Thanks for your thoughts benfield4. I'm rebuilding the airbox while I'm at it so have replaced the evaporator and expansion valve. I agree it would be very tough to get the expansion valve off the evaporator fittings with the evaporator in the car. They were really tight. Since the whole airbox is apart I was able to leave the upper fittings attached since a new unit is going in.

As it turned out I needed to check the position of the o-rings so with the evaporator out of the car I let the upper expansion valve fittings soak in some catalyst (like WD-40) which made them easier, but still extremely difficult, to remove.

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1984 300 SD 384,000 Miles