Seeking help: Air Conditioner issue

[nyc525iTe34]

Hi,

I have 1993 525i Touring (e34) and was hoping someone could offer some quick problem solving. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.


The problem:
When the Air Conditioner is on (and snowflake AC button is pressed) the fan works but there is very little (if any) cool air. I tried running the AC for the first time this spring and was unable to get any cool air after running it for 1 hour (while driving). About 6 months ago I replaced the resistor pack and that seemed to correct the fan issue I had. Would you have any idea of what is causing the AC to not work properly?

Not sure if this is related but during the winter every time I put the heat on I would hear an initial click (once) and then the heat would go on perfectly fine. Is this related to the AC? Compressor related?

Possible solutions:
* Refrigerant - maybe the solution is as easy as simply replacing/recharging the refrigerant. The car is old and i'm not sure when the last time the refrigerant was replaced (or indeed if the refrigerant has to ever be replaced).

* Low freon?

* Replace the compressor - maybe the problem is with a faulty compressor (might this account for the initial clicking I hear when I put the heat on?). Perhaps the compressor clutch is failing to engage when i turn the ac on?

* fuse?

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

I'd get it hooked up to a guage manifold and filled with some freon and dye, to check for leaks

[632 Regal]

does it blow air? can you hear the fan?

[nyc525iTe34]

Yes, the fan works on all power settings. I replaced the resistor pack about 6 months ago to correct an earlier fan issue.

I am hearing a noise difference when I press the snowflake AC option but no cool air comes out. The air is not hot when the ac is on either.

[SRR2]

Does the compressor run when you turn on the a/c? You know that if it's cold outside, the thermostat in the plenum won't turn on the compressor. I'm not sure the exact set point, but it's probably somewhere around 50F.

Refrigerant does not wear out. Freon is a Dupont brand name for one type of refrigerant.

[nyc525iTe34]

In response to SSR2 - the temperature was above 50F yesterday when I tried running the AC. I am not sure how much above 50F it was but the temp outside could possibly be the cause of my lack of AC.

Today will be about 68F so the AC should kick in today. I have to drive about 2 hours so I'll give an update at the end of the day to let you guys know if the problem is sensor-related.

Thanks!

[pgrindstaff]

The other day I noticed that my AC did not work. The fan comes on but thats about it. I pressed the snowflake button and nothing changed that I could tell. I'm thinking that the system needs to be charged but I am unsure if a 530ia manufactured in 3/93 uses R12 or R134a.

Thanks for the help

[ThoreauHD]

I went to the shop today having the same symptoms you do. They quoted me $1800 for a leak on low side A line and at the evaporator. Need to replace evaporator, rec/drier, and a/c lines.

Talk about make you feel sick.. ehh.. I wish there was a cheaper way to fix the thing.

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Parts are reasonable, just need to understand basic refrigeration.

Do the work and have a shop do the evacuation and recharge.

I'd fill it with some refrigerant and dye to make sure you catch all the leaks before buying any parts.

[Bill R.]

a group of cfc's not just one refrigerant.. virtually all of dupont's refrigerants carry the tradename freon such as r12,r22,r500,r502 etc, etc. And actually the compressor will run if its cold out such as in the defrost mode for the windshield, it will just short cycle since the suction pressure will be so low at a lower ambient and the head pressure will also be way down

Does the compressor run when you turn on the a/c? You know that if it's cold outside, the thermostat in the plenum won't turn on the compressor. I'm not sure the exact set point, but it's probably somewhere around 50F.

Refrigerant does not wear out. Freon is a Dupont brand name for one type of refrigerant.