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Thread: e36 Defrost problem

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
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    NJ
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    314
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    96 328I

    e36 Defrost problem

    Hey guys,

    When i turn my front defrost on i hear the air, but nothing comes out of the vents. Maybe very very little, but not much. Im thinking that the valve is staying shut for some reason? The rear defrost works fine and so does the AC and heat. Has anyone else experienced this or know what might be the culprit? I want to get this fixed before the cold weather hits.

    Thanks in advance!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Upstate, NY - USA
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    134
    My Cars
    325is/535i/540i
    Make sure the cam behind the glovebox is free, and still firmly attached.....

    next check the flap motors on the core box....

    Mine make a real bad popping sound when they first open....I'm thinking about flooding the suckers with some silicone spray lube and pray for the best.....I really don't wanna take the dash apart to fix it properly....

    I love my Bimmer, but there are times I just wanna slap the engineers.....

  3. #3
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    96 328I
    mine also made a popping noise when i first turned it on. A week before the defrost stopped working the popping noise stopped. Ill have to check what your suggesting though.

    Thanks!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
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    Upstate, NY - USA
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    325is/535i/540i
    Do all of your climate control buttons work?....Recirc/AC/Rear Defog?

    You can try resetting the IHKR by unplugging the 3 pigtails turning the car on while unplugged, then turning car off and replugging the piggys.....

    I can tell ya....if you've heard that popping sound when you turn your heat/defrost on and now ya don't, it's DEFINITELY the flaps on the box....when they stick, they don't open and allow the air to flow to the vents.....

    DUMBEST DESIGN EVER.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2004
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    Florida Panhandle/ Ohio
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    14 JGC/13 E88 128i
    He has a different design than your 94 with an IHKA. If your climate control does function than I would suggest trying to investigate the cycling of the positions.
    You have nothing to loose trying to reset this but more than likely you have a stuck flapper of a flapper with a bad connection.
    I agree with the previous poster that the entire HVAC design is not one of BMWs best products. Just wait until you have to remove the fan and you can understand what I am saying...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
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    325is/535i/540i
    aha....I see now...he's got a 96....digital controls.....sometimes it pays to read the member info to see what they're driving...lol

    It's a stuck flap or a bad connection on the flap actuator....

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Carbondale IL
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    38
    My Cars
    96 328I

    e36 defrost fix

    '96 328i

    When I bought the car the defrost did not work. The linkage from the motor to the flap was disconnected and needed to be reattached. The motor for the defrost is on the right side of the center counsel, in the passanger area by the left knee. Pull the glove box and open up the area like you going to change the cabin filter. If the arm is laying next to the little motor then snap it back on. Pretty easy fix once I found the problem. If you need more info let me know. Rob
    Last edited by brothersinc1; 09-28-2009 at 09:39 PM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
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    NJ
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    96 328I
    ok thanks for all your responses. Ill have to check on that this weekend hopefuly it is as easy as you describe it.

    And yes all the other climate control works. AC heater the works

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    San Francisco
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    462
    My Cars
    2000 323 Wagon
    I have this problem too. It just started happening. I won't be able to look at it until Friday but any more info on what to look for (pics?!?) would be great.


    Thunderhill 5 mile TTC record 3:32.916

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
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    308
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    e36 328is
    Quote Originally Posted by brothersinc1 View Post
    '96 328i

    When I bought the car the defrost did not work. The linkage from the motor to the flap was disconnected and needed to be reattached. The motor for the defrost is on the right side of the center counsel, in the passanger area by the left knee. Pull the glove box and open up the area like you going to change the cabin filter. If the arm is laying next to the little motor then snap it back on. Pretty easy fix once I found the problem. If you need more info let me know. Rob
    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...68&hg=64&fg=45

    This is strange. According to the etk, the defrost flap actuator is on the left side, upper motor?
    The way I understand it is that if say you've put the air on the feet and now turn the defrost vents on, it will open the defrost vents, but also partly close the foot vent flap. So for all the functions to work properly, you must have ALL the flaps and motors work properly, otherwise, say one opens but the other one doesn't close completely or restrict as it should, you'll get little air flow.

    The trouble I decribed here is however present on my own car and so I'll check out where the motor really is.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    sa
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    23
    My Cars
    m3
    Mines Freakin broken any ideas? this is the lever that opens the defrost vent
    do i have to remove the dash?



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    Quote Originally Posted by Nicklle36 View Post
    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...68&hg=64&fg=45

    This is strange. According to the etk, the defrost flap actuator is on the left side, upper motor?
    The way I understand it is that if say you've put the air on the feet and now turn the defrost vents on, it will open the defrost vents, but also partly close the foot vent flap. So for all the functions to work properly, you must have ALL the flaps and motors work properly, otherwise, say one opens but the other one doesn't close completely or restrict as it should, you'll get little air flow.

    The trouble I decribed here is however present on my own car and so I'll check out where the motor really is.

    The motors are on the right side
    i have removed the 2 of them in the pics above
    u can still see the last one on very top
    Last edited by slammed36; 05-31-2010 at 05:02 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
    1997 BMW M3 Individual
    RP Racing 41 / SynMax / Max Gear - Bilstein B6's - ProKit - Xbrace - RE RSM's - Black Kidney's
    Need PowerFlex Bushes+BBK+PSS9's+Eibach ARB's

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
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    e36 328is
    Ok I fixed mine.
    So I was right. There are 5 motors on the climate control box. 3 on the right side, and 2 on the left side.
    As shown here: http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...68&hg=64&fg=45

    What I understood with the pictures posted by slammed36 is that the defrost vent flap is controlled on the right side. So it is simple: there is a plastic rod that goes from the motor on the left side to the flap pivot on the right side.

    This rod has a 90° angle to it, and at least in slammed36's and my case, it has broken right there, so it might be a spot in the plastic that gets brittle in the long run.

    Solution #1: remove the whole dash and replace the heater box.
    That's got a downside tho: it's costly and time consuming.

    Solution #2: cloth hanger.









    There you go. Getting the pin shaped correctly has taken me a couple attempts, but no need to remove the whole dash and it now works very well.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Sneek
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    E36 Convertible
    Quote Originally Posted by Nicklle36 View Post
    Ok I fixed mine.
    So I was right. There are 5 motors on the climate control box. 3 on the right side, and 2 on the left side.
    As shown here: http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...68&hg=64&fg=45

    What I understood with the pictures posted by slammed36 is that the defrost vent flap is controlled on the right side. So it is simple: there is a plastic rod that goes from the motor on the left side to the flap pivot on the right side.

    This rod has a 90° angle to it, and at least in slammed36's and my case, it has broken right there, so it might be a spot in the plastic that gets brittle in the long run.

    Solution #1: remove the whole dash and replace the heater box.
    That's got a downside tho: it's costly and time consuming.

    Solution #2: cloth hanger.









    There you go. Getting the pin shaped correctly has taken me a couple attempts, but no need to remove the whole dash and it now works very well.
    Thus is a kind of a bump, but im facing the Same problem described here. Could anyone explain me how this method is done with the clothhanger? The photos arent working so I have no idea. Thanks!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    hillsboro IN.
    Posts
    18
    My Cars
    1994 bmw 530I
    I was having the same problem..I took the glove box out and the arm that go's on the flap had came off..I put it back on and it works..but the arm keeps popping out after a few time's running it back and forth...still trying to figure away to keep it in there...smh

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Texas
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    1
    My Cars
    1998 BMW 318i
    I'm a girl I dont know technical terms I have a 1998 318i heating /air works but if I want to switch to feet etc. It doesn't switch over, when I select defrost it comes out on max at my face nothing comes out of the defrost vents. I need diagrams of what all these flap motors and where exactly they are and what they look like thank you for any help

    - - - Updated - - -

    Also where are these arms etc what exactly do they look like

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
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    Concord, CA USA
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    1997 328i
    Quote Originally Posted by Anita76 View Post
    I'm a girl I dont know technical terms I have a 1998 318i heating /air works but if I want to switch to feet etc. It doesn't switch over, when I select defrost it comes out on max at my face nothing comes out of the defrost vents. I need diagrams of what all these flap motors and where exactly they are and what they look like thank you for any help

    - - - Updated - - -

    Also where are these arms etc what exactly do they look like
    Sounds like the place to start is behind the glove box. That's what I'm going to try first. My dash ain't coming out unless hell freezes over. Winter is here and defrost is a must though. So if you take the glove box out and see an arm that is supposed to attached to the flap, and the arm is not attached, they say to attach it and see if that works.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    May 2014
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    sofia, bulgaria
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    3
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    BMW 328i
    I have this problem too, the plastic rod was broken and I replaced it, but now it keeps popping out every time I turn on the defrost vents. Does anyone have an idea what might be causing this?

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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    1998 BMW 328is
    so how do you go about replacing this plastic rod piece, mine is broken on the other end (the one you cant see connect) and getting to it is a pain in the ass

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
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    Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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    1998 BMW 328is
    Quote Originally Posted by Nicklle36 View Post
    Ok I fixed mine.
    So I was right. There are 5 motors on the climate control box. 3 on the right side, and 2 on the left side.
    As shown here: http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...68&hg=64&fg=45

    What I understood with the pictures posted by slammed36 is that the defrost vent flap is controlled on the right side. So it is simple: there is a plastic rod that goes from the motor on the left side to the flap pivot on the right side.

    This rod has a 90° angle to it, and at least in slammed36's and my case, it has broken right there, so it might be a spot in the plastic that gets brittle in the long run.

    Solution #1: remove the whole dash and replace the heater box.
    That's got a downside tho: it's costly and time consuming.

    Solution #2: cloth hanger.









    There you go. Getting the pin shaped correctly has taken me a couple attempts, but no need to remove the whole dash and it now works very well.
    Do you happen to have the photo for the cloth hanger fix? The link doesn't seem to work anymore

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    10
    My Cars
    2000 BMW Z3 2.3 Roadster
    I'm having this problem in a 2000 Z3 2.3 E36/7 is this in the same location? Also none of the pictures on here are showing, all dead links, can anyone resurrect this?

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Pittsburgh, Pa
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    3
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    2004 325Ci M56 engine
    I know this is an old thread but it directly correlates with my problem as well. My windshield vent won't open to allow defrost to work. Very little air getting through. I feel removing dash is only option but def don't want to do that perhaps causing more problems elsewhere. Any solutions

  22. #22
    Join Date
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    Bump a hella old thread. haha

    97 M3 previous owner had it sitting for a year and I'm slowly bringing it all back.

    I dont believe the selector box vents are functioning at all i can go through the motions on the HVAC selector and nothing happens. Can hear air blowing but doesn't come out of ANYWHERE.

    I have 3 HVAC controls that came with the car everything on the one installed functions but the selector.

    Seeing how people talk about not wanting to remove the dash furthers my speculation that would be a pain but im not apposed to doing it in the summer on a weekend if a harness is severed or the box is just not functional. (Maybe the actuator isnt functional?)

    Was wondering if anyone has a way to manually open the defrost vents? They were the only vents I used the last 10 years in my other E36 so I figured if there was a way to remove the center vent or glove box and reach up and manually stick them open I'd be good for the most part.

    Or if anyone has some good photos of the vent selector box so I can see where i need to go to do this?



    Thanks guys.
    Last edited by H2oiamwater; 11-20-2019 at 11:25 AM.
    Need graphic design work? LookAtMeSmile.com



    Quote Originally Posted by cr2596 View Post
    Yup. A differnt time for the forum. The great threads get 12 replies. Shit threads get 12 pages.

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