Air Con 2013 W204 C63

[rorwoolley]

Hi people

Air con stopped working and A/C light started flashing recently. Went to benz for a service, they said it has COMPLETELY lost pressure/charge and needs a new condenser due to corrosion.
I'm an industrial fridge engineer, so I've replaced the condenser myself and recharged.

My problem is now that the compressor is not starting, I've checked the fuses, but that's it so far.

Basic OBD reader isn't showing any DTCs.

Does anybody know if after a complete refrigerant loss you need a dealer level diagnostic tool to reset the system or something similar?

Thanks a bunch in advance.


PS if any one can point me at a relay I should check for the compressor etc, id be grateful

 

[DSM10000]

Some MB AC systems need to be reset after refilling.

Star is probably required although iCarsoft or other scan tool may be able to do this.

 

[kevthefire1]

my new to me 2012 E250 air con did not turn on, the button just flashed but didn’t stay on,
I just had it re-gassed at a non Merc garage and they said it had no refrigerant or oil in the system but after being refilled it works fine so far fingers crossed that no damage has occurred, but no reset was required.

 

[DSM10000]

my new to me 2012 E250 air con did not turn on, the button just flashed but didn’t stay on,
I just had it re-gassed at a non Merc garage and they said it had no refrigerant or oil in the system but after being refilled it works fine so far fingers crossed that no damage has occurred, but no reset was required.

Why was it out of refrigerant and oil?

 

[mioba]

probabaly never been regassed, they lose a fair bit each year, if a leak, you know in the next 3 days

 

[kevthefire1]

Why was it out of refrigerant and oil?

It was out of oil in the refrigerant (lubricating the system I believe) and I have no idea why because I only got the car a week ago…

 

[kevthefire1]

It was out of oil in the refrigerant (lubricating the system I believe) and I have no idea why because I only got the car a week ago…

The system has 20cc of oil and 590g of refrigerant according to the report I got with the re-gas

 

[mioba]

AC needs refilling about every 6 years to keep correct temp and perfect I have found.
Do leave it running all the time otherwise seals do dry out = leaks.
When you have it running all the time you will also become acclimatised to it and know when its not working.

 

[MrGreedy]

There is no way to tell how much oil is in an air con system except by measuring how much you PUT IN when the system is new. After that, it's educated guess work at best.

The oil coats the inside of everything, and it is impossible to remove all the oil so the system is completely dry and perform some sort of quantitative measurement on what has been captured. E.g. how could you be sure all oil was recovered from the condenser (radiator)?

If some leaks out through a fault/damage to a component in the system, you have no way of knowing how much was lost.

On the other hand, e.g. if the compressor stopped working but DIDN'T have a leak, and was replaced, you could split the compressor, drain the compressor and measure the oil recovered. Add a few extra CCs for good measure and top up the system when fitting the new compressor, and you would be pretty close to the original requirement.


If an air con company was pretending they could tell me exactly how much oil was remaining in an open/damaged system, I would be immediately be looking elsewhere for someone who can be honest.

 

[MrGreedy]

The system has 20cc of oil and 590g of refrigerant according to the report I got with the re-gas

This might have simply been what they added back? I would expect about 600g of gas and about 80-150ml of oil for a new system at initial fill (obviously, the gas number will need to go back in every time, because decent air con shops weigh out the gas via extraction, then add back in starting from zero gas).

 

[Sam12]

How difficult was it to replace the condenser yourself? Which unit did you replace it with, was it OEM or aftermarket? Mine has leaked all its 134a last week