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Thread: 525TD without AC

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    South Florida
    Posts
    2
    My Cars
    94 RHD E34

    525TD without AC

    South Floridian here. Recently picked up a E34 that was imported from England.

    The car has no AC.

    I really need to put AC into the car, it's impossible to drive in South Florida without it. It is either always raining, super hot, or extremely humid.

    My question is.. Does anyone know if all the AC components from a regular 525i fit onto a 525td?

    Don't want to go on a spending spree buying everything I need, and not have anything fit.

    Please let me know if you need any other information. Thank you in advance!

  2. #2
    moroza's Avatar
    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    BFE
    Posts
    11,090
    My Cars
    E34T
    Hello and welcome!

    Being RHD and M51, it's possible that anywhere between none and all of it is the same. Go to realoem.com, input the last 7 of your VIN, browse in the AC section, and open up another tab with the same section for a US car (probably M50). Compare part numbers. If they're the same, great. If they're different, they may still fit; post here if that's the case.

    EDIT: a brief glance suggests you're in luck. The heatercore, evaporator, and HVAC manifold housing are the same part between a RHD 525td and a LHD 525i, both 1/94. The compressor is different. Most if not all of the rest should be either the same or not hard to source.

    It's a lot of parts and a lot of work. If paying shop rates, the cost approaches the value of the car in average condition. I have to ask... why did you buy a slow RHD car with no AC in a place with sweatlodge weather and above-average amounts of fast cars and bad drivers?
    Last edited by moroza; 11-07-2019 at 11:34 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    South Florida
    Posts
    2
    My Cars
    94 RHD E34
    Quote Originally Posted by moroza View Post
    Hello and welcome!

    Being RHD and M51, it's possible that anywhere between none and all of it is the same. Go to realoem.com, input the last 7 of your VIN, browse in the AC section, and open up another tab with the same section for a US car (probably M50). Compare part numbers. If they're the same, great. If they're different, they may still fit; post here if that's the case.

    EDIT: a brief glance suggests you're in luck. The heatercore, evaporator, and HVAC manifold housing are the same part between a RHD 525td and a LHD 525i, both 1/94. The compressor is different. Most if not all of the rest should be either the same or not hard to source.

    It's a lot of parts and a lot of work. If paying shop rates, the cost approaches the value of the car in average condition. I have to ask... why did you buy a slow RHD car with no AC in a place with sweatlodge weather and above-average amounts of fast cars and bad drivers?
    Thanks for the quick information. Things are looking up!

    As for your question.. I don’t mind slow. Going fast doesn’t catch my attention. As for the AC problem, when I bought the car, I was not thinking about it. I love the style of the car, and the car in near mint condition. It’s not a daily driver but would be a nice touch to have AC. So I don’t have to sweat my life away in a random rain shower. South Florida problems.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia
    Posts
    1,101
    My Cars
    09/90 E34 525i (M50)
    I've got a RHD and pretty much everything is the same except dash, steering column and link, throttle cable, hood release. I've worked on mine for a while, I've bought every other part from the USA, also looked at a lot of pics in service manuals and other peoples LHD cars and BMW didn't make many changes, eg my brakes are still on the left... (E: obviously because that's the only place it can fit, same for heater valve etc)

    So I think every a/c pipe would be the same. If they made a different HVAC box for RHD and LHD they wouldn't have put the filter panel on the right hand side where the steering column is in the way of pulling the filter out!

    The only difference you might have is petrol vs diesel. You might have a different compressor and in a different location just because it's diesel, not because it's RHD.
    Last edited by fo3; 11-08-2019 at 04:15 AM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Quezon City, Philippines
    Posts
    636
    My Cars
    '89 535i/5, '88 735i/5
    I think the question is if the HVAC unit is present under the dash if it came from the factory without AC.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Oldham UK
    Posts
    3,185
    My Cars
    '00 330i Sprt '92 525i
    Quote Originally Posted by fo3 View Post
    If they made a different HVAC box for RHD and LHD they wouldn't have put the filter panel on the right hand side where the steering column is in the way of pulling the filter out!
    The sections of the RHD filter slide on each other so you can get it past the steering column. Once you have cleared that you can lock them back together

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia
    Posts
    1,101
    My Cars
    09/90 E34 525i (M50)
    Quote Originally Posted by whiskychaser View Post
    The sections of the RHD filter slide on each other so you can get it past the steering column. Once you have cleared that you can lock them back together
    Ha, that wasn't the point. I learnt the hard way why some filters are single panel, and some are in two parts I ended up getting my one piece panel in there eventually
    Next time I know to get a two piece panel.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Simi Valley, CA
    Posts
    563
    My Cars
    328, 525, 740, R1200RT
    If you are starting from scratch, go R152.

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