Aircon blockage?

[Cole]

My aircon is underperforming, all the controls work but the air is simply not cool enough (it is cooling, but not by much). The fan blows strong and my micro filter is not clogged. I also do not think the problem is related to the FSR as the fans work correctly. Aux fan also seems to be working.

I have taken the X5 to an indi to check the gas levels and he claims the gas pressure is fine, but he believes that I have a blockage in the system. He suspects the drier, but says that the drier and condenser are now one unit so I need to replace the combined condenser/drier. He also recommends that I replace the expansion valve for good measure.

My problem is that I am out in the sticks and the nearest BMW dealer is 800kms away. I can order parts but I am reluctant to get all these (expensive) items if they are not going to resolve the issue. Does anyone have any advice as to the likelihood of my problem really being due to the condenser/drier being blocked.... does this sound plausible?

[powers1]

You say the Indy checked the gas pressure as fine,but did he check the level!
It seems you maybe out of gas!If you had a blockage somewhere,it wouldnt block the whole ac system and you would still get cool air from some of the vents!
It may well be the condenser that packed in....but if I was you ,I would get a second opinion from another Indy!

[Cole]

Originally Posted by powers1

You say the Indy checked the gas pressure as fine,but did he check the level!
It seems you maybe out of gas!If you had a blockage somewhere,it wouldnt block the whole ac system and you would still get cool air from some of the vents!
It may well be the condenser that packed in....but if I was you ,I would get a second opinion from another Indy!

Surely if I had a blockage in the gas side of the aircon that was preventing adequate volume of gas getting to the expansion valve this would inhibit cooling, but wouldn’t all the air vents in the car then push out the same partially cooled air? I think my indi was implying I had a constriction in the gas system not a total blockage.

I was watching over the indi's shoulder when he did the tests... how would he determine gas level? He had relatively stable pressure on both his meters (whilst the aircon was running) but he "diagnosed" this blockage because the pressure on his "red" gauge was high and went slightly higher when the engine was revved and his "green" gauge went slightly lower. I don’t know if that means anything to anyone?

[cjawahir]

is the red guage high side over 200psi ?

What is the pressure on the low side ?




cj

[Cole]

Originally Posted by cjawahir

is the red guage high side over 200psi ?

What is the pressure on the low side ?




cj

I think it was 250 on the hi side and 30 on the low side... what does that mean?

[cjawahir]

hi , yes the high side is too high , your technician is correct .

restriction somewhere in the system .

cj

[Rondo]

I had this document and thought it might help.

[cjawahir]

Originally Posted by Rondo

I had this document and thought it might help.

as this document state the pressure is normal up to 308 psi on the high side , i think is very high .

maybe you can compare to another x5 in your country , because colder climate country the pressure on the high side will be lower .

cj

[cjawahir]

just talk to my dealer technician and he said the high side could go to 300psi , so Rondo is correct .
cj

[killcrap]

to properly diagnoise this, you must evacuate the refrigerant and measure the amount of r134a(not freon) it is normal for r134a to leak out over time, do not mistake a low charge to be a leak somewhere. re-charge the system with leak dye, and check for any leaks, if no leaks present. i would just replace the a/c schrader valves for good measure, the original ones will be copper color, the replacement ones are aluminum colored.

The dryer is replacable separately, the part number is 64536942025