It is getting Hoooooooot here in Houston.

My A/C does not seem to be up to the task. I have a '97 M3/4.

I set the thermostat to 60 on both sides(or set the manual setting to full air) and the damn thing barely works. It basically turns on sporatically and shoots cold air at me about every two minutes or so but it will not maintain a cool flow.

Am I out of freon or something??

Please save me..... I'm melting.....

TechnoV

Is your aux. fan running?

To be honest I am not sure. Does the aux fan blow non-A/C air? I just went out to my car to check it out and of course the A/C was working fine as was the non-A/C air. I have no recollection of the aux fan not working but in Houston it is rarely cold enough to need any heat. All that I really need the thing for is A/C when it gets hot and I haven't used it for months.

When it doesn't work, there is no air hitting me I can tell you that. I think that the heat works fine. It is just that the A/C is sporatically working when the car is running and it is 10,000 degrees outside.

There's a diagram on the bottom of the fuse box lid.

Check every fuse related to A/C. (including aux fax)

For my car this didn't fix it. Next I changed the A/C belt thinking it might be slipping. Nope, didn't do it either.

Finally I bought the $20 R-134A recharge from Pep Boys. It had the low pressure side gauges with it, and my car was a little low. Gave it a recharge and now it blows friggin cold.

YMMV

Hope this helps,

remember people. u need to run your ac at least once a month to keep the compressor gaskets in good shape. this is where most leaks occur and hence the low pressures. have your pressures checked and make sure both your condensor fan is blowing and blower for your vents. remember that auto ac's are not charged by pressure but by freon weight in ounces. thes sytems like ice machines are sensitive to the amount of freon in them.

Well who'd of thought we'd be needing our A/C so desperately over-night-like, in April? [i.e. at least for those of us living North of the US border] 3 days ago it was below zero Celsius (32 F) and today it reached 30¼C (~85¼F)!

When I bought this car used in March it was during a snowstorm. The temp was well below freezing. Never thoght to check the A/C.

So to the point: I can't seem to get any cold air at all out of the vents. The fan pressure is good, just no cold air arrives--even after 5 minutes with fan on 4 setting. I assume no refrigerant left.

Does anyone have experience with having a '93 318's A/C refilled with refrigerant (whichever one it is now)? What's it typically cost?

I understand that I'll probably be required by law to convert my A/C's refrigerant to whichever refrigerant is now approved. [I'm in the Toronto area in Canada, may make a difference].

Any advice much appreciated.

HJR:D

Okay guys. I changed the microfilter and topped off the refridgerant. The same problem continues to fry me(literally). I have installed a water cooler in the car to stay hydrated with all of the sweating.

The A/C seems to work fine when I start up in the morning but after about 5 minutes of driving it shuts off entirely. Then it sort of tosses out a burst of cold air every 3-4 minutes. Could it be the internal temperature sensor on the back of the A/C control console?

Help!

Technov

did u move your temperature controls all the way to cooling. if u did and it still doesnt cool it could be the temperature sensor thinking the air is already cold.

Yes my settings are on full max air in every way possible.

Has anyone replaced the A/C thermostat? Any FAQs or procedures posted?

Thanks,

Technov

check the aux fax fuse?

Yes I went through all of the fuses. I actually found one that was bad for the fog lights and I replaced it. But nothing was wrong with my ac fuses.

Someone noted something about a slipping belt. Is that common? Would the A/C work intermittently if that was the problem?

I am semi-suspecting the A/C thermostat and/or fan. I am curious if anyone else has had a problem with it in the past.

TechnoV

i'm a fellow houstonian plagued w/ this searing heat....my a/c blows alrite, but it's not blowing cold! wut kind of freon should i be charging my system w/ ? and which valve should i be pumping it into? and how do i check for a leak besides taking it to a shop for them to use a dye? i read somewhere that you can't check the pressure, as the system could be filled w/ air...is this correct?


thanx guys

hkrobotics ---> who is the hunni in your aVaTar?

I'm speaking from my Ford experience, but AC ahould be AC. It sounds like you are low on freon and your low pressure safety switch is cycling the compressor on and off. That is why you feel the cold air for a minute, then the switch cuts the compressor off. THIS WILL BURN YOUR COMPRESSOR OUT!!!! Don't run it until you add freon to the system. You can buy a gauge for $5, and for about $20 you can get freon, conditioner/sealer, and the necessary tools to charge your system. Being a '97 you should have the 134A, which is the current legal freon. You can get it at the local auto parts store... HTH :)

Matt

Originally posted by pikachu
hkrobotics ---> who is the hunni in your aVaTar?


Its his GF






You can buy at target a 25 dollar 134a recharge kit

comes with the guage, freon, hoses, fittings, etc
i tried it in my 318.. didnt help any -- I also had a monster fan on it

my 328s is so-so... better then the 318 but nothing compared to my sisters maxima.. I am going to get it looked at by my mechanic soon

I am going to see about a tint specifically for filtering out sun/heat.. I think theres actually special tints that are not very dark but filter out more then the dark tints

Seek professional help :)

Seriously, any competant AC guy should be able to diagnose your problem. It isn't worth driving around in the sweltering heat, and spending all this time. If it isn't serious, he can have you running for less than $50. If it is, well, then it will cost more. Either way, the pro is the way to go in this case.

Bernman (still betting the system is low on charge ;) )

thanx for the replies guys...sorry for my late reply i was changin isps this week

i think i have that R-something freon for my car...will the 134a connector not fit the R freon? and which valve should i be pumping it into? there's one in the front of the engine bay, and one in the rear. and how much psi should i be at? mine starts at 90, but then it fluctuates and drops down to about 40 w/ the car and AC running


again, thnx for the replies. i'm a cheap DIY guy, so takin it to the shop would be my absolute last option

i wished the girl in my avator was my gf! her name is BoA and u can find lots of pics at bjunkyard.com

hk= what yr and model bmw do you have? some car makes had earlier models that have r-12 still, and didnt convert until later in 95 when r-12 skyrocketed to like $4 an ounce. the low side is where u recharge at. the suction(low side) lines or tubes are larger in diameter than the high side of the system. its true if air is in the system (or other non condensables), your pressure readings will be off. besides these systems are critical to being charged by weight for better performance unlike regular building units whcih are charged by pressure and temperature relations since outside air temperature varies grater than than the temp of your engine bay.

jesus-(competent hvac tech:D)

95 318i

i have a big jug of 134a freon....is my car needs r12, will the 134a connector fit on my car? b/c i'm not sure what my car needs and i don't want to blow up the AC...and how much freon should i put it?

Go look under your hood.. it will say what refridgerant you need

R12 and 134a dont mix.. the fittings dont fit each other either..

If its R12 you cant do anything yourself basically

Thanks for all of the inputs guys. I am going to have to take it to a shop. I had the freon topped off a week or two ago. Still hotter than hades.

I'll let you know.

TechnoV

134a requires special hoses too and the fittings are also fatter. i would think you have 134a just like my 93. id get a leak test first cause there isnt any use putting any in if it will just leak out. this also helps the system from scking in moisture which is a big killer of compressors since the oil and water create a "sludge" when mixed. it is best to release (actualy u have to recover it to meet epa requirements)what else is left in there and then put in the proper amount of refrigerant as stated on the sticker. if there is a hole u will also get the false readings. just aheva local shop check it out for like $20. if you have your own refrigerant it will save you some money since that is pretty much the extra cost of the job, unless they find and repair any leaks. there are a lot of replacements for r-12 in whcih the oil type doesnt have to be changed, but from 12 to 134 different oils are used.

This A/C info is very helpful everyone!

I checked under my 93 318's hood and the sticker says use only 134. Would that mean the coolant unit has already undergone some sort of conversion?

My mechanic says he has the 134 refrigerant so that's available. However, I have not yet done a leak test, which does seem to be a good idea before any attempt to refill. Any other things I should look to before replacing the refrigerant?
--
Hud R.