Horror pics: Eveporator Repair

[ulrichd]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

OP was your car a daily driver or stored for periods of time?

Also do you use the fresh air or recirculate setting? Or the Auto-sensing setting?

Daily driver, a/c is usually in recirc mode except when it's hot after sitting in the sun.

[ulrichd]

Good news: car is back, ac works great, no squeaks or rattles in the dash.
Bad news: There is now a slight whining noise that seems to come out of the center dash vents. Noise level goes up and down with engine rpms. Def was not there before the repair. Back at shop

[Thunderguts]

Originally Posted by ulrichd

Good news: car is back, ac works great, no squeaks or rattles in the dash.
Bad news: There is now a slight whining noise that seems to come out of the center dash vents. Noise level goes up and down with engine rpms. Def was not there before the repair. Back at shop

Ground loop? Maybe one of the head unit wires got pinched somewhere. Ugh! I'd hate to trace that down.

[ulrichd]

Car is back and noise is gone

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by ulrichd

Car is back and noise is gone

What was the fix!! I have the exact same problem after a recharge.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by Lucky1

What was the fix!! I have the exact same problem after a recharge.

This. What was it?

[gjm120]

Originally Posted by ulrichd

Car is back and noise is gone

Who did you use for this repair? (I'm in the Houston area)

[PA135ii]

Mine has a small leak. I just get it charged once a year. But that picture is .... well... I'm going to have nightmares now.

[Gangplank]

Originally Posted by ulrichd

Daily driver, a/c is usually in recirc mode except when it's hot after sitting in the sun.

I'm wondering if it's leaving the setting in the recirculation setting that is causing it. It keeps it closed and traps the moisture in the system. I've noticed a musty smell now and then leaving it in recirc. which is why now I try to remember to put it to fresh outside air when I park.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

I'm wondering if it's leaving the setting in the recirculation setting that is causing it. It keeps it closed and traps the moisture in the system. I've noticed a musty smell now and then leaving it in recirc. which is why now I try to remember to put it to fresh outside air when I park.

Should never leave it in recirc for more than 5 mins or so. Even says so in the owners manual.

[ulrichd]

Originally Posted by gjm120

Who did you use for this repair? (I'm in the Houston area)

http://www.orionautoservice.com/

[ulrichd]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Should never leave it in recirc for more than 5 mins or so. Even says so in the owners manual.

Interesting, I didn't know that. I'll mix it up more from now on. I live in such a humid climate I just assumed it was easier on the a/c to cool the car with less humidity coming in from outside.

[Gangplank]

Same here living in FL humidity. I put it on recirc when I start it up & need to dehumidify. After that I try to remember to put it in fresh air mode.

[02Pilot]

There's something counter-intuitive about this recirc/fresh air discussion. If the system is kept in recirc it is processing air which is already cooled and has had some moisture squeezed out of it. It continues to do so as long as it's in recirc, meaning there should be less total water condensing out and having to be drained.

The only correlation between recirc and water being retained in the evaporator housing that I can think of would be after the car is turned off. If the flaps remain in the recirc position residual water may take more time to drain and/or evaporate. However, I've noticed that when the system is left on recirc when the car is shut off, upon restarting the system has gone into fresh air mode automatically, perhaps to avoid this very situation (this is speculation, as I don't know when the flaps actually move - at shutdown or on startup).

Am I missing something here?

[Happy Jose]

If you stay on the recirculation mode too long, the windows fog up reducing visibility.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by 02Pilot

There's something counter-intuitive about this recirc/fresh air discussion. If the system is kept in recirc it is processing air which is already cooled and has had some moisture squeezed out of it. It continues to do so as long as it's in recirc, meaning there should be less total water condensing out and having to be drained.

The only correlation between recirc and water being retained in the evaporator housing that I can think of would be after the car is turned off. If the flaps remain in the recirc position residual water may take more time to drain and/or evaporate. However, I've noticed that when the system is left on recirc when the car is shut off, upon restarting the system has gone into fresh air mode automatically, perhaps to avoid this very situation (this is speculation, as I don't know when the flaps actually move - at shutdown or on startup).

Am I missing something here?

Ya, missing fresh air.

[02Pilot]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Ya, missing fresh air.

But if the outside air has higher humidity than the cooled inside air, wouldn't that create more water around the evaporator? And isn't water around the evaporator what we're trying to avoid?

I understand that fresh air may help to eliminate residual moisture on the evaporator when the A/C system is turned off, but when it's on recirculated air would seem better than higher relative moisture content outside air.

[Gangplank]

I think it's a drain issue. When it's on recirc it's a closed system. When it's on fresh air open and can drain better. Just a theory.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by 02Pilot

But if the outside air has higher humidity than the cooled inside air, wouldn't that create more water around the evaporator? And isn't water around the evaporator what we're trying to avoid?

I understand that fresh air may help to eliminate residual moisture on the evaporator when the A/C system is turned off, but when it's on recirculated air would seem better than higher relative moisture content outside air.

You want fresh air for actual breathing. You don't want stale air and fumes building up inside the car. Modern cars are very air tight.

Best to have it on recirc for a couple mins to get interior temps down quick, then switch to fresh to maintain temp.

Or just put it in auto and let the car figure out what's best for air quality. It's why that setting is there.

[KNS]

Strange, On m E46, which as mentioned above has had trouble free AC since new, I’ve left the recirc turned on for hours on end on long cross country trips. I’ve done the same with the 128i as well.

I don’t live in a very humid climate so that might have something to do with it.

[Matt@EuroJerks]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

...Or just put it in auto and let the car figure out what's best for air quality. It's why that setting is there.

This is what I do. Should I not? Or does the "A" stand for A$$hat?

I am going to try to turn the a/c system off after long car rides a few min before I get to my destination to dry out the system. That seems like a good idea that someone mentioned.

[ulrichd]

Originally Posted by Lucky1

What was the fix!! I have the exact same problem after a recharge.

Re: engine noise through dash after repair.


Ulrich,


There is a cover that goes by the steering column that wasn't seating properly, so all the engine noise was coming in through here. I think it's number 6 on this diagram...

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=32_1515


The steering column was lowered to remove the dash but it wasn't completely removed. I think the tech didn't realize this had come undone from where it clips on the firewall side. He showed me where he snapped it back in place under the dash.

- Marlon