Hey guys,

It's summer again, and as per usual, it is an oven inside the 560SEL. Last year, I had my Freon filled, and the mechanic told me he believes my compressor is on its last legs. I'd definitely agree, and I also believe there is a leak somewhere goin on in the system. My question is, which brand compressor should I replace this one with? Denso seems to be the general consensus elsewhere, but I prefer your expert opinions

Also, where are the most common ports for leakage? I'm figuring 1-1.5 G's on the repair; is that about right?

Also, my viscous fan clutch is shot and spins all the time, as well as my Aux fan not spinning at all. Interestingly, my engine does NOT overheat. What brand clutch should I procure for the R&R? Also, the FSM doesn't seem to have a procedure, is it the same as a GM? I've done of those before in a truck a few summers ago.

Thanks a lot guys,


Carlen

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1987 560SEL (210,000 miles)

Stick with the original compressor..Denso

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Just thought I'd throw this in. Was chasing a leak in my '91 420 SEL. Thought it was the dreaded expansion valve as there was green dye on the lower hose ends, and the carpet, and lower dash cover. Replaced the expansion valve (not really that bad) had the system juiced up. Found dye on the small lower expansion valve hose. Turned out the hose from the filter/drier to the expansion valve had two tiny pin hole leaks on the rubber part from the false firewall into the cabin. Since it runs down hill it collected right at the metal fitting at the EV. Anyway if you think the expansion valve is leaking, you might want to check the hoses first.

My .02--- Find a competent, honest a/c tech. One that can "read" the gauges, understands the correlation between pressure vs. temp. and also factor humidity. One that knows the "flow" of the refrigerant through the system. Have him/her service and dye the system. Have the leak repaired. If you in fact need a compressor go with the denso. Fan clutch will affect the cooling capacity of the system, i'd go with a behr clutch. Also have secondary fan checked for proper operation......
Then we move inside.. Make sure you have proper air-flow control ie: the "dreaded pods", blower, temp door etc......

Done deal; if it's OEM then I'm buying it. I generally stick to OEM, and if not, high quality German brands. My logic is that if it lasted 20-25 years already, who's to say it can't do it again?

Thanks,

Carlen

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1987 560SEL (210,000 miles)

I'll definitely take this into consideration when I have the guy run dye through the system; I wanna get this done right the first time Especially because it's ridiculously humid for CT summer right now.

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1987 560SEL (210,000 miles)

-I have a guy who's a few towns over that did marvels on my mom's E430; cleaned and repaired the entire system in a day. Granted her issue was merely the Expansion Valve...

-My foot flap is already giving me lip, and my defroster vent is always open too. I'm just saving up the cash to rip the dash off, change everything I have to in there, and then put in a crack free dash and be done with it. The blower was the most obnoxious thing I've had to remove and replace in this car. I make Gerald Ford look poised, and my acrobatic skills didn't exactly aid the process.

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1987 560SEL (210,000 miles)

Also had a problem with one of my aux. fans. Had to nudge it to get it going. Removed them out the front. Had to take the bumper off. Anyway, cleaned them, oiled the bearings and both have been runing fine for months. Did the same on the blower motor. Still running.
Its a quirk on these cars, but some air always comes out of the defrost vent. And when it's hot and humid you get condensation on the outside of the windshield. I replaced all six vac. pods and rubber hose ends. You can do it with out removing the dash. At least on a '91 420 SEL.

Good luck.