E30 w/o AC from the factory: What does it take to add?

[Luis A.]

Hi guys, my first post here. A bit of background. I'm an E9 and E3 guy and have owned a Euro E21. I am considering some 325iX Tourings from Europe that do not have AC and I'm interested in knowing what it would take to add AC to such a car.

Let me baseline everyone by saying that I have installed AC from scratch on my E9, which didn't have it from the factory so I have a good idea of the arduous nature of a job like this. Answers like: "Why don't you find one with AC?" is not what I am looking for... ;) I am fully tooled and familiar with how to make hoses, pull vacuum, charge R12 or R134, etc. So this isn't so much a question about all that goes with successfully installing an AC system, but rather what it takes to add it to an E30.

Has anyone installed AC on an E30 that had no AC from the factory or is there a DIY thread somewhere? Wondering about what parts are required and the extent of the work required.

Thanks in advance!

Luis

[cory58]

Luis - members here have definitely installed A/C in their Tourings. If you don't get a response to this thread, try posting in the Touring section.

[roguetoaster]

Beyond the obvious hardware (the entire HVAC box, lines, condenser, compressor/mount, misc sensors) you may need the entire wiring setup. On the 318i tourings I've had they did not appear to have any wiring for A/C, I didn't check the 324td or 320i. I do have a suspicion that 325ix models may have had the wiring from factory as they were often sold at higher specification levels.

I suspect that the easy way to do this, if an ix touring does not have wiring, would be to get a junky/crashed US spec car and transfer over components/replace as needed. Alternately, I assume that there are still new aftermarket setups floating around in Europe that would probably be totally adequate for Wisconsin summers.

[TobyB]

+1 for donor car. Maybe something rear- ended. Or at least, a fresh dropoff at the pull- a- part.

I have a non- AC sedan, and everything under the middle of the dash is different.
There's not all that much AC wiring (my parts car had AC, so I compared 'em)
but all the plastic is different.

It's a dash- out job, and you'll have to take the plenum apart under the hood,
but beyond that and some big- ass drills (or chassis punches) I wouldn't think
it'd be all that much worse than a dashboard change. Personally, I'd pull the windshield,
just because then you can crawl all over it. And anyway, a nice new windshield is so...
nice!

If you do it, save the non- AC heaterbox- parts for it are hard to come by in the US, and some of
us like how little room it takes up under the dash.

Certainly not a dealbreaker on a touring, for sure.

t

[Luis A.]

Thanks for all the helpful replies guys. I'll let the group know what I end up with...

[Das Delfin]

Many of the A/C components are either specific to r134a, or are so old that they need to be swapped anyway. About the only thing I could grab would be the mount fo the compressor to the block, the hard lines, the soft lines (which you'd want to have rebuilt), and the snowflake switch. Take the compressor too if you are going to have it refreshed. If not then buy a new one that is compatible.

You are going to want to get a new condensor, pressure switch, dryer, evaporator, evap sensor and its regulator. The hoses you get are specific to the compressor. Bosch compressors have different outlets and aren't compatible with hoses made to fit a Denso.

the touring will probably already have the wiring there