Dear Brick lovers:

My 1987 240 GL is overheating with the AC on when I'm in traffic. When I shut off the AC, put it in neuteral, and hold the engine speed at 1500 to 2000 rpm, the temperature goes down to normal. If I turn the AC back on, it goes up again. It seems to cool OK on the highway with the AC on, but the temperature needle is higher than it was last year. Yes, I've topped the coolant off.

I believe the culprit is my fan clutch or the supplementry AC fan not cutting in. I have found no mention of the fan clutch or the supplementary fan in the owner's manual, or for that matter, in the Chilton book I have [Which does not cover either the cooling system or the AC system!].

1. How can I determine if my fan clutch is working, and if it's not, if the problem is the electrical relay that locks up the fan at a certain temperature or the fan clutch itself? Where is the fuse for the fan clutch relay?

2. Where is the suplementary fan for the AC? [I assume there is one.]

Where is the fuse for it?

3. Could air pockets in the cooling system be the culprit? If so, how do I get rid of them?

4. Will low freon make the AC run hotter?

5. Where can I get a shop book on the cooling/AC system for the 240 GL?

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

Bob Glotzer

PS: Hell of a car otherwise!