The Detailed E30 R-134a Conversion Thread/DIY

[mlytle]

I did upgrade my Photobucket account tonight so my pics will be back up soon!

Thank you!

[glucklich21]

It's a pain, but I have been re-sizing pics and uploading directly here for photos I would like to see last.

Where you been mang? glucklich21

Oh just being a miscellaneous adult now. I hope things have been well for you!

I sold the car I used to make the write up back in 2017 on BaT. I still have my S50 cabrio, but it lives in storage these days. If we end up buying a house this year as planned I will bring it home and maybe actually finish her (10 years of project hell).

I did upgrade my Photobucket account tonight so my pics will be back up soon!

[cory58]

I apologize for the bad pictures. I need to replace or rebuild the compressor on my Touring. Does anyone know which of the E30 compressors is pictured below?

Thanks, Cory

AC Compressor 1 by cory58f5, on Flickr
AC Compressor 2 by cory58f5, on Flickr

[marko]

Hi R3V, long time no see!

Hmmmmm I get mentions by my username and get emails now? Weird. Yes photobucket is trash, but also there weren’t a whole lot of options back then. I have over 3000 photos hosted with the jerks and that would literally take weeks to sort out. Let me see if I can rehost the photos for this thread on my personal site.

Totally get it photobucket definitely trash of highest proportion. If you have time to take a look, it’s def appreciated. Honestly even the blurred pics up now are better than the no pic.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Yes, the upper one is parallel flow.

The round tubes at each end feed each finned tube crossing the condenser... in parallel.

The black one is "long coil" style and you can trace only one or maybe two very long flow paths through the unit.

[Hoffbrohaus]

I'm getting ready to do this conversion and bought a Nissens 94172. I can't find any verbiage online confirming it is a parralell flow condenser but it looks like it is to me. Can anyone else confirm? https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/64538391509NIS Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[ForcedFirebird]

Hi R3V, long time no see!

Hmmmmm I get mentions by my username and get emails now? Weird. Yes photobucket is trash, but also there weren’t a whole lot of options back then. I have over 3000 photos hosted with the jerks and that would literally take weeks to sort out. Let me see if I can rehost the photos for this thread on my personal site.

It's a pain, but I have been re-sizing pics and uploading directly here for photos I would like to see last.

Where you been mang? glucklich21

[glucklich21]

Hi R3V, long time no see!

Hmmmmm I get mentions by my username and get emails now? Weird. Yes photobucket is trash, but also there weren’t a whole lot of options back then. I have over 3000 photos hosted with the jerks and that would literally take weeks to sort out. Let me see if I can rehost the photos for this thread on my personal site.

[mlytle]

Phenomenal thread that has been made exponentially less useful by the broken photobucket links

glucklich21 any chance we can get you to re-up the photobucket account? Apparently they've gone back to having a free tier for 250 photos. Or if there is a better way to host them.

In lieu of that, did anyone screenshot or archive this? Kicking myself for not having done that myself now.

yes, agree! awesome info at the start of the thread, but lack of pbucket account renewal has made it far less useful.

[marko]

Phenomenal thread that has been made exponentially less useful by the broken photobucket links

glucklich21 any chance we can get you to re-up the photobucket account? Apparently they've gone back to having a free tier for 250 photos. Or if there is a better way to host them.

In lieu of that, did anyone screenshot or archive this? Kicking myself for not having done that myself now.

[agisthos]

Maybe this has been answered in this thread somewhere.... but I just purchased a new E30 condenser along with 3 new rubber grommets for the A/C fan frame and... I dont think I can get them on without slicing them in half, or taking a grinder to the new condensers mounting points to cut a slot. Am I wrong about this? Can those grommets go on with hacking things?

[S.J.1981]

Well, everything installed, took it to a professional to test for leaks, do vacuum etc.

Machine was able to pull around 27-28 Hg, they suspected a leak, so they filled the system with Nitrogen and used a "sniffer" to check for leaks, none found. So they checked the system with UV light, since there was some in the system. Again none found, which was interesting.

Nice and cold air now, but the low speed condenser fan is not kicking in. We pulled relays and tested them, they are fine, we applied 12v to the condenser fan plug and it ran. So i tested the condenser fan resistor using this blog:

http://www.rtsauto.com/e30-aux-fan-r...ary-fan-types/

Low speed does not kick in, and clearly audible relay clicking. High speed kicks in fine, as well as the relay. So tomorrow a new resistor will be installed, will chase the wiring for any signs of cracks/corrosion etc.

Next week, the shop wants me to come in again to double check for leaks, we are all not happy with the low vacuum, but we could not find any leaks, could be the gauge or elevation or something else.

One last item, i ordered the BMW high pressure valve adapter: 64-11-8-363-260

It fits right on top of the R12 connection, no need to remove the internal valve, it just screws on and deep enough to allow the R134a quick connect to do its thing. It also clears the brace for the hood just fine. I could not find any dealerships selling this in Germany but one (Schmiedmann), so if you are having trouble finding a short HP R134a adaptor, this one fits and clears just fine, pricey though at €16 here locally.

[S.J.1981]

Has anyone tried the following adapters from BMW:

64118363259
64118363260

Only one supplier in Germany and MAYBE able to get it, otherwise NLA and all th ebay/amazon ones do not fit.

Is it also possible to use the new pipe from the IX/convertible models?

64538391040

That long extension maybe "thin" enough just to allow the hood brace to shut, otherwise everything is either NLA or incorrect length.

[jeffnhiscars]

I couldn't find a good pic on real oem but the blend door is controlled by the rotary temp dial to the left of the sliders. It sits between the heater core and evaporator and directs air through one, the other or divides it between both (hence the blend). When you're on max AC there's no water going through the heater core so it's moot and when you're on max heat you typically don't have your compressor running although if you do, you'll still get hot air AND the benefits of the ac's dehumidification (perfect in rainy climates in winter).

The door also triggers the heater control valve as you begin to turn it clockwise so the dial acts as an on/off valve for water flow. It's the door that actually determines the air temp coming in.

I'm sure crap can find its way in there or the cable can get sluggish. It in my case it was user error. I had replaced my evaporator and while there's a hole in the left side of the frame for the temp sensor, the fins themselves are not pierced so I Just shoved the sensor in and it punctured it way through the fins. Unfortunately, the probe is rather soft so instead of going straight in it curved off to one side, blocked the blend door and kept me from getting past about 2/3 on the dial. After a cold and uncomfortable winter (in NC) I pulled the sensor, used a similar diameter screwdriver to drive a straight new hole then reinstalled the probe and VOILA...heat !!

[Garemie]

What are the blend doors? Can't find any info on that.

Still not sure what these are.


If you're talking the sliders for air flow then I've checked those. It just seems to me that by design air will always pass through the heater core so if the heater core isn't fully shut off then this is a problem.