No AC after coolant work
 

Fired up my X5 after being down for 2 weeks. Replaced the WP/t-stat, a number of hoses and both belts. Unfortunately I now have no AC. I have plenty of airflow, it's just not cold at all. In fact it's colder if I turn off the AC. It was 71 on the test drive yesterday, and tested AC at 68 (normal set-point) and max AC, both reacted the same.

My first guess, since it's the only thing I touched related to the AC, would be the belt. I torqued the belt as much as I could with the N62's god awful set-up and believe it's fine as there's no squealing or any weird noises, so I think that's fine.

Engine does react to me pressing AC button, so something is happening. I'll be hooking up my gauges, hopefully today so see what's going on. Just a bit frustrated that I went from glorious AC two weeks ago, and then after two weeks, nothing.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I'm low on refrigerant.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...17737b089f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4de77ee11b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f6b4532a44.jpg

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I’d say so. Hopefully something didn’t get knocked during the cooling system repair causing a leak. It’s odd that it went from working to not working.

Dude, you have really been fuking this car up lately.
You start new thread every other week, "My Car is Broken"

You need to stop with your amateur BS and your Harbor Freight tools :rofl:,
and take this car to an actual Mechanic. (not you who just plays one on the internet). :yikes:

This is an expensive piece of vehicle, you need to stop your "hope and pray" repairs before you really mess this vehicle up ... beyond professional repair :rolleyes:

Just sayin' .... before it's too late :popcorn:

Which is what I consider odd as well but I don't see what I could've hit and why I was so confused. Oh well.

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Thanks for the input

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I disagree. The only way you learn is to get your hands dirty and try. That involves breaking things sometimes.

I think back when I replaced my brakes/rotors and rear shocks on my E36 when I was 17/18. I had no idea what I was doing, nor had the right tools. Now there is very little work I would not do myself.

There is no way I would be able to afford this car if I always had to take it to a mechanic and trust what they say.

Keep at it.

The only thing I dont do is AC/Freon- I dont have an evac machine.

You should spend the $90 and have someone evac that, test for leaks- then fill with the proper amount of freon BY WEIGHT. Add dye. See how it goes. Maybe add $50-75 for the freon you will need.

FWIW the tolerance on the fill is like 1.65lbs +/- 0.02lbs

+1

If A/C belt is tensioned properly and turning smoothly, next thing I'd suspect is a refrigerant loss. A quick YouTube review of normal low/high side readings suggest yours is low on both counts, but I don't know the spec for our vehicles.

Almost all A/C work I take to a shop.

You sound like a typical So Cal BMW owner. Last one I was chatting with was complaining about buying new tires because you have to buy special ones that are sold at BMW and they are expensive. :rofl:

Eh. I think you are being a bit harsh..... compared to some, nanni seems to be doing OK. Plus, its his car and he seems perfectly able to do his own risk analysis on what he is doing. (unlike many others)

(I'll change my mind if he just slams in two cans of freon and say "blows cold now"...:) )

But I do understand the sentiment.

I will also acknowledge Nanni's poise in response....:thumbup:

I didn't know my threads created such excitement, or implied I had no idea what I was doing. I really only create threads if I'm looking for more advice on what to do while I'm in the area or I can't get my hands on the car at that moment and would like some input so I can get a jump on ordering parts.

Other work I've done on the car has been fine. It's not broken. It's a sensor away (arriving today) and a trip to the AC shop away from being back up and running. I too started on an E36. On to my second one and they've been my DDs for the last 10 years, so I'm pretty used to near constant car work. Even with a smattering of Harbor Freight tools in my collection.

I will be taking it in for this job, and have them check for leaks because I'm still weirded out by how it apparently lost a significant amount of refrigerant in a short amount of time, and I very much agree that evacuating the old stuff and refilling is the right way to do it. But the gauge test did show it wasn't the belt, as the low side would've been higher if it was just the compressor not doing it's job as well as it should.

These cars don't make economical sense unless your willing to DIY. Keep getting your hands dirty :) I have to replace a thermostat in our Mini cooper this weekend... at 45k miles!

You should see the facebook groups on how to fix cars....people are seriously clueless.

They get the iDrive message saying Left Parking Bulb Malfunction and they ask what is wrong with the car! lol

Well we all know half a can is more than enough. :D

https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...28&postcount=5

Sweet handiwork.

:yikes::wow:
That's a new one.

Don't mind Jim OP. He's not the most "people person" I've run into on an automotive forum. Though, I must also commend your poise in the response. You are a better man than I.

Hopefully the system evacs and holds pressure for you at the shop. :thumbup:

I came across that when I joined and was browsing the site. :rofl::stickpoke Kids dont cut access holes in your cars.

^ I was very surprised more heads didnt explode with that one....

Id love to have his VIN.... slap it on a follow up post, let google do its job

:gun:

Ever read about ShervinRRR? Motorcycle guy who does some interesting "mods" to his bikes.

ZX-10R Owner Modifies His Bike, Making his Own Exhaust and Cutting Holes in the Frame - Motorcycle.com News

All good news:

Sensor o-ring was the only issue with the coolant work I did. Fixed and no leaks.

Mechanic just called and AC system has been holding vacuum for 45 minutes so doubtful there's a leak. He's going to recharge it with some dye so if it acts up again should be fairly easy to find the leak.

So you all can rest easy tonight that my X5 is broken no more [emoji14]

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:rofl:
Always great to get everything working and in good order!

I'll say. Wife is happy. Proud of the E36 for getting us through this troubling time.

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