Can a 10 year old A/C Compressor still work?
 

I'm getting ready to repair the air conditioning on the '84 300D and 300TD.
Both car's A/Cs heve been chargeless for several years, & the wife is not happy.
The TD is a no brainer...the compressor is locked up and obviously needs replacement. The 300D compressor has had the belt off and not turned for 10 years. I crawled under it and noticed it is not locked but turns with some resistance. Is it worth fooling with (purge,evacuate,charge) or should I just order a new compressor?
Thanks

ive heard that if you do not use the compressor it will starve of oil and lock up. my van hadn't had a charge in about five years and i decided to recharge it one day and the a/c blew supercold but the compressor was very very noisy. after three days of cool a/c in 100 degree weather the refrigerant leaked out and i didnt want to waste any more money on it so i never got to find out how long the compressor would have lasted. my guess not long. as i become a little more educated on a/c as i go i would probably replace the compressor anyway because if you take the time to properly repair the a/c and use the old compressor it might take a poop on you and blow all the "black death" all over your system making repairs previously made useless. on the other hand proper repair procedures might prevent the black death.

If the systems was SEALED and pressurized over that period of time I might give the old one a whirl.

Otherwise, no.

Get thee a new compressor. Even if the damn thing still works, be prepared for Mr. Murphy's law to kick in.

I'd say yes it will, even after 15yrs of serving.
Be aware that only overheat and turning on the AV while speedy will damage the AC compressor. This is my personal experience.

Can a 10 year old compressor still work?

Not sure I understand the question. But mine still works fine after 18 years and 92,000 miles. Still an R12 system too.

Mine too, 18 years old and 88K :) .

btw: my other Benzes did not have a/c in the first place.

mine died at 24 years old & 160k-looks original, it might be worth trying the old one, but if you get any weird noises or leakage I would change it before it contaminates the whole system.

His has not been run for ten years.

Thanks for the feedback. The system has been unpressurized for several years.
I've heard a lot about the 'delicate nature' of the R-4 units. I see the Nippondenso was used on later 300Ds...perhaps it can be retrofitted to my older cars.

If you try it and it fails you need a new one,If it dose not then you are money ahead