330itis 15 Report post Posted January 7, 2007 ITS REALLY HOT! (finaly) And my aircon doesnt work. (and it gets so dam hot on the black leather... dam leather!) I have had it recharged, and I have tried 3 diferent control panels. Looks like the pump doesnt even turn on... are there any typical faults on the system i should check? Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jammasterjames 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2007 My AC packed in also sometime since last summer... recommend keeping some Koolaid, sugar and ice water....that's how we do in tha hood... Anyone know if its worth it to take out the A/C for weight reduction purposes? easy to do? this ***** and his hoes have put on a few pounds in the holidays..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted January 7, 2007 A/C is worth its weight in gold! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
318isCoupe 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2007 So does the aircon panel not even turn on or function when there's no gas in the system? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
318isCoupe 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2007 There are 2 fused power feeds to the Air con control unit , one is hot all the time and the second is active with the ignition in start / run mode Both are 5 amp fuses should be fuses #23 wire colour is green with blue stripe at fuse and green yellow out of control unit and #31 colour is red with yellow stripe -31 should be live at all times. These are both in the underbonnet fuse-box? Mine has a habit of sometimes turning on, sometimes not, sometimes turning on then turning itself off around particular corners.. thinking it's a loose wire somewhere.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
318isCoupe 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2007 Yes , under bonnet fuses Sounds like a connector or damaged wire somewhere. Get the panel sorted and reliable then start looking at what is happening- like does the magnetic clutch operate When it turns on it runs fine, It just doesn't usually turn on (the buttons have backlights that are on at the same time as all the other interior lights.. but they don't function and the panel doesn't turn on most of the time) so I'll have a poke around this afternoon and see if there's anything loose or damaged. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
318isCoupe 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2007 Have the aircon panel sitting on my lap at present. It must be getting power somehow as the little cooling fan on it is running. Guessing it's probably some loose wiring inside the unit itself? All the connectors are fine.. There's a large blue plug with a dozen or so wires coming out of it.. a smaller black plug with two black wires and a white wire in one sheath coming from it.. and a small yellow plug with a green wire and a brown wire leading to the small cooling fan. There's a blue socket for a plug with nothing attached and no loose plugs floating around in the dash.. I'm guessing it's loose wiring in the unit as it sometimes works sometimes doesn't and its obviously getting power no problem due to the fan running. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
318isCoupe 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2007 The air con system has 7 power supplies in total, the two I mentioned are JUST for the control unit, the little aux fan is to move cabin air over the Interior temperature sensor. Sounds like the problem is in the 2 supplies Sounds like you have an electrical fault in either the wire or connector they are really hard to find, you can run a temporary feed from the power distribution to the unit (via a suitable fuse) and see if that cures it. I'm thinking it's just the control unit at fault as the system has gas pressure and works fine when the control panel is working.. It just turns itself on and off and most of the time doesn't turn on at all (the screen doesn't light up and pressing the buttons has no effect..) So should I try running another power supply to the aircon panel? switched from ignition or constant? and to which wire? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted January 8, 2007 I'm thinking it's just the control unit at fault as the system has gas pressure and works fine when the control panel is working.. It just turns itself on and off and most of the time doesn't turn on at all (the screen doesn't light up and pressing the buttons has no effect..) So should I try running another power supply to the aircon panel? switched from ignition or constant? and to which wire? Problem quite probably the control panel -common problem, can be fixed here: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...on-83779790.htm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
318isCoupe 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2007 Problem quite probably the control panel -common problem, can be fixed here: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...on-83779790.htm Cheers. Didn't see any burnt out solder or anything so I'm guessing that It's buggered. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted January 8, 2007 Cheers. Didn't see any burnt out solder or anything so I'm guessing that It's buggered. Probably repairabe, I have used this guy through work to fix them sucessfully. This is after I have looked inside too without seeing any sign of failure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
318isCoupe 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2007 Probably repairabe, I have used this guy through work to fix them sucessfully. This is after I have looked inside too without seeing any sign of failure. So you send Him your aircon panel and if He can fix it you pay Him $100? Or do you send Him your aircon panel and $100 in exchange for another aircon panel that's been repaired Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted January 8, 2007 So you send Him your aircon panel and if He can fix it you pay Him $100? Or do you send Him your aircon panel and $100 in exchange for another aircon panel that's been repaired Either or - I have had the same one returned after repair but I think he also does on exchange basis. I have sent them from work & not gone through TM but same deal either way. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
318isCoupe 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2007 Either or - I have had the same one returned after repair but I think he also does on exchange basis. I have sent them from work & not gone through TM but same deal either way. Thanks for that. Will probably be getting Him to sort mine out then. What sorta time is turn-around on repair? as if it's more than a couple of days I'd rather try and get an exchange than a repair.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
318isCoupe 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2007 Your opening post says that you have had 3 panels plus you have regassed it 3 times If this is the case then it is unlikely to be the panel unless you have been very unlucky. However getting one known good panel will eliminate the possibility and allow you to track down the real fault if not cured. I'm a different person than the one making the first post 3pedals.The only aircon problems I've had have been the aircon panel being inconsistant with turning on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted January 10, 2007 Thanks for that. Will probably be getting Him to sort mine out then. What sorta time is turn-around on repair? as if it's more than a couple of days I'd rather try and get an exchange than a repair.. Turn around? - Quicker than my reply to you - sorry A couple of days or so - very efficient Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
330itis 15 Report post Posted January 10, 2007 THANKS 3PEDALS! very helpfull info. sounds like your on the money. I will chek everything tomorow. I hav 3 control panels siting here but Ive regased it only once. When i swaped the motor out the gas was let go. so it was bone dry empty. I have a complete e36 wiring loom here and ive been through every wire and cant find what the fault coud be. wher is the pressure switch located that detects if there is gas in it? is it in the dryer bottle? THANKS HEAPS! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
will 169 Report post Posted January 11, 2007 The pressure switch is on the dryer bottle, but it is a combined high/low pressure switch... it detects both a low pressure and a high pressure situation and won't allow the compressor to activate if either situation exists. You can have high pressure if the system is overcharged or you have a blockage, low if you are low on gas. The person recharging the system needs to know what pressure the system operates at to ensure that he doesn't over-gas it. I would first check the compressor clutch is operating, just put +12v to the clutch coil wire and see if the clutch engages. If it does, check that either the low or high pressure is not activated on the switch. If this doesn't produce anything, you will have to check the control panel. If you suspect control panel, manually engage the clutch by putting +12v to it, start the motor and see if the pipes to the compressor get hot/cold. Do not run the compressor for long as it can burn out if there is no gas in the system. The pipes will quickly change temp if there is gas in the system, but will take longer if the gas is low. If you get a high pressure reading from the pressure switch, do NOT engage the compressor. Without the proper equipment, it is rather difficult to properly diagnose problems, I would recommend that you take it to a professional if you don't find a simple problem. I used to do aircons and can tell you that it can be difficult even with the right equipment sometimes, especially with the modern computerised systems. Will Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
geoffp 0 Report post Posted January 23, 2007 Cheers. Didn't see any burnt out solder or anything so I'm guessing that It's buggered. This is a common problem caused by a faulty capacitor in the aircon unit. See this link for details on how to fix. http://www.macadamizer.com/bmwfix.html I can do it for you if you don't mind shipping your unit around the country. Or drop it in if you live in Wgtn. I'll charge $50 for time and materials plus any freight costs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
318isCoupe 0 Report post Posted January 23, 2007 This is a common problem caused by a faulty capacitor in the aircon unit. See this link for details on how to fix. http://www.macadamizer.com/bmwfix.html I can do it for you if you don't mind shipping your unit around the country. Or drop it in if you live in Wgtn. I'll charge $50 for time and materials plus any freight costs. Thanks mate! what's freight from Tauranga to Wellington likely to sting me for one of these? about $10 each way? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
geoffp 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2007 Thanks mate! what's freight from Tauranga to Wellington likely to sting me for one of these? about $10 each way? Yeah, by parcel post $10 tops I would think Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
