air conditioning issues...

[vr2jetta]

Hey all, 92 325i, my first e36, had a few e30's though. Im trying to get the ac working well. Brought it in the shop and had the ac charged and they say all is good but it just dont cool as good as it should. I pulled the dash out to check the operation of the blend door but cant seem to find it. I see a door that is just dangling but not sure what its for. The car is in grrat shape but does have high miles. Im wondering if the evap or condensor coils are clogged as well. Anybody having the same issues? Thanks.

[flyfishvt]

If your evap/condenser coils were clogged the shop wouldn't give you 2 thumbs up. Clogged coils is extremely rare. Don't overthink this. Make sure the dial on your center vent is set to blue. Make sure the cabin air filter is new.

Your car came from the factory with R12 refrigerant. Has it been converted to r134a? If you don't know 100% what the answer is then you might want to talk to that shop. R12 refrigerant is still around but it's getting very expensive. A lot of places have stopped working with it.

[vr2jetta]

I have to overthink it, because unfortunatly the shop i had the ac charged is the one i work at and i know the type of work these guys do. it is a reputable shop, just the techs are less than impressive. I only had them do the work i coukd not do myself. it has been converted to 134. The tech said the high and low pressures look good and assured me the compressor was good. Other than that, thats all he did. He didnt check my coils or anything else. The car has 265k on the clock so clogged condenser crossed my mind along with blend door issues. It has no cabin fikter being a 92 and it has dual zone climate control. Ive seen a few threads with issues with the dual zone hvac...

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And by clogged coils i mean dirt/grass packed in the fins, not internal clogs...

[flyfishvt]

Your car has a cabin air filter. All e36s have them

[vr2jetta]

I checked my manual and it tells the location of the cabin filter. Ill check it later. Should be easy enough considering the dash is out...

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Ok, checked cabin filter and was uber dirty. Replaced. Evap coil looks nice and clean. Sweet. Pulled front bumper and condensor fan and just as i suspected...half the condensor was compacted with dirt and grease and road grime. sprayed it with hose, blew it out, applied coil cleaner and brushed with a soft wire brush and hosed out again. Blew dry then touched up areas the black peeled off. Im painting kidneys and installing bumper lip and putting everything back together. Ill report after.