1984 633CSi Rises again!
Moderators: GRNSHRK, ron, bfons
Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
I'm glad you're getting close to the end of this project/ordeal, and I also enjoy the satisfaction I get from completing such things myself. But, I think you may have gotten a bit "hosed" on the cost of those hoses. There's probably a significant difference in cost of parts and labor between N. CA and S. FL. but for me hoses were a minimal expense, and I went to a huge commercial shop that had virtually every type of hose and fitting one could imagine in stock. I used a custom condenser from Classic Auto Air, @$325, but if I had to do this again, there's no doubt I have your setup with a generic PF condensor and custom hoses. Rough guess, at least around here, would be a few hundred $ lower overall cost. In the end, what matters is that you'll have a nice comfortable 6 to commute in, and then it's on to the next project. Nice work all-around, on all the projects you've documented. They never end with these cars, and I've given yup trying to explain that to my lovely wife.
Dean
Lutz, FL
'85 635 CSi Euro #9402254
'87 Spider Veloce
'92 Spider Veloce
'08 350Z
Lutz, FL
'85 635 CSi Euro #9402254
'87 Spider Veloce
'92 Spider Veloce
'08 350Z
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
Yeah, I was surprised by the cost of the hoses. The place I went to was a dedicated industrial hose shop. During my visits, I've seen people go there with scuba equipment, construction parts, farm equipment, etc. I know I am getting awesome quality stuff at the premium cost. In the end, it was annoying but it isn't a show stopper. I am going to have a completely overhauled A/C and then I'll move on to the next thing. I enjoy these projects and this is not the only transportation option for me so I can take my time. It's fun to experiment.dwcains wrote:I'm glad you're getting close to the end of this project/ordeal, and I also enjoy the satisfaction I get from completing such things myself. But, I think you may have gotten a bit "hosed" on the cost of those hoses. They never end with these cars, and I've given yup trying to explain that to my lovely wife.
Recently I was annoyed by slight scratch marks on my windshield. I purchased a glass polishing kit. Just another thing to add to the list of ToDos. After I get this A/C done, I was starting to get annoyed at my paint. There are just spots where it is very poorly finished. One of my past cars was a DeTomaso Pantera. I spent a LOT on a paint job for that car. I may have the same shop look at the 6'er. Yeah, going overboard. Oh well.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Servicing A/C Evap core
Well, I am very near the end. Today I got time to take out my Evap Core, clean it out, change the expansion valve and put it back in the car. It wasn't without it's share of issues, which I will try and document here.
First, the evaporation core unit wasn't that bad to get out. What sucked was the center console! Once you get that out, the evaporation core is only being held by the following.
1) L-bracket at the very front.
2) Two screws on lower left and right at the back.
3) The high and low pressure lines coming into the firewall.
After you get those loosened, you can putt and pivot the whole unit out of the car. I just put my shift lever in "1" and there was enough clearance to pull it forward while rotating it away from you. When you install the unit, you'll do the opposite. I gotta say that there's this nasty stick white crumbly stuff that they used to seal the hole where the tubes for the freon come out. You'll need to seal with duct tape or something similar when you reassemble. I wouldn't want to use that nasty sticky stuff again. So after I finally opened up the halves of the A/C unit, I was pleasantly surprised that mine didn't have nearly the junk that I have seen in other posts. About the only nasty thing I saw was the fur of a previous rodent tenant. A quick brushing and some light straightening of the fins and I was back in action. The first order of business was to replace my expansion valve. Now is the time to do this while everything is open. I also poured in some acetone and blew it out. I was surprised that not much came out. It seemed pretty clean in there. The final and most painful part of this exercise was removing all the old crumbly foam and replacing with new window sealer. Here it is all ready to go back into the car. I must say that I would have chose a thicker foam insulator if I had know how it was all going to fit. I had to go back and apply some more foam later as there were lots of air leaks. I would recommend that you use very soft compressible 1 inch wide and 1/2" thick. OK, now that we have all the bits, let's put it in and see how it all works.
First, the evaporation core unit wasn't that bad to get out. What sucked was the center console! Once you get that out, the evaporation core is only being held by the following.
1) L-bracket at the very front.
2) Two screws on lower left and right at the back.
3) The high and low pressure lines coming into the firewall.
After you get those loosened, you can putt and pivot the whole unit out of the car. I just put my shift lever in "1" and there was enough clearance to pull it forward while rotating it away from you. When you install the unit, you'll do the opposite. I gotta say that there's this nasty stick white crumbly stuff that they used to seal the hole where the tubes for the freon come out. You'll need to seal with duct tape or something similar when you reassemble. I wouldn't want to use that nasty sticky stuff again. So after I finally opened up the halves of the A/C unit, I was pleasantly surprised that mine didn't have nearly the junk that I have seen in other posts. About the only nasty thing I saw was the fur of a previous rodent tenant. A quick brushing and some light straightening of the fins and I was back in action. The first order of business was to replace my expansion valve. Now is the time to do this while everything is open. I also poured in some acetone and blew it out. I was surprised that not much came out. It seemed pretty clean in there. The final and most painful part of this exercise was removing all the old crumbly foam and replacing with new window sealer. Here it is all ready to go back into the car. I must say that I would have chose a thicker foam insulator if I had know how it was all going to fit. I had to go back and apply some more foam later as there were lots of air leaks. I would recommend that you use very soft compressible 1 inch wide and 1/2" thick. OK, now that we have all the bits, let's put it in and see how it all works.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Almost blowing snowballs! 45 degrees.
OK, getting the A/C unit back in the dash wasn't so terrible. I did want to clean around it as much as I could before putting it all back together. Here's a picture of the target area for the A/C unit before installing it. I should mention that I was careful to use the green o-rings that are said to be compatible with R-134a. You can see the green o-rings installed on the freon pipes on the right side of this picture.
I had read somewhere that you should test everything before putting the parts back. That way if there's a leak or something, you can service it without taking the console and everything apart again. OK, it looks a mess but maybe I can pull this off. So out came the freon charging kit. Since I am going to R134a, I had no idea how much I needed. I ended up buying 4 x 12 oz cans. That's 48 ounces or 3 lbs. Also I got 2 ounces of oil to replace anything that may have leaked out of the compressor during all the work I've done. I had to make multiple trips to the shop and I didn't know California now has a self-sealing freon can that needed a special adaptor. It was another $5 for the adaptor. Any how, I first pulled a vacuum at -26 psi. It held for about 40 minutes, so let the charging begin. I started to charge up the system slowly but surely. Ambient temp was about 70 degrees so I didn't know what to expect on the pressure for high and low side. After 3 cans of freon and the can of oil, I was seeing about 25psi on the low side and 125psi on the high. That didn't seem like enough on the high side. Instead of using up my last can I decide to go check the temp at the vent. It was blowing at about 45 degrees! I don't think I've ever seen it that cold. The compressor was cycling and I could see the freon in the sight window of the receiver drier. So all seemed to be operating well. It was getting late in the evening and temperature was dropping (sixties) so I wasn't sure how much colder the A/C was going to get. The auxiliary fan was kicking on so all seemed well. All of the A/C components appeared to be doing what they are supposed to do. I decided to wait for a hot day and drive it to see if it gets any colder. Maybe having air rushing through the parallel flow condenser will help. I'm also anxious to see if there'll be any sign of leakage in a few days. So for now, my console it out and the interior is a mess. I've got a lot going on next week and probably won't get to mess with this too much, but so far things are looking good.
It's been a LONG journey and I now have a thoroughly modern upgraded A/C system. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will perform well the next time I drive it on a hot day! I'll be sure and keep folks following along on this forum posted!
Oh, one thing I should mention is that you'll need to remove the glove compartment to do this. I tried with the glove compartment in place and you just can't get to the connectors for the freon tubes. After I removed the glove compartment, I had to epoxy these little metal pieces that allow the screws to attach to the back of the glove compartment. After all this time, the glue that held them I place had dried up and crumbled and the metal pieces just fell off.I had read somewhere that you should test everything before putting the parts back. That way if there's a leak or something, you can service it without taking the console and everything apart again. OK, it looks a mess but maybe I can pull this off. So out came the freon charging kit. Since I am going to R134a, I had no idea how much I needed. I ended up buying 4 x 12 oz cans. That's 48 ounces or 3 lbs. Also I got 2 ounces of oil to replace anything that may have leaked out of the compressor during all the work I've done. I had to make multiple trips to the shop and I didn't know California now has a self-sealing freon can that needed a special adaptor. It was another $5 for the adaptor. Any how, I first pulled a vacuum at -26 psi. It held for about 40 minutes, so let the charging begin. I started to charge up the system slowly but surely. Ambient temp was about 70 degrees so I didn't know what to expect on the pressure for high and low side. After 3 cans of freon and the can of oil, I was seeing about 25psi on the low side and 125psi on the high. That didn't seem like enough on the high side. Instead of using up my last can I decide to go check the temp at the vent. It was blowing at about 45 degrees! I don't think I've ever seen it that cold. The compressor was cycling and I could see the freon in the sight window of the receiver drier. So all seemed to be operating well. It was getting late in the evening and temperature was dropping (sixties) so I wasn't sure how much colder the A/C was going to get. The auxiliary fan was kicking on so all seemed well. All of the A/C components appeared to be doing what they are supposed to do. I decided to wait for a hot day and drive it to see if it gets any colder. Maybe having air rushing through the parallel flow condenser will help. I'm also anxious to see if there'll be any sign of leakage in a few days. So for now, my console it out and the interior is a mess. I've got a lot going on next week and probably won't get to mess with this too much, but so far things are looking good.
It's been a LONG journey and I now have a thoroughly modern upgraded A/C system. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will perform well the next time I drive it on a hot day! I'll be sure and keep folks following along on this forum posted!
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
- zinnocoupe
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
Congrats Song, Amazing work. This is the BEST ac thread/post I've ever read and its by a guy whos never done this before. Really good write up and pics. Going to be great for you driving in that nice cool e24 now.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
Thanks. I always thought the best way to learn is to do it yourself. At the end of the day, the A/C isn't that complicated on my car with just the front unit. It would have been a lot more painful with a rear A/C. I'm anxious to drive it on a hot day and put it through the paces. Alas, works gets in the way. It'll be a while before I get to do this.zinnocoupe wrote:Congrats Song, Amazing work. This is the BEST ac thread/post I've ever read and its by a guy whos never done this before. Really good write up and pics. Going to be great for you driving in that nice cool e24 now.
The feedback and encouragement on the forum somehow give me the resolve to push through, even when economically it's questionable. Hey. it's the cost of the education.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
Nice work, and great documentation. Kudos on finishing successfully such a large project, and thanks for sharing.
Dean
Lutz, FL
'85 635 CSi Euro #9402254
'87 Spider Veloce
'92 Spider Veloce
'08 350Z
Lutz, FL
'85 635 CSi Euro #9402254
'87 Spider Veloce
'92 Spider Veloce
'08 350Z
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A little colder now - 42 degrees
If you have been following along, you know that I'm so near the end of my A/C overhaul. Luckily it doesn't get dark until 8pm, so when I get home I have 1/2 an hour to do a few things before I can't see anymore. Here are a few things that I did today.
First, I used some zip ties to secure a few things. On the A/C unit, there are some cable guides that broke when I removed them. They are all so brittle. Here's the replacement guide that I saw on FCP Euro. If you are doing this, order yourself several of these. You'll be glad you did. Next, recall that there was a A/C hose that passes near the exhaust manifold. The OEM hoses had a heat shield. I was able to find an adhesive heat sheld on Amazon for around $18 and I wrapped the hose and zip tied it in three spots just to be sure. Then, I secured the hose with the clamps that were securing the OEM hose. Here's a picture of all that looking toward the front of the car. The shielded hose is from the firewall to the suction on the compressor. The other hose (high pressure) is the one with the clamp that you can see. Finally, I decided to take the car for a drive to be sure that the everything is still working. Oh, in California they charge a $10 deposit on each can of freon! I returned 3 empty cans for $30 at the auto-parts store. Meanwhile, it gave me a chance to try out the A/C while driving the car. I am glad to report that it got a little colder while the car was moving! It hit about 42 degrees! Very happy. I think I'll start re-assembling the dash in the next days. There is light at the end of the tunnel... Crazy to think that I started all of this in January, 7 months ago.
First, I used some zip ties to secure a few things. On the A/C unit, there are some cable guides that broke when I removed them. They are all so brittle. Here's the replacement guide that I saw on FCP Euro. If you are doing this, order yourself several of these. You'll be glad you did. Next, recall that there was a A/C hose that passes near the exhaust manifold. The OEM hoses had a heat shield. I was able to find an adhesive heat sheld on Amazon for around $18 and I wrapped the hose and zip tied it in three spots just to be sure. Then, I secured the hose with the clamps that were securing the OEM hose. Here's a picture of all that looking toward the front of the car. The shielded hose is from the firewall to the suction on the compressor. The other hose (high pressure) is the one with the clamp that you can see. Finally, I decided to take the car for a drive to be sure that the everything is still working. Oh, in California they charge a $10 deposit on each can of freon! I returned 3 empty cans for $30 at the auto-parts store. Meanwhile, it gave me a chance to try out the A/C while driving the car. I am glad to report that it got a little colder while the car was moving! It hit about 42 degrees! Very happy. I think I'll start re-assembling the dash in the next days. There is light at the end of the tunnel... Crazy to think that I started all of this in January, 7 months ago.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
Song,
Wonderful progress!
When I getto this step, i may opt for neoprene (like they use for hvac line insulation) rather than the open cell material you found as it wont hold any moisture that may come from condensation.
I meant for the air box and not for the hose wrap.....
What's next on the program for you?
---Ken
Wonderful progress!
When I getto this step, i may opt for neoprene (like they use for hvac line insulation) rather than the open cell material you found as it wont hold any moisture that may come from condensation.
I meant for the air box and not for the hose wrap.....
What's next on the program for you?
---Ken
Last edited by sansouci on Tue Aug 01, 2017 3:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sansouci
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
From what I can tell, the wrap is for a heat shield and not for insulation. The material I got was more like an aluminzed fiberglass cloth. It was tough to cut. This was for the hoses.sansouci wrote:Song,
Wonderful progress!
When I getto this step, i may opt for neoprene (like they use for hvac line insulation) rather than the open cell material you found as it wont hold any moisture that may come from condensation.
What's next on the program for you?
---Ken
I had neoprene seal but looking at how the parts fit, it seems that the seal,has to compress a lot. The neoprene seemed too firm. I did use neoprene for the left and right sides of the Evap core to force air through the fins. This was inside the A/C box.
Next for me is some peeling paintwork. Then I still have that odd condition where I can't get the starter motor to crank with the ignition switch when it's hot! That's a head scratcher.
Every once in a while I think about that E9 that is still in a garage in Santa Cruz. That's a major project, but they are such nice cars...
Last edited by songzunhuang on Wed Aug 02, 2017 5:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
- hornhospital
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
I forget on the starter....have you changed the solenoid (or the whole starter)?
And you need to pursue that E9. Seriously. You've more that cut your teeth on the E24. I think you can handle anything the E9 can throw at you. Besides, they are getting incredibly hard to find in ANY condition. If you let it get away you'll likely never have that opportunity again.
And you need to pursue that E9. Seriously. You've more that cut your teeth on the E24. I think you can handle anything the E9 can throw at you. Besides, they are getting incredibly hard to find in ANY condition. If you let it get away you'll likely never have that opportunity again.
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
http://bringatrailer.com/search/bmw+e9/songzunhuang wrote:sansouci wrote:Song,
Wonderful progress!
What's next on the program for you?
Every once in a while I think about that E9 that is still in a garage in Santa Cruz. That's a major project, but they are such nice cars...
Take a Squint at this
Sansouci
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
Do you think it's the solenoid? Remember that I can jump pins 11 & 14 in the diagnostic port and it always cranks the starter. If the starter solenoid were shot, that shouldn't work right?hornhospital wrote:I forget on the starter....have you changed the solenoid (or the whole starter)?
And you need to pursue that E9. Seriously. You've more that cut your teeth on the E24. I think you can handle anything the E9 can throw at you. Besides, they are getting incredibly hard to find in ANY condition. If you let it get away you'll likely never have that opportunity again.
As for the E9, it's in rough shape. When I get to that point, I may spend a little more and get a nicer one. That's a ways off so I'm not going to stress about it. Besides, I keep looking at M6's of 80's vintage.... too many choices.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
- hornhospital
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
That's why I needed reminding. I knew there was something more to it than just the starter and/or solenoid. I'll let you in on a little secret: my 633 has the same problem, and I've never been able to figure it out. The previous owner had someone install a push button start. I say he had someone install it, because he was too stupid to do it himself, seriously.songzunhuang wrote: Do you think it's the solenoid? Remember that I can jump pins 11 & 14 in the diagnostic port and it always cranks the starter. If the starter solenoid were shot, that shouldn't work right?
When I got the car, I figured "new ignition switch will fix it", but nope. Wasted $156, and it made no difference, so the pushbutton is still there and working. It jumpers the same two terminals as your work around, just permanently so.
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
Ugh, that’s not encouraging! I’m a stubborn guy and I’ll figure it out. No car has defeated me yet... well there was a vacuum leak on a 930 turbo cab that finally made me sell it. Took months and tons of $ to fix. In retrospect, I wish I kept it. It’s worth a small fortune now.hornhospital wrote:That's why I needed reminding. I knew there was something more to it than just the starter and/or solenoid. I'll let you in on a little secret: my 633 has the same problem, and I've never been able to figure it out. The previous owner had someone install a push button start. I say he had someone install it, because he was too stupid to do it himself, seriously.songzunhuang wrote: Do you think it's the solenoid? Remember that I can jump pins 11 & 14 in the diagnostic port and it always cranks the starter. If the starter solenoid were shot, that shouldn't work right?
When I got the car, I figured "new ignition switch will fix it", but nope. Wasted $156, and it made no difference, so the pushbutton is still there and working. It jumpers the same two terminals as your work around, just permanently so.
My S2000 has a push button starter. I have also noticed that a lot of “sporty” cars have a push button these day as well. You were ahead of your time. Lol!
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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A/C - I think we are done!
So today I got to really try out the A/C system. I drove the car to work and back and it was a muggy 78-83 degrees as it was sprinkling rain in the morning. During the commute, which is about 96 miles round trip, the A/C system showed a steady 46-47 degrees at the vent. My passenger even asked me to turn down the A/C because she was getting cold. I love it!
After I arrived at home, I popped the hood to check things out. The low pressure hose was sweaty with condensation. This is a nice sign because it means that the outside temp and pipe temp (coolant inside) was different enough that condensation formed. Finally, I thought I would show how I used a neoprene foam seal to make sure that I didn't have any leaks between the A/C box and the vent guides into the dash. I packed about 1" of neoprene across the entire front of the box. It's held in place by those 3 plastic tabs.
Also one of the cable guides broke when I was doing this. I didn't have spares so I used some pipe tape to cover the hole and then used an adhesive guide with a zip tie to act as a cable guide. You can see it on the right (white colored with black zip tie). I went ahead and purchased a UV dye charge and an UV Light and yellow glasses today. I want to make doubly sure that there are no leaks since everything is new. This weekend I'll put it in and top off the R134a charge. Recall that I put in 2.25lbs only (3 cans of 12 oz.) The sticker on the hood called for 3.9lbs of R12. I know R12 and R134a are not the same and I should use a bit less, but I'm way down at just a little over 1/2 what the sticker calls for. I'm going to at least do another 12 oz and see how the system performs. Before that, I wanted to check for any leaks.
Here's a random picture. This was the old expansion valve, which I suspect was fine, compared to the new one. That coiled section of the copper tube is clipped to the low pressure tube and encased in that crumbly white insulator stuff on the left. You have to cut it all off, remove the metal clip and then you can remove it copper coil. I also took this picture so that I could recall the routing of all the copper tubes. OK, in addition to this, my weekend project is to polish the windshield to get a few small scratches out. I'm so happy that I can now drive the car in ANY weather. It's finally really and truly a daily driver.
After I arrived at home, I popped the hood to check things out. The low pressure hose was sweaty with condensation. This is a nice sign because it means that the outside temp and pipe temp (coolant inside) was different enough that condensation formed. Finally, I thought I would show how I used a neoprene foam seal to make sure that I didn't have any leaks between the A/C box and the vent guides into the dash. I packed about 1" of neoprene across the entire front of the box. It's held in place by those 3 plastic tabs.
Also one of the cable guides broke when I was doing this. I didn't have spares so I used some pipe tape to cover the hole and then used an adhesive guide with a zip tie to act as a cable guide. You can see it on the right (white colored with black zip tie). I went ahead and purchased a UV dye charge and an UV Light and yellow glasses today. I want to make doubly sure that there are no leaks since everything is new. This weekend I'll put it in and top off the R134a charge. Recall that I put in 2.25lbs only (3 cans of 12 oz.) The sticker on the hood called for 3.9lbs of R12. I know R12 and R134a are not the same and I should use a bit less, but I'm way down at just a little over 1/2 what the sticker calls for. I'm going to at least do another 12 oz and see how the system performs. Before that, I wanted to check for any leaks.
Here's a random picture. This was the old expansion valve, which I suspect was fine, compared to the new one. That coiled section of the copper tube is clipped to the low pressure tube and encased in that crumbly white insulator stuff on the left. You have to cut it all off, remove the metal clip and then you can remove it copper coil. I also took this picture so that I could recall the routing of all the copper tubes. OK, in addition to this, my weekend project is to polish the windshield to get a few small scratches out. I'm so happy that I can now drive the car in ANY weather. It's finally really and truly a daily driver.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
- hornhospital
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
That is "The Book" on how to rebuild the A/C in an E24. I am so impressed by the documentation. I write for a very low circulation magazine (Horn and Whistle) and have to photograph and document everything I do restoring locomotive air horns. I truly understand how hard it is to stop and photograph every step. WELL DONE, SIR!
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
Wow, that's an interesting occupation. I once had a friend whose Dad restored the lanterns that go on horse drawn carriages. That was one of the most niche occupations that I had ever heard of. Locomotive horns, may give it a close run for the money.hornhospital wrote:That is "The Book" on how to rebuild the A/C in an E24. I am so impressed by the documentation. I write for a very low circulation magazine (Horn and Whistle) and have to photograph and document everything I do restoring locomotive air horns. I truly understand how hard it is to stop and photograph every step. WELL DONE, SIR!
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
- hornhospital
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
My very cobweb-covered website:
www.airhornhospital.com
Seriously in need of updating/adding to....
My health has been poor enough for a while that I haven't been doing much in the horn shop. I hope the departure of my really badly deteriorated gallbladder changed that.
www.airhornhospital.com
Seriously in need of updating/adding to....
My health has been poor enough for a while that I haven't been doing much in the horn shop. I hope the departure of my really badly deteriorated gallbladder changed that.
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
Wow! Epic thread! Congrats on quelling all those gremlins, and documenting it!
One day I'll dive into the central locking on my E24 -- but not tomorrow!
... for a/c, when I did mine in the 2002 I used Nylog on the O rings. Good insurance I think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAULfI8-Wwk
Cheers,
Ray
One day I'll dive into the central locking on my E24 -- but not tomorrow!
... for a/c, when I did mine in the 2002 I used Nylog on the O rings. Good insurance I think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAULfI8-Wwk
Cheers,
Ray
'85 ///M635
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
Thanks Ray, this was one of the longest and complex projects so far on this car. I guess it's right up there with my crazy speedometer and odometer, although that just went on for a long time. Got a few more gremlins to iron out, but I think this car may be reaching a point of stasis. I may not have a million things to do at any given point in time. A major milestone!raykoke wrote:Wow! Epic thread! Congrats on quelling all those gremlins, and documenting it!
One day I'll dive into the central locking on my E24 -- but not tomorrow!
... for a/c, when I did mine in the 2002 I used Nylog on the O rings. Good insurance I think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAULfI8-Wwk
Cheers,
Ray
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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UV Leak kit - cheap insurance for new A/C
OK, I wanted to be sure that my A/C was nice and tight before I put more freon into it. In order to do this, I purchased a can of refrigerant with a UV dye and a UV light kit. The idea is to charge the system with the dye and then use the light to spot any leaks. Sounds easy enough.
First up, I checked the connections at the receiver drier. This also gave me a chance to show you how the dye lights up when the UV light hits it. Take a look at this shot where you can see the UV dye fluorescing in the window of the receiver drier. Also, note that there are no signs of leaks at the fittings. This is good. Next, I climbed under the car and took a look at the fittings on the new parallel flow condenser. Here's a shot where you can see both the upper and lower fittings. I'm looking from the bottom up. Once again, everything looks awesome. There are no signs of leaks. I also went into the cabin and checked the connections coming into the interior of the car connecting the evaporator core. Luckily, you can see the connections if you open the glove compartment and move the plastic flap aside. I'm glad to report that there was no sign of leaks there.
Finally, I shined the light on the compressor. Bingo! I spotted some of that dye. It was coming out of the lower fitting or the high side of the compressor. A wiped it off and then tightened the fitting about 1/4 turn more. I guess I didn't quite torque it down enough when I assembled everything. I then commenced to drive it around town and about 3 miles down the freeway, got some gas at the gas station and then drove back home. All the while I had my A/C on to get the freon with the dye moving. After getting home, I checked all fittings again and we are golden. No more leaks. So, the moral of this story is, invest in a leak checker when you do your A/C. It's well worth the money!
Given the location of my low port, under the rubber boot between the air filter and mass airflow sensor, I had to remove the boot and the top cover of the air filter to get a direct shot into the low port. After I charged the system up, I let it run for about 5 minutes. It was also getting to be evening with dim light, which may be a good thing in this case. First up, I checked the connections at the receiver drier. This also gave me a chance to show you how the dye lights up when the UV light hits it. Take a look at this shot where you can see the UV dye fluorescing in the window of the receiver drier. Also, note that there are no signs of leaks at the fittings. This is good. Next, I climbed under the car and took a look at the fittings on the new parallel flow condenser. Here's a shot where you can see both the upper and lower fittings. I'm looking from the bottom up. Once again, everything looks awesome. There are no signs of leaks. I also went into the cabin and checked the connections coming into the interior of the car connecting the evaporator core. Luckily, you can see the connections if you open the glove compartment and move the plastic flap aside. I'm glad to report that there was no sign of leaks there.
Finally, I shined the light on the compressor. Bingo! I spotted some of that dye. It was coming out of the lower fitting or the high side of the compressor. A wiped it off and then tightened the fitting about 1/4 turn more. I guess I didn't quite torque it down enough when I assembled everything. I then commenced to drive it around town and about 3 miles down the freeway, got some gas at the gas station and then drove back home. All the while I had my A/C on to get the freon with the dye moving. After getting home, I checked all fittings again and we are golden. No more leaks. So, the moral of this story is, invest in a leak checker when you do your A/C. It's well worth the money!
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
Song
1. Could you have routed the hose from the condenser to the receiver/dryer OVER the intake air horn or would it have interfered with removing the plastic air shield at some future point? Would that have simplified the routing?
2. You mentioned that the spacer your fashioned was 30mm after your cut it down. Did I get that right or did you have to fiddle with it to get it to fit?
3. What is that nasty insulating OEM goop that is wrapped around the evap tubing. Seems to be a mix of playdoh and cork. I guess that insulating wrap (alum on outside and sticky foam on the inside) is a good replacement.
4. Is the recommended practice to drain the dye, flush the system, vacuum it again and refill or is that overkill?
5. Do you use photoshop to add the graphic elements, i.e., colored circles, boxes and lines, in some of your pics?
6. Were these iphone pics or did you use a regular camera?
On another car, I saw a replacement condenser with an added layer of mesh to protect against road debris, bugs, etc and it appeared to be replaceable. Just a thought for those with bug problems or crappy roads.
Enjoy your cool ride. You definitely earned it
Going to begin the tear down this week. First week of retirement. Lotsa to do's on the list.
--Ken
1. Could you have routed the hose from the condenser to the receiver/dryer OVER the intake air horn or would it have interfered with removing the plastic air shield at some future point? Would that have simplified the routing?
2. You mentioned that the spacer your fashioned was 30mm after your cut it down. Did I get that right or did you have to fiddle with it to get it to fit?
3. What is that nasty insulating OEM goop that is wrapped around the evap tubing. Seems to be a mix of playdoh and cork. I guess that insulating wrap (alum on outside and sticky foam on the inside) is a good replacement.
4. Is the recommended practice to drain the dye, flush the system, vacuum it again and refill or is that overkill?
5. Do you use photoshop to add the graphic elements, i.e., colored circles, boxes and lines, in some of your pics?
6. Were these iphone pics or did you use a regular camera?
On another car, I saw a replacement condenser with an added layer of mesh to protect against road debris, bugs, etc and it appeared to be replaceable. Just a thought for those with bug problems or crappy roads.
Enjoy your cool ride. You definitely earned it
Going to begin the tear down this week. First week of retirement. Lotsa to do's on the list.
--Ken
Sansouci
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
- hornhospital
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
I can answer #4. The dye stays in. No need to flush it. It can stay to help detect future leaks, too, since it doesn't lose effectiveness.
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!
1. No, I wouldn't route over the air shield. The opening to feed the hose to the front of the car is directly under the shield. It would have bee a really weird route to have the hose snake around. I like to keep my hoses as short as possible.sansouci wrote:Song
1. Could you have routed the hose from the condenser to the receiver/dryer OVER the intake air horn or would it have interfered with removing the plastic air shield at some future point? Would that have simplified the routing?
2. You mentioned that the spacer your fashioned was 30mm after your cut it down. Did I get that right or did you have to fiddle with it to get it to fit?
3. What is that nasty insulating OEM goop that is wrapped around the evap tubing. Seems to be a mix of playdoh and cork. I guess that insulating wrap (alum on outside and sticky foam on the inside) is a good replacement.
4. Is the recommended practice to drain the dye, flush the system, vacuum it again and refill or is that overkill?
5. Do you use photoshop to add the graphic elements, i.e., colored circles, boxes and lines, in some of your pics?
6. Were these iphone pics or did you use a regular camera?
On another car, I saw a replacement condenser with an added layer of mesh to protect against road debris, bugs, etc and it appeared to be replaceable. Just a thought for those with bug problems or crappy roads.
Enjoy your cool ride. You definitely earned it
Going to begin the tear down this week. First week of retirement. Lotsa to do's on the list.
--Ken
2. 30mm was what I measured after the cut and grinding it down. I was test fitting all along the way. I can't be sure that everyone's situation is exactly the same. I'd test fit as you go. Also, in reality I don't think a 1mm difference would severely mess up the system for the mount.
3. I cut off all areas where I needed access. I didn't reapply anything where the expansion valve sensor coil is clipped to the low tube. I really don't know if that affected anything. If nothing else, logic tells me that it would allow the expansion valve to stay open longer as the freezing point sensed by the cold would be a bit delayed. So far (only a few days) everything seems to be working well.
4. In my case since I was basically changing everything, the only place for residual gunk was the evaporator core and the tubes leading to it. These were easy enough to flush. So I don't think you need to go that far if you do the same.
5. I normally just use the editing functions of the Preview app on my MacBook Pro. Nothing fancy.
6. Yes, these are all iPhone 6S Plus pics. I normally shrink them to 800 x 600 or sometimes 640 x 480. If I put them in normal size, it'd be HUGE. Besides, the forum won't allow pics over 2MB. The native pics are way over 2 MB.
Hadn't heard about the mesh, then again, where I am in California bugs in the condenser or radiator have never been that big of an issue.
best of luck on your tear down. Fire any questions my way and I'll do my best to reply fast.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383