My E30/S52 has working A/C, but currently is only running a 16" SPAL pusher fan in front of the condenser that cools both the condenser and the radiator. I don't have a puller fan in front of the radiator because of space limitations. The SPAL fan runs full time with A/C on but is thermo activated otherwise. A/C cools fine in general, but when temps get really hot outside it really struggles to blow cold. Is it safe to assume that it would perform much better if I had a dedicated puller fan in front of the radiator as well? I'm seeing a SPAL fan listed that only has a 2" depth that I could probably fit in there as a puller. Curious if this would make a huge difference for A/C performance? Thanks in advance!
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'90 325is/S52
'76 2002
'74 2002tii
'06 325i sedan
'05 X5 3.0i
'86 Alfa Spider Veloce -
Originally posted by RenaissanceMan View Post
make sure the rest of the system is up to par to begin and properly charged. you don't want to go installing fans when the issue could be elsewhere.
earlier e30's did not come with barrier lines. e30's all ran R12, if you are running R134 you may have to swap the lines out. R134 will slowly leak through the R12 lines. later e30's did come with barrier line, change happeining sometime late in 88 or early 89, but it's hit and miss for a few production months on who got what. there are R12 replacements available, but they seem to perform with mixed results. if you get new lines, they come standard as a barrier.
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A good way to confirm a cooling issue at the condenser is if you're getting noticeably cooler temps while driving at highway speed.
I know it's not accessible to everyone, but the best way to easily diagnose any a/c issues is when you're looking at the pressures in the system.
Struggling to cool when ambient temps get up there could be something as simple as low freon, or even too much freon would cause the same thing.Current Collection: 1990 325is // 1987 325i Vert // 2003 525i 5spd // 1985 380SL // 1992 Ranger 5spd // 2005 Avalanche // 2024 Honda Grom SP
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The AC systems on E-30 are not sized for really hot weather. I have two of them and live in Arizona. As long as the outside air temp is below 100 they work well enough but when it is 108 or more, leave a lot to be desired. Both are converted to R134 and at least one has a replacement expansion valve for R134. One limitation is that at OAT above 108 the compressor may shut off on over pressure if the system has a little too much fluid. Both are 1990 model year. For sure more air flow does help. One of mine has bad bearings in the electric fan so I had its fuse out. When I put the fuse back in it did cool better. More air flow will definitely help.Originally posted by RenaissanceMan View Post
BobBob in ArizonaComment
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Really need a pallel flow condensor for R134, matching expansion valve, and a more modern compressor.
I dont think the factory clutch fan and aux fan can keep the condensor cooled down enough. A 16" spal certinally wont be up to the test.Comment
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In my old m52 swapped 318is, I cut off the threads on the end of the water pump (where the fan clutch would thread to). That freed up enough space to fit the thinnest Spal fan I could find. The part number is in my build thread somwhere. It BARELY fit between the water pump and the m42 radiator. But, it did fit!
I changed almost everything in the A/C system - parallel flow condenser, R134A expansion valve and pressure switch, new drier, new o-rings. For some reason, I never really got great performance out of the A/C system after I did the m52 swap. I even had a reman e36 OE compressor. I don't think mine was charged correctly.
'90 325i - 5 speed coupe
'05 330ci 6MT ZHPComment
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Something else is wrong, probably low refrigerant. Since you only have a pusher fan and the condenser is at the front of the stack, AC should work just fine, with engine temps suffering in traffic because a 16" pusher probably really isn't enough with a good AC system dumping its heat right in front of the radiator. E30 AC systems in good working order are adequate for your climate if your profile location is to believed, because I know they're adequate for my climate. Humidity really makes your system work harder to do the same job, the latent heat of condensation means that all of that moisture condensing on your evaporator is adding an extra heat load to the system. A heat load which when rejected outside doesn't really lower the air temperature in the car, but at least it does make perceived temperature feel lower. Get some manifold gauges and check the pressures at idle and 2,000rpm, that will tell you a lot. If the pressures are lower than they should be, put some dye in your system and start looking around with a UV flashlight. They sell pressurized cans of dye infused oil which you can push into a charged system to look for leaks, indispensable for us hot weather dwellers... If you have to open the system to repair a leak you may as well upgrade to a parallel flow condenser while you're at it. I know I will next time my system has to be opened. If you do have to do all of that, remember that pulling a good vacuum for a decent amount of time and changing the drier is mandatory. You won't get good performance with even a completely new system if there is moisture in it, and when you open the system up in the south you are going to get a decent amount of moisture in it.
Even in my car, with only three 12V server fans blowing through my condenser, the AC keeps up in traffic unless I've had the car parked in the sun for a while before hitting traffic. If it has been baking in the sun the whole interior is an oven because my car's body reaches over 160° and the AC simply can't remove enough heat from the cabin in a reasonable timeframe until I hit the highway. A parallel flow condenser would be a nice improvement since not only does it present more surface area to airflow, but the restriction to cooling air flow is also lower.
IG @turbovarg
'91 318is, M20 turbo
[CoTM: 4-18]
'94 525iT slicktop, M50B30 + S362SX-E, 600WHP DD or bust - updated 3-17Comment
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Thanks so much for the extremely helpful replies! A few things worth mentioning:- Temps are cooler at highway speeds.
- When I did my swap I installed a brand new E36 compressor, expansion valve, drier, and o-rings. Running R134.
- There are no leaks at the moment
'90 325is/S52
'76 2002
'74 2002tii
'06 325i sedan
'05 X5 3.0i
'86 Alfa Spider VeloceComment
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Parallel flow is a must in the 134 conversions. I've done a lot of AC repairs in e30's, vent temps with the stock condenser is in the upper 40's, low 50's, even when comp jumped to run full blast. The parallel flow will freeze the evap if the comp jumped.Comment
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Is there a specific one you’d recommend that fits an e30 well?Originally posted by ForcedFirebird View Post'90 325is/S52
'76 2002
'74 2002tii
'06 325i sedan
'05 X5 3.0i
'86 Alfa Spider VeloceComment
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Did you check the links in the beginning of the thread? I've bought them from Worlpac, eBay, and even Amazon once. Haven't found any brand better than the others, just be weary, they are made in China, so some will come with the brackets riveted on backwards, and the aluminum threads disappear quickly if you cross-thread.Originally posted by RenaissanceMan View PostComment
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Don't see any links posted in my thread... I will try a search.Originally posted by ForcedFirebird View Post'90 325is/S52
'76 2002
'74 2002tii
'06 325i sedan
'05 X5 3.0i
'86 Alfa Spider VeloceComment
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Ugh. Helps if I put a link, derp:
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