I've decided to attack the failure of the A/C in my '93 240 because I was patently ripped off the last time I had some A/C work done at the most highly regarded shop in my burg. I have a fair knowledge of the workings of an A/C system, but I never wanted to tool up to do the work myself because I used to have a shop I could trust.

The car is a well-maintained '93 240 with 80 kMi on it. Before I bought it, it was serviced by the book at a dealer. I have a record that the evaporator was changed (at GREAT cost) because of a complaint of insufficient cooling. When I bought the car, the passenger side carpet would get wet running the A/C. I traced that to a crack in the evaporator cover. I guess the guy changing out the evaporator did not seat it properly and tightened the cover until it cracked. I managed to seal the leak with a careful application of butyl windshield glazing tape.

At some point, I had to pop in a new Pressostat; quickly and cleanly.

Now, the compressor has locked up solid. The A/C worked great for 5 years up until the moment the belts started screeching like all hell when the compressor locked.

My questions:

1/ Can someone provide me with a general road map in how to approach this problem on my own?

2/ Is it possible for the compressor to become hydro-statically locked?

3/ Right now it looks like I will need a new compressor and there are dozens being offered. Which is the best to buy?

Thanks, one and all,
Rich (near Pittsburgh)