Retrofitting Aircon - Revision history

Grrrmachine at 07:46, 26 February 2018

2018-02-26T07:46:29Z

Grrrmachine at 07:45, 26 February 2018

2018-02-26T07:45:09Z

Grrrmachine at 16:14, 27 July 2013

2013-07-27T16:14:14Z

Grrrmachine at 14:42, 14 July 2013

2013-07-14T14:42:28Z

Grrrmachine at 20:13, 17 June 2012

2012-06-17T20:13:13Z

Grrrmachine at 20:10, 17 June 2012

2012-06-17T20:10:18Z

Grrrmachine at 18:26, 17 June 2012

2012-06-17T18:26:00Z

Grrrmachine at 20:31, 16 June 2012

2012-06-16T20:31:12Z

Grrrmachine: New page: Almost every modern car comes equipped with air-conditioning these days; a feature that you take for granted, until you step into an E30 and realise it's not there. To help you ...

2012-06-16T08:46:12Z

New page: Almost every modern car comes equipped with air-conditioning these days; a feature that you take for granted, until you step into an E30 and realise it's not there. To help you ...

New page

Almost every modern car comes equipped with [[Aircon|air-conditioning]] these days; a feature that you take for granted, until you step into an E30 and realise it's not there. To help you cool your sweaty brow, here's how to get your chill on in an E30.
__TOC__
=Components=

You will need the following parts to hand before you begin this installation. While many of these parts can be sourced from scrapyards and donor vehicles, we highly recommend purchasing new parts (*) in some cases.

* Aircon [[Heating#Heater_Matrix|heater matrix]] containing [[Aircon#Evaporator|evaporator]] with fitted [[Aircon#Expansion_Valve|expansion valve]]
* Aircon-compatible [[Cooling#Radiator|radiator]] with temperature sensor
* [[Aircon#Condenser|Condenser]] and [[Aircon#Fan|fan]]
* [[Aircon#Compressor|Compressor]] and bracket
* [[Aircon#Receiver_Drier|Receiver Drier]]
* [[Aircon#Pipework|Pipework]]
* Aircon Loom

=Installation=

==Heater Matrix==

The Heater Matrix, which contains the evaporator, is the most cumbersome part of the installation since you need to remove the [[Interior#Dashboard|dashboard]] to do it. So that we don't repeat ourselves, learn more about [[Changing_the_Dash|removing the dash here]].

With the dash out, we need to drill some holes into the bulkhead from the evaporator drain pipes. Three holes are needed

==Condenser and Fan==
[[Image:AirconCondenser.jpg|400px]]

The condenser and fan mount in place in front of the existing vehicle radiator, which means you will have to remove the radiator to get to it. You'll also need to disassemble some of the front grille so that you can see what you're doing.

With the area clear, you can feed in the condenser and fan. The assembly will bolt to the slam panel

[[Image:AirconCondenserFan.jpg|400px]]

==Compressor==

Next we move onto the compressor. First thing is to install the mounting bracket, which is bolted to the side of the block on the [[Exhaust|exhaust]] side, like so:

[[Image:AirconCompressorBracket.jpg|400px]]

Then offer up the compressor with its adjuster bracket, and fit it loosely. Then you'll need to install and a new belt on the middle groove of the accessory belt pulley. Unfortunately this will mean removing one of the existing belts; if you're not sure how to do that, learn more about [[Changing_Belts|changing belts]].

[[Image:AirconCompressor.jpg|400px]]

==Receiver Drier==

==Pipework==

==Wiring==

Most of the wiring is plug and play; the sockets only fit one way. But there are a few areas that can be quite tricky. For example, this:

[[Image:AirConWiring1.jpg|400px]]

This mass of spade connectors hangs loose from the end of the Aircon Loom, and it's not immediately obvious where it goes. The answer is the [[Fuse_Box|Fuse Box]]: you need to open yours up and feed those wires into it, according to their positions in the pictures below:

[[Image:AirConFuseBox1.jpg|400px]]

[[Image:AirConFuseBox2.jpg|400px]]

[[Image:AirConFuseBox3.jpg|400px]]

To confirm these wires:

*Thick Black/Green is Fuse 3
*Thick Black/Blue is Fuse 18

*The two small black wires in the space on Relay K1
*The small Brown wire (earth) in the space on Relay K6
*The small Brown/Black wire in the space on Relay K6

You will also be left with this black connector, which comes off the loom near the Aircon Switch:

[[Image:AirConWiring2.jpg|400px]]

It plugs into a special connector next to the main engine [[ECU]], which sits under the [[Instruments#Dash_Cluster|instrument cluster]] on RHD cars. Pop off the knee panel under the steering column and you'll see the ECU and connector easily enough.

@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 [[Image:AirconPipework2.jpg|400px]]
-The pipework will also include the [[Retrofitting_Aircon#Receiver_Drier|receiver drier]], which is located
+The pipework will also include the [[Retrofitting_Aircon#Receiver_Drier|receiver drier]]. The receiver/drier slots into a circular hole in the metalwork just behind the headlight, so punch the blanking plate out and slip the unit in, then run the pipe back to the compressor.
 ==Condenser and Fan==

←Older revision		Revision as of 20:13, 17 June 2012
Line 14:		Line 14:

	=Installation=		=Installation=
		+
		+	Installing Aircon is a very involved process. A large portion of the [[Interior\|interior]] needs dismantling, as well as the process of leak detecting and charging the system once complete. We recommend allocating three days in total for this work.

	==Heater Matrix==		==Heater Matrix==

←Older revision		Revision as of 20:10, 17 June 2012
Line 65:		Line 65:

	==Receiver Drier==		==Receiver Drier==
		+
		+	The receiver drier is mounted within the pipework, and is a sealed unit. It bolts to the car body by the compressor.
		+
		+	If you are fitting a second-hand system and do not know the age of the receiver drier, then it is heavily recommended to purchase a new component since these parts are so sensitive to moisture.

	==Wiring==		==Wiring==

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 [[Image:AirconDrain.jpg|400px]]
 Once the holes are in place, the heater matrix can be fitted in place. Don't reassemble the interior yet though; we still need to deal with the [[Retrofitting_Aircon#Pipework|pipework]].
@@ Line 66: / Line 68: @@
 ==Wiring==
-Most of the wiring is plug and play; the sockets only fit one way. But there are a few areas that can be quite tricky. For example, this:
+Two different types of factory fit aircon loom exist. One type is basically separate from the rest of the engine bay loom, and is relatively simple to remove and reinstall. There's a small 5 pin connector inside the fusebox, and a few fuse and relay terminals that need to be clipped into the fusebox.
 [[Image:AirConWiring1.jpg|400px]]
-This mass of spade connectors hangs loose from the end of the Aircon Loom, and it's not immediately obvious where it goes. The answer is the [[Fuse_Box|Fuse Box]]: you need to open yours up and feed those wires into it, according to their positions in the pictures below:
+To reinstall, you need to open up your own [[Fuse_Box|Fuse Box]] and feed those wires into it, according to their positions in the pictures below:
 [[Image:AirConFuseBox1.jpg|400px]]

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 * Aircon [[Heating#Heater_Matrix|heater matrix]] containing [[Aircon#Evaporator|evaporator]] with fitted [[Aircon#Expansion_Valve|expansion valve]]
 * Aircon-compatible [[Cooling#Radiator|radiator]] with temperature sensor
-* [[Aircon#Condenser|Condenser]] and [[Aircon#Fan|fan]]
+* [[Aircon#Condenser|Condenser]]* and [[Aircon#Fan|fan]]
 * [[Aircon#Compressor|Compressor]] and bracket
-* [[Aircon#Receiver_Drier|Receiver Drier]]
+* [[Aircon#Receiver_Drier|Receiver Drier]]*
 * [[Aircon#Pipework|Pipework]]
 * Aircon Loom
-* Compressor Oil (PAG-46 for the standard BMW-Seiko unit, 8 fl. oz.)
+* O-rings (refer to realoem.com for part numbers and quantities)*
 =Installation=

@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 [[Image:AirconCondenser.jpg|400px]]
-The condenser and fan mount in place in front of the existing vehicle radiator, which means you will have to remove the radiator to get to it. You'll also need to disassemble some of the front grille so that you can see what you're doing.
+The condenser and fan mount in place in front of the existing vehicle radiator, which means you will have to remove the radiator to get to it. You'll also need to remove the plastic shroud that fits in front of the existing radiator, so it's best to disassemble some of the front grille so that you can see what you're doing.
 With the area clear, you can feed in the condenser and fan. The assembly will bolt to the slam panel

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 The Heater Matrix, which contains the evaporator, is the most cumbersome part of the installation since you need to remove the [[Interior#Dashboard|dashboard]] to do it. So that we don't repeat ourselves, learn more about [[Changing_the_Dash|removing the dash here]].
-With the dash out, we need to drill some holes into the bulkhead from the evaporator drain pipes. Three holes are needed
+With the dash out, we need to drill some holes into the bulkhead from the drain pipes. The main hole is located on the transmission tunnel on the left hand side; curl back the carpet from around the foot air vents, and you should see an oval shape cut into the sound deadening. This is where the rubber drain hole needs to be:
 ==Condenser and Fan==
@@ Line 41: / Line 63: @@
 ==Receiver Drier==
 ==Wiring==
@@ Line 66: / Line 86: @@
 *The small Brown wire (earth) in the space on Relay K6
 *The small Brown/Black wire in the space on Relay K6
 You will also be left with this black connector, which comes off the loom near the Aircon Switch: