kristin8788
4/24/2006 5:44:53 PM
My AC is not working. It is blowing air, but not cold air. It worked before heater season. I had my dad look at it (he is like a technological MacGyver) and I will try to relay what he said. "The clutch on the compressor is not engaging. He measured that there are 9 volts going to the coil, 12 is normal." I have no idea what that means but I thought maybe yall do. I would really appreciate any help! I figured I would give this a try before I take it to the dealership...which is like a 5 day waiting list!
kristin8788
4/24/2006 5:46:10 PM
Sorry, I forgot to put the model....1998 Mercedes SLK 230
snuzs
4/24/2006 9:04:20 PM
Kristin,
What part of Texas are you in? If you're in the Houston area, I can recommend a good shop that only works on high-end German cars.
Scott
Lugnut
4/24/2006 11:18:07 PM
It may just be low on refrigerant. Refilling it is a very simple DIY job for a MacGyver-type. The dealer would probably charge a small fortune to fill it. He can do it with a kit that costs about $20 from an AutoZone or such. They (Autozone) may even be nice enough to hook up a pressure gauge to see if it's low. Let them know that you want to know if it's low before you buy a refill kit from them.
Or, you can take it to a cost-friendly A/C service garage. Just a generic one. That should cost well under $100. Or, ask Scott for an address, though you don't need to take it to a "high-end German car" garage just for refrigerant, but you may feel better about going to a place like that.
kristin8788
4/25/2006 3:21:44 PM
Thank you for giving me some ideas. I will try to go to AutoZone and see if they can test it.
tancalvo
4/26/2006 8:48:22 PM
I would be careful about letting Auto zone touch your car..if its not ingaging it could also be that your compressor is seased...but take it to a mercedes mechanic or a certified a/c shop mercedes has a very complicated system..you could do more harm than good if you don't know whats going on..i had this problem too..
sleepwalker
4/26/2006 8:53:45 PM
was the "EC" LED light "on"?
Lugnut
4/26/2006 10:00:18 PM
You just hook up a pressure gauge to the low-pressure side of the A/C system. There's nothing "complicated" about it. You don't need a "certified mechanic" to do it. Any backyard mechanic can do it. The only "difficult" part may be locating the low-pressure valve.
Compressors won't engage when there's no refrigerant pressure. Checking for refrigerant pressure won't damage a compressor, nor will it further damage an already damaged compressor. Low refrigerant may not be the problem here, but it's the first step in resolving this problem. If the refrigerant level is not low and the A/C system needs repairs, I wouldn't ask AutoZone to do it. They wouldn't anyway.
If you don't know what you're talking about and are just trying to scare people into using a dealer because that's all you can ever figure out how to do, maybe you shouldn't "help". All you can add is that a "Mercedes mechanic" should be used. Hmmm.
... and it's seized, not "seased."
kristin8788
4/28/2006 4:41:13 PM
I definately wont let AutoZone "fix" anything. I will just do what yall said and let them check the pressure. Ive already had some moron at PepBoys blow my engine b/c they forgot to tighten the coolant hose (they were only putting in a new battery???) I really thank yall because I do not know anything about engines. If the EC light means "economy" mode, then no it is not on. That is what I thought it might be at first. Yall are probably getting the biggest kick out of me not knowing what the hell I am talking about, everyone on this site seems to be very car-savy. Thanks & have a great weekend!
No reply though