Hello,
my 318is will only blow warm air onto the windscreen as soon as i slide the levers over to face or feet it turns cold, the levers feel connected and as though they are operating.... any help would be greatly appreciated.
cheers steve.
Cold face!
Moderator: martauto
-
BlueEyes_1
- E30 Zone Newbie

- Posts: 162
- Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:00 pm

To weld or not to weld thats the diff question?
I've had a similar problem. Mine would blow hot air to the screen and to foot wells, but not to the face, this air comes out at ambient temp.
I posted a query a while back and I believe it was Brianmooore who said that there is no logical reason why this would happen.
Since then I have stripped my dash out and checked all the levers, flaps, ducts etc and I agree with Brian.
Seeing how it all works, this simply shouldn't happen, the air leaving the heater box comes from the same source regardless of which vents it is directed to !
I've put mine back together with new foam seals on the heater box but I'm not expecting it to have changed anything.
Sorry not to be of more help but at least you know that you're not the only one stumped by this.
I posted a query a while back and I believe it was Brianmooore who said that there is no logical reason why this would happen.
Since then I have stripped my dash out and checked all the levers, flaps, ducts etc and I agree with Brian.
Seeing how it all works, this simply shouldn't happen, the air leaving the heater box comes from the same source regardless of which vents it is directed to !
I've put mine back together with new foam seals on the heater box but I'm not expecting it to have changed anything.
Sorry not to be of more help but at least you know that you're not the only one stumped by this.
These are sensations as hard to forget as they are to ignore.....
- Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member

- Posts: 49358
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Is this just insufficient hot water flow to the heater unit?
Check the pipes on the bulkhead are the right way around for a start. Pipe from the back of the cylinder head goes to the bottom bulkhead stub.
Check the pipes on the bulkhead are the right way around for a start. Pipe from the back of the cylinder head goes to the bottom bulkhead stub.
Just found my previous post:
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... highlight=
I wasn't entirely accurate in what Brian had said either.
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... highlight=
I wasn't entirely accurate in what Brian had said either.
These are sensations as hard to forget as they are to ignore.....
-
pac1982
- Engaged to the E30 Zone

- Posts: 5330
- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:00 pm
- Location: isle of wight
I have the same problem in my IS screen and footwells are toasty warm but the face blowers blow cold unless i have only the face blowers selected

1991 BMW E30 318i Neon Design Convertible (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 325i Touring (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 318IS (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 316i (RIP)
What I did find while my dash was out is that by turning the temp wheel to the fully hot position, didn't move the arm on the other end to its furthest possible point, so I have adjusted this to see if it makes a difference.
I won't know if it has had any effect until I get it all back together tomorrow though.
I won't know if it has had any effect until I get it all back together tomorrow though.
These are sensations as hard to forget as they are to ignore.....
-
daimlerman
- **BANNED**
- Posts: 15968
- Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2006 11:00 pm
- Location: Grumpy Old Man
Seem to remember 'back in the day' that BMW made a big issue out of the fact that you could have warm feet and 'screen,but a cool face to keep you awake...... 
Youth is wasted on the young.
So maybe mine works as the Bavarian gods intended.
Doesn't help the OP though as he'll be spending a fortune on hiking socks this winter to avoid frost bite in his toes....
My pipes are definately on the right way round BTW !
Doesn't help the OP though as he'll be spending a fortune on hiking socks this winter to avoid frost bite in his toes....
My pipes are definately on the right way round BTW !
These are sensations as hard to forget as they are to ignore.....
- Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member

- Posts: 49358
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
This is correct - the face vents only become warm when the temperature control is turned well up, but this is not what the OP is saying. He's saying that the screen and floor vents all go cold.daimlerman wrote:Seem to remember 'back in the day' that BMW made a big issue out of the fact that you could have warm feet and 'screen,but a cool face to keep you awake......
-
BlueEyes_1
- E30 Zone Newbie

- Posts: 162
- Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:00 pm
Cheers for the quick posts guys,
okay bit more information for you seeing as this seems to be a problem for a few of us. Basically i drove to my mates house (8miles) with the heater working as it always had, warm air from all vents. Stayed at his for an hour or so and the car still had some temperature when i left his, started driving home and thought fook me its cold in here looked at the temp control and that was in the middle so i tweeked it to the red stuff thinking il be cosy in a bit, but no. The heater would only deliver me warm air when i set it to the windscreen set it to your face or feet and it was like a fresh air vent??? so i spent the whole 8 mile trip home alternating my hands on top of the dash lol.
Im thinking that if its worked fine before why would it just decide to stop? is there a lever under the footwell that i may have kicked? i know nothing about heaters in E30s.
okay bit more information for you seeing as this seems to be a problem for a few of us. Basically i drove to my mates house (8miles) with the heater working as it always had, warm air from all vents. Stayed at his for an hour or so and the car still had some temperature when i left his, started driving home and thought fook me its cold in here looked at the temp control and that was in the middle so i tweeked it to the red stuff thinking il be cosy in a bit, but no. The heater would only deliver me warm air when i set it to the windscreen set it to your face or feet and it was like a fresh air vent??? so i spent the whole 8 mile trip home alternating my hands on top of the dash lol.
Im thinking that if its worked fine before why would it just decide to stop? is there a lever under the footwell that i may have kicked? i know nothing about heaters in E30s.

To weld or not to weld thats the diff question?
It sounds like something has broken then.
Going on what Brian has said it would seem that you have suddenly got a reduced flow of hot water through the matrix. As far as I know this could only really be due to a faulty valve, but this isn't something I've had to work on. Yet
.
Going on what Brian has said it would seem that you have suddenly got a reduced flow of hot water through the matrix. As far as I know this could only really be due to a faulty valve, but this isn't something I've had to work on. Yet
These are sensations as hard to forget as they are to ignore.....
- Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member

- Posts: 49358
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
This is NOT a problem that a few of us face., if you have described it correctly. It's the first time I've heard of anything like it!
Brianmoooore wrote: Check the pipes on the bulkhead are the right way around for a start. Pipe from the back of the cylinder head goes to the bottom bulkhead stub.
-
BlueEyes_1
- E30 Zone Newbie

- Posts: 162
- Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:00 pm
I simply meant that people knew of a problematic heater hence swift replies and knowledge.This is NOT a problem that a few of us face., if you have described it correctly.
I have described it correctly.

To weld or not to weld thats the diff question?

