
232 Refrigerant Pressure Sensor (B12)
233 Refrigerant Temperature Sensor (B12/1)
241 Refrigerant Level
416 Coolant Circulation Pump (A31m1)
417 Left Duovalve (Water Valve) (Y21y1)
418 Right Duovalve (Water Valve) (Y21y2)
419 A/C Compressor Electromagnetic Clutch (A9k1)
420 Closed (Idle) Throttle Speed Increase
421 Pulse Module (N65)
422 Serial Interface Connection (K1) to Instrument Cluster (IC)
451 Diverter Flap (Y11/3)
452 Blend Air Flap (Y11/3)
453 Fresh/Recirculated Air Flap (Y11/3) Long Stroke
454 Fresh/Recirculated Air Flap (Y11/3) Short Stroke
455 Defroster Outlet Flap (Y11/3) Long Stroke
456 Defroster Outlet Flap (Y11/3) Short Stroke
457 Footwell Flap (Y11/3) Long Stroke
458 Footwell Flap (Y11/3) Short Stroke
459 Serial Interface Connection (K2) to Instrument Cluster (IC)
462 Wide Open Throttle (WOT) Position Signal - Diesel Engine Only
________________________________________________________

READING ACTUAL VALUES
1. IGNITION : Position 1
2. Set temperature selector to 72 degrees F.
3. Press the REST button for more than 6 seconds.
4. The left display will alternately show the number "01" and the (in-car) temperature.
5. Press the FAN button and the next component number and its value will be displayed.
6. Press the REST button to end the test program.

COMPONENT UNDER TEST
Number Component

01 In-Car Temperature Sensor with Aspirator Blower (B10/4)
02 Outside Temperature Sensor (B14)
03 Heater Core Temperature Sensor (B10/1)
05 Evaporator Temperature Sensor (B10/6)
06 Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor (ECT) (B11/4)
07 Refrigerant Pressure in Bar
08 Refrigerant Temperature Sensor (B12/1)
09 Not Used
10 Blower Control Voltage
20 Control Current for Auxiliary Fan exp. : 7 = 7 mA
21 Engine RPM. example 00..99 (x100) = 9900
22 Vehicle Speed
23 PIN 58D exp. 99.0 = 99% of Battery Voltage
24 Battery Voltage : 12.8 = 12,8 Volt
40 A/C Controller Software Version Coding
41 A/C Controller Hardware Version
42 Variant code 1
43 Variant code 2
50 Not Used
51 Not Used
52 Not Used
54 ON/OFF A/C Compressor emergency off signal from engine control module.
__________________________________________________________

Yes, if Captains are mechanics now, then the Army has gone through DRASTIC change compared to when I got out in 1971,

Have a great day,

Thanks for all the info.....and soooooooo soooorrrrrry about the army talk.....wanna talk forensic's? There I can talk

Anyway....thanks for the ideas as I will look for a shop to steal all of my money

OK..so the code 07 Refrigerant Pressure in Bar = LO

Does this mean that it's that simple, just needs Refrigerant

dealer says that the A/C system on the my car is all sealed and will run no less then $3400 to repair....can't just add freon, can't plug leak if you can find it !

$3400 A/C repair compared to $3700 trade in value.

Anyone in Iceland need a nice 96' C280

Wow...you guys are ruff.....why the heck are you people worried about darn Army talk when the guy needs to fix his car.....who cares if it's squad, company or freaking herrim.....

Yes, if Captains are mechanics now, then the Army has gone through DRASTIC change compared to when I got out in 1971,


WHO THE FREAK CARES ABOut YOUR ARMY TALK IN A FREAKIN TECH THREAD !!!

AND WHO CARES THAT SOME CHICK DROVE A HUMV AROUND IRAQ WHILE 120 DGREES.....THE DUDE NEEDS HIS A/C FIXED, NOT BASHED BY A COUPLE OF ARMY REJECTS

You'll be better off spending your time here trying to fix your A/C problem than flaming two year old threads...IMHO.
Dan

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2012 E350 Bluetech

AAB, this very old thread implies that the dealer won't even check the refrigerant level. Is there any truth to this?

I know that you have been told the same line, that everything is in "the box" that must be replaced as a unit. But refrigerant level?

Hey Forp....We are suppose to search threads before posting questions correct? And when you find a thread in your search where you think that you may receive some help and all you find are a couple idiots bashing the ARMY terms that were used...

Take a look at the thread.....over 1100 views and I bet some very dissatisfied members who thought they were reading a FIX, but were just reading gibberish...about ARMY terms....

So, IMHO, I was doing a search to fix my problem, found a thread with the SAME info, was excited ONLY to find two idiots talking about ARMY people and what they do.....THAT DOES NOT HELP ANYONE....That belongs in OPEN DISCUSSION....

So in short, your HO is one sided as you replied to the same post with nothing but gibberish and NO FIX and NO REPAIR KNOWLEDGE, just an opinion that others are going to see that HAS NOTHING TO DO with the guys problem...

ha