First off thanks for reading. I have never been a MB kinda guy but after my previous car was totaled by a complete (uninsured) jerk, I decided to let the wife choose the next car and she decided on a USED 05 C230 Kompressor.


The car has been PERFECT and I have LOVED every bit of it. When we originally purchased the car we were talked into the "FORD" warranty of some sorts. Not sure if its good but when we took it to the dealer less then a year after buying it to have them diagnose a tick, they found "many" issues and repaired them all. $6000 worth of repairs if I remember. I also remember them saying something about the AC, maybe compressor? I will find the documents and post tomorrow. That was early and the car has been a champ since then.

Well, the car just surpassed 100k miles as for a while it was our only car we used. We maintain it pretty well. With in the last 12 months I noticed that when I put the A/C on it would shut off by itself, with no real consistancy. It sometimes would happen once a week, and then go months without anything happening. It was annoying but not nearly anything I saw as an issue and to be honest it had not happened in last 2 months.

Well, one night I was on the way to my cousins house and half way there I noticed my car was unusually hot. I looked down and the A/C light was on, I could hear the compressor kick in, but I could not feel ANY air coming out. I turned the car off, started it back up, same issue. I felt maybe I had to leave the car off for a while, I knew nothing was overheating as I had not driven the car all day and it was night. After about an hour at my cousins I left and same issue, A/C light on but no air. Once again I can hear it turn on, but can't feel any air. So I head home and call it a night. Next day I wake up, A/C works fine. No issues at all. A few days later, same thing happens. This time during the day so I notice it a lot quicker. Later in day, issue resolved and A/C is perfect. It went a good 4 or 5 days with A/C working fine and just today it went out again, no AIR.

The huge difference between before and now is when the A/C cut off before the A/C light would go out and everything would shut off. Now, when I use it the A/C light is on just no AIR comes out. I tried AUTO and I tried DEFROST FRONT and nothing blows air. This leads me to believe something with the blower. If this is going to be something only a dealer can handle, Ill bite the bullet and take it to the dealer (or trade it in... *sigh*) but if there is anything simple I can check, or even complex that is doable with a little knowledge, I would love to try it first. I have read many things about possible issues with some type of sensor or controller that actually tells the blower how fast to blow. I am not sure but I just would like a little insight. Any help would be appreciated.

2005 MB C230 Komp, approx 103k miles.

 

The random shutting off of the A/C is a fault in the control module. My 05 has done it for years now. The contacts wear out on the dial where you turn the unit off. If you'll turn the fan speed on to a random number THEN press "Auto" it should be fine.

The other issue does sound like a blower motor. It is neither expensive nor difficult to replace, several on here have done it.

The warranty is expired now?

 

- clogged filter.
- Fan or fan controller failure
- Low refrigerant pressure causing auto shut down to protect the compressor.

You can't hear the compressor click in. It is a swash plate compressor with no clutch.

You probably mean that you are aware of the compressor loading the engine as the swash plate angle increases.

 

bringing up an old thread. does anyone have a DIY?