W211 E class AC problems

[Rhys]

Hi all;

New to Marc ownership, and just recently bought a 2008 320CDI. When I view the car the AC was not working (red light flashing). The seller got the ac working upon collecting however I suspect it was a "simple gas refill". Now after a few days the driver side is warm but passenger side still cold. I have done some trawling and looks like this could be low gas issue, which would suggest I got a small leak.

I have tried to look for codes on the AC unit by following instructions on line, however my AC seems different to most (presume because face lift?). See pic below:

DSC_0068 by Rhys Hodge

Can anyone help, as would like to get confirmation its not something else before I get it refilled again and leak test done properly.

 

[AMGeed]

If you are getting cold air on one side, the heater control valve may need changing. About £30 for the part. Not a nice job to change yourself though with very limited working space.

I'd get the A/C pressure tested first, and if that shows no leaks, suspect that valve.
Don't take it to a main dealer though. You'll spend a fortune on diagnostics.
Find yourself an independent Mercedes specialist nearby and use his expertise to diagnose and repair.

 

[Gbrowncls55]

Mine had cool not cold air from one side and warmer air from the other when the gas was low. Refilled and all fine again for a month or two until it got low again and the same thing happened. Leak test and subsequent new condenser plus refill fixed for good.

 

[Rhys]

Yes, that sound like a similar issue, will ring around a few places today to see how much a leak test is.

Wanted to see if I could run the diagnostic on the unit first to see if reading came up with low pressure. However my AC units seems different to the majority... Presume because a face lift model.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Mine leaked when it was running . It held pressure otherwise. You need icarsoft mb2 to read ac gas pressures. Youll also need it reset once gas is refilled if the red light starts flashing.

 

[Gbrowncls55]

That's correct . Mine would not work even after refilling until I notionally cleared all codes in the a.c. Section on my mb2 even though there were no fault codes. Low pressure ( flashing red light) switches off compressor to avoid damage running dry. Clearing all a.c. Codes even if there aren't any resets the system. Or at least that's what happened with mine.