Air Conditoner problems in my E46...

[jcz1987]

Hey everyone. I have some problems with my Air Conditioner.... Every time I start my car the air conditoner blows out some really bad stench of some sort... It kind of smells like a gym or locker room and it smells really bad for like the first 20 seconds but then the air is clean again but what can I do so it doesnt do this again since it relly smells bad and I have to roll down the windows.

[Antiburn]

Replace your microfilter and spray some air freshner in the hole where it goes while the ac is on.

[tedmacwpg]

Regarding the smell -- I was on a site the other day that had some sort of service bulletin related to a "musty" smell coming from the climate control system. I'm not a subscriber to the site, so don't know the details, but the link is titled "A/C - Musty Odors From Heater and A/C Systems". Looks like it may be a known problem, anyway:

http://tsb.com/TSB/06/99069039.html

[rdialber]

I have a 2002 - 330 convertible. I am having an intermitent problem where the A/c blows warm sometimes. The dealer checked the refrigerant levels and of course the problem happens only once in a while. They said they need to see it when it happens. Left it at the dealer and they can't duplicate the problem. It is not a leak as they checked with a dye. Anyone else have this problem??

[daniel 61]

It is mould.


turn your a.c on full blast....and turn the temperature settings up to max 32degrees C. ( 92*F)
leave it for a few minutes...then turn the temp setting down to its minimum setting and run it for a few minutes

I also sprayed some disinfectant thru the micro filter compartment under the hood...

[drhyde]

with regards to the smell it is a bacterial build up on the evapourator of the aircon system. running the heater for a while will help a little , you can also bye an aircon bacterial spray here in south africa we have a treatment supplied to us by a company called wurth. with regards to the post by rdialbr get the dealer to check the evapuorator sensor reading , sometimes they dont work and stay on max reading so the a/c works until it freezes and then cutts off till it has unfrozen. another option is the outside temp sensor if it shows a minus reading the a/c thinks why come on if it is cold already and this also happens intermittently.

[rdialber]

I still can't get the dealer to address my a/c problem. I called the corporate office for BMW North America. The A/C acts up once in a while as I described. I am calling the service manager to see if I can get them to do something. I still have the extended warranty but they want to see the problem personally before trying to fix it.

[rdialber]

You were right about the Evaporator Sensor... I finally got the A/C to fail when I was near the dealer and the service department was open. They got it on the computer and replaced the sensor. A/C seems stronger now and I hope it does the trick. Thanks

[rdialber]

First had the evaporator sensor replaced and still had the problem. Got it to the dealer again when the A/C started blowing hot. Luckily they could put it on the computer while it was acting up. They replaced the compressor and dryer and so far no problems. I was lucky that I bought the extended warranty as it came in real handy. The compressor and Dryer were replaced several months ago and the car is running fine.

[Tomsriv]

Most all AC cars have the problem with mold and smell. The trick to prevent it is to turn your AC off a couple blocks before you reach your destination. The AC produces condensation and when the car sits with the water in the ducting it can become mold. If you run the vent, even just for 30 seconds before you park the car it can prevent the problem. This will save you gas too because you won't have to run the AC compressor for the last few blocks.

I heard that Cadillacs in the 90s had a feature where after the car was parked and shut off the computer would turn the vent on for a short period of time to blow the condensation out of the system.