BimmerM3inGA
08-29-2008, 09:53 PM
Long story short: I bought a '97 318is as a fixer-upper (I know this is the M3 forum - but I hang out here more and ya'll are a lot more knowledgeable and helpful than the "normal" E36 crowd). Anyway, I bought the car knowing the climate control computer was inoperative. The seller said he "read on the Internet how to fix the capacitor" which he claimed to have done to no avail.
Having just performed this task on my wife's '99 323Ci, I decided to crack it open and check his work. Well, he replaced the wrong capacitor! I replaced the correct one and BINGO it works again - almost. Everything seems to function correctly - fan speed, temperature control, vent selection, etc. But pressing the AC button does not switch on the compressor and the AC doesn't run. I verified that it actually works by swapping out the controller with my M3. The AC definitely works.
I'm thinking that the capacitor he replaced must be the problem. In the photo below I have circled the capacitor in question - I borrowed this photo from the DIY and it is not a photo of my actual unit. Can somebody tell me the value of the circled capacitor so I can replace it with the correct one? I could take my computer apart, but I'd rather not if somebody happens to know the value of the circled cap.
http://www.creative-pro.net/bmw_diy/ClimateComputer.jpg
Having just performed this task on my wife's '99 323Ci, I decided to crack it open and check his work. Well, he replaced the wrong capacitor! I replaced the correct one and BINGO it works again - almost. Everything seems to function correctly - fan speed, temperature control, vent selection, etc. But pressing the AC button does not switch on the compressor and the AC doesn't run. I verified that it actually works by swapping out the controller with my M3. The AC definitely works.
I'm thinking that the capacitor he replaced must be the problem. In the photo below I have circled the capacitor in question - I borrowed this photo from the DIY and it is not a photo of my actual unit. Can somebody tell me the value of the circled capacitor so I can replace it with the correct one? I could take my computer apart, but I'd rather not if somebody happens to know the value of the circled cap.
http://www.creative-pro.net/bmw_diy/ClimateComputer.jpg