Have heard to get an all copper evporator to prevent corrosion.

I would investigate this as doing this job twice would make people sad.

The ACM evap that I use was all aluminum and the OEM one I removed was aluminum and cooper.

$3000 on my E420 about 2 years ago. Included new vacuum pods whule dash was out

__________________
95 E420 ( 76K) SOLD
85 380SE(125k)
95 SL500(72k)

I've done the evap swap once, on my own car. I concur with Ron's assessment. It is not actually a difficult job. Just a large number of parts to disassemble and reassemble. There are no impossible to access fasteners, nothing requires 300ft-lbs of torque to break loose, and you don't have to stand on your head while working on a component you cannot feel but not see. Shoot, you barely even get your fingers dirty.

I broke one $3 piece of trim when doing this job on my then 16 year old car. I'd rate it as low risk of damage.

Something in the range of $2000-$2500 seems to be the median cost. Below that I'd be worried about the job being done correctly, above that I'd get another quote.

- JimY

On the 140 the job is a "dash out", not partially but totally. I would not let anyone who has not done the job at least once at it. The newer "evap" is smaller and needs a filler panel. My local MB dealer does not let anyone do it, 3/4K is a pretty good price mine was 2k and they split the cost of the parts and labor. they also replaced the dryer, some questinable hoses some sensors and other items.
Just remember when they are in there it is easy for the mechanic to go to the parts counter, and ask his buddies for advice and help.
Can it be done yes, labels, pictures, and a lot of time. The carbon filter is under the windshield wiper mechanism.

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.

Hey Greg, any progress on this?

__________________
2012 E350
2006 Callaway SC560