Can 20 year compressor overheat the 20V?

[George Selby]

At 01:30 AM 7/31/2012, you wrote:
>It still does not explain, why other cars of similar age and 1.6-ish engines
>drive fine even with AC on.

Actually, any car I've driven with a ~ 1.6l engine and AC on from the 
early 90's could barely move under it's own power (VW Jetta and 
Toyota Tercel.)  You may not notice the difference because 
performance expectations are so low to begin with.  My 95 BMW 325 you 
can feel the performance difference, but overall the car still drives 
well.  My 93 MB 300E 2.8 (with some 30 more HP than the BMW) feels 
like you strapped on another 300E, and the engine temp is 
significantly higher (100C instead of 85C, particularly at 
stops.)  But man, the AC is ICE COLD in that MB, not as cold in the 
BMW.  We're talking meat locker territory.  The AC never worked in my 
former 89 200t.  My 88 F-250 with a 5.8L V8, you don't even notice 
whether the AC is on or off engine wise.  I think it's all about torque.


George Selby