djmacc

My wife has a 1998 E 320 and as it warmed up this spring I noticed that the A/C only works when you first start up the car. Occasionally you can get it to work for longer periods but when it quits blowing cool air you have to shut the motor off and then restart and usually it will blow cool for a while. The fan works fine in side the cab and the controls all seem to work fine. When it blows cool it seems to be very cool so I don't think it has a low charge. Could the compressor clutch be sticking?

vettdvr

Sounds low on freon. Put gauges on it take readings at start up and then running. My guess is low freon.

djmacc

Thanks, is R 134-A compatible with these systems?

djmacc

Well I tried it and the gauge is at 45 and according to the filler kit that is on the high side of full. So when you start up the car the compressor starts right up with no noise or apparent problem. The vents discharge plenty of cold air almost immediately and then for some reason the compressor quits the pressure on the gauge jumps way up and the cold air turns to warm. Any other ideas would be appreciated.

djmacc

For what it is worth I noticed a couple of other things. If you shut off the car remove the key and restart the car the compressor comes on immediately. The twin A/C fans come on as well. At first they come on at high rpm and soon afterward they slow down a bit until the compressor quits and then they shut off as soon as the compressor quits. Should they run a while to until the coil is cooled down or is it normal to shut down with the compressor?

djmacc

bump