motopokep

Was not the hottest day today, about 85, A/C gave out, on its lowest temp setting, warm air comes out. I bought one of those $44 synthetic A/C charging units, pressure read fine, but I emptied the whole can anyway, and the pressure hasn't changed, and neither has the air temp.

Never worked with this before, I take it there's a leak somewhere? Before I start taking the car apart, is there a leak sealer product out there? The A/C charger can read that it seals leak...maybe it needs time to work, I've only done this 10 mins ago. Is there a stronger sealing product?

If not, what do I start taking apart and how do you test for leaks? Thanks.

e6t.lab.rat

Did you check your iDrive AC/vent settings?

audiophool

If the pressure was fine, adding refrigerant is a bad idea. Too much liquid can lock up the compressor and kill it. AC systems are a fine balance of liquid vs the volume of the rest of the piping and coils.

Have you checked if the AC compressor is actually running?

KyleB

+1, you should only add refrigerant if you have confirmed that the system is undercharged. You can do much more harm than good by overfilling an A/C system.

E60s use a swash plate style compressor that is notorious for failing. Did you hook a set of gauges up to confirm that refrigerant levels are where they should be? If they are, you don't have a leak. What did hi side and low side pressures look like? Did you inadvertently change your vent settings in iDrive?

You really need to have a professional A/C machine to do this properly. The way I always checked for leaks is to pull all refrigerant from the system and place it under vacuum for at least an hour. If vacuum levels don't change after an hour, I can be pretty confident there isn't a leak.

IMO those off the shelf 'A/C recharge' kits at the local auto parts store are never a good idea.

tonyb635

+1 on aftermarket ac charges from part stores. They can cause more damage and if you don't know for sure take to someone who does.

H F

Did you take a good look at the compressor and see if there is no leaks at the front seal? .. My comressor failed and lost all freon and oil out the front seal .

South Pasadena

H F, when your compressor failed, did you purchase only a new compressor or did you purchase a kit? I'm in So Cal and in need of compressor replacement. Any suggestions/recommendations greatly appreciated.

My case... compressor noisy for a long time, noise most noticeable on cold startup, BMW tech added dye to compressor, a month later after car sits for two weeks or so, cold air takes about 5 minutes or more before getting into cabin.

Thanks

H F

Ya,, I just got a new compressor, dryer and a new expansion valve . Used the same condensor .

Here is my thread when I changed mine out . Went smooth with excellent help from members at bimmerfest. Who filled me in on things I needed to know about redoing an ac system .
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=755620

South Pasadena

H F, thanks for the detailed reply with links. Will use Denso per your recommendation.