E30 Zone

The air con has not worked since I have had the car (6 months) I had it regassed but it didnt seem to make any difference. The manual says if its not operated every month the seals dry out. What is the best way to pin point the problem ?

Is the compressor turning?

Whoever gassed it for you would have been able to tell if it was leaking or not. I think that they have to pressure test the system by law before they try to gas it!

First thing indeed should be a pressure test.

The a/c cooler is often damaged and the coolant leaks out.

The rotary shaft seal is likely to dry out, if the system is not used for a longer time. The Manual tells you to operate the a/c once in a month to prevent this. But without beeing sure about the system beeing leakproof you can only guess.

is it factory fit or dealer fit, if it is dealer fit try the electrics, check the earth and the fuse connectors for rust, had this on mine was a bad earth and the second time i had to change the fuse holder(the light in the switch will still come on if the above are faulty

I dont know if it was pressure tested I live in France & my French is not great.


I fitted a new drive belt on the compressor & that is turning


Yes I will get it pressure tested.


How can I check to see if it was factory our a dealer fit but I will check I assume the earthing for it is under the bonnet?

Many thanks to you all for your help I can now start to find the problem.

Which region do you live in?
On an after factory one there are various aircon relays just below the battery.

Just because the belt is turning doesnt mean the compressor is turning, the input shaft is on an electromagnetic clutch

Dealer fits usually involve losing the cubby hole in front of the gear lever. A plastic "grill" is inserted to cover the retro fittted parts in its place.

My 325 has a dealer fitted set up since 1991 and it has never failed, even with the car not even moving for nearly 2 years and being parked in a car park exposed to sub-zero winter temperatures and 40º summers. Didn't even re-gas it and it still works.

At first I would suspect electrical failures, don't the switches fail quite often ? (They're in demand here in Spain, but maybe its for retrofits....)

Check that the electromagnetic clutch is working.

With the engine at idle, listen for the sound of the relay when you push in the blue AC switch.

On the factory set-up, You will hear a distinct click of the relay and the idle speed should rise momentarily. At the same time you should hear the gas in the system hissing as it expands to cool the air.
BTW the AC will only work above +5'C

No relay for the clutch, the aircon will work at any temperature

OK so its not a relay, but you will definitely hear a mechanical click when you press the blue AC switch and the compressor clutch engages.

The extra load on the engine will also cause the idle speed to rise and fall for 2-3 seconds

If that works, also check the small sight glass on top of the drier unit.
With the system running, no air bubbles in the refrigerant should be seen.