E36 325i US spec AC, battery and Door problems/questions

[athanazio]

Hi friends,
I got a 1994 325i that was left in a garage for years, now, I'm trying to bring it back to life and its glory. Here in Brazil, this car is some kind of luxurious antique car.

So, after doing something's like changing the radiator (water cooler), rebuilding the fuel pump and adjusting gear selector (automatic transmission), I entered in a rush in my job and my daughter was born and the car's project lost a little of priority.
I'm trying to retake the car's project and I appreciate a little help.

The first doubt is that after the car was stoped in my garage for about a week the battery looses all its power. Is it normal on this cars?

Second, is that the left front door is stuck closed. Someone have a tutorial ou some tip on how to solve this problem?

Third is that the AC (analog/manual AC) is somehow "strange". Initially it's controls was totally unresponsive except the fan control. The fan was starting and blowing ar aparently on 2 speeds (slow and full) but any other control or light appeared to be dead.
After I recharged the battery for the first time, when plugging it to car, all light lighted up but wasn't going off. I unplugged and plugged the battery again and the controls returned to the situation that was before (no lights, only fan blowing ar).
I completely new to BMW's, but I have some knowledge on electric and electronics, so, I can try some tests if someone have something to tell me to do in order to try to diagnose this problem.
I also figured that the AC belt isn't in the engine, but I think that this wouldn't make the controls lights doesn't light up.

I'm trying to keep this project as much DIY as I can, to cut some costs.

So, I appreciate any further information.

Thanks in advance.

Ivan Athanazio

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[Twistytee]

We probably need more diagnostic details to help you out. How new is the battery? If you have a low cell then yes, leaving it for a week or more without a trickle charge can cause it to drain below the cold crank level. There's not much in the way of additional electronics on an e36 so the chance for parasitic drag on the battery is low unless you have a short in the wiring harness or a problem alternator preventing a full charge. Get the battery tested or hook up a multimeter and check for voltage plus check amp draw with the negative terminal disconnected. Bad trunk harness, failure for glove box light or trunk light to turn off, etc. can also cause battery drain.

The manual HVAC issues sounds like a faulty HVAC control unit. It's a black box beneath your sunglasses cubby near the cigar lighter. They had common solder failures on the early units. There are some online DIY fixes or replace with used unit (hopefully one that was tested and works). If your fan only operated on the high position it could be a failed blower resistor, but based on your description I'm guessing it's the IKHR.

For your door, is it not opening because it's stuck in the locked position? Does the car have the alarm/keyless entry installed? If the battery failed while the door was doubled locked (both mechanically and electrically locked), the door will stay electrically locked until you restore power. The early e36 cars have 3 position key locks in the drivers door. Counterclockwise to unlock, 2:00 clockwise position to mechanically lock and 3:00 clockwise to both mechanically and electrically lock. It could als be a failed door lock actuator. Lots of tips/DIYs available for the actuator if that turns out to be your problem.

[chrisshara]

Twistyee,

I am having IHKR module isues. My IHKR was bringing down my TxD bus. Do you have any links on how to repair the IHKR, other than buying another unit ? Or should I just go over the solder joints that appear to be cold solder joints and hope for the best ?

[Twistytee]

I haven't found a cure-all DIY thread. Most try to locate a used one with same part number on the white label and swap it in. The following thread has some decent tips but damn PB issue has broken all the photo links. The factory was pretty skimpy with the solder on these things so you could try to reflow, but it's typically the capacitors that fail.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...nual-A-C-fixed!

[shogun]

Maximum closed current by vehicle
E31 50mA
E32 50mA
E34 40mA
E36 30mA
E38 50mA
E39 40mA
E46 40mA
E52 50mA
E53 40mA
Z3 30mA

Performing Closed Current Draw Test

• Select proper measuring device (DISplus, MoDic or DVOM)
-Remember amperage draw in excess of 10A will damage DVOM.
-Use inductive amp probe of DISplus when amperage draw is high.
-When using DISplus inductive probe, clamp on negative battery cable with -arrow pointing away from battery. Switch off all consumers.
-(It is not necessary to disconnect B- from body when using inductive probe)
• Connect (-) test lead to negative battery terminal and (+) test lead to a known good ground.
• Ensure all systems are OFF !
• Be sure DVOM is on and set in proper mode.
• Disconnect battery ground lead from body.
• Observe meter reading, wait for vehicle to enter sleep mode.
• Identify faulty circuit by disconnecting fuses, relays, control modules or connectors, observing meter readings.
• Defective circuit is found when current is below maximum closed current for vehicle being tested.

see: http://www.e38.org/battery.pdf