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Has anyone replaced the duct for the cabin air filters? The part that has the flaps that open when the hood is shut. Installs over the (removed) windshield wiper arms... The flaps on mine are broken and pieces where he hinges would be are broken off allowing air from the engine compartment to be pulled in. Difficult job or should I just gorilla glue pieces of abs to block off the openings to the engine compartment?
Member
By all means DON'T block those openings. With the hood closed the filters in the hood and their seals mate with the seal around those
portals and allow air into the cabin. The two little arms mounted under the hood press against the doors and open them when it is lowered.
When the hood is raised they close to prevent smoke/odors from entering the hvac system.
Part # 64118390380, 100-120 bucks.
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As I recall, the whole assembly, which includes both ports with flaps, comes off pretty easy. I had a couple of them at one time. Check with the part out guys.
Member
No no. Not blocking the opening. Just rebuilding the sides that were brittle and cracked.
Member
Ditto some of the comments above...unless the whole piece is crumbling and there's cracks or nothing around the sides...it's only when the hood is OPEN that there's danger of stuff falling inside the intake for the HVAC system.
As stated above, when the hood is CLOSED...the arms on the hood section push the doors open and make a seal...this is the way fresh air is sucked into the HVAC system (through the pollen/microfilters etc.). But if the whole unit is crumbling or has cracks...I guess air could be sucked in from the engine bay, too. The flaps are there to keep stuff out of the intake when the hood is open:
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2015 650ix GC (Moonstone/Cohiba Brown) <<~>> 2014 X5 50i (Space Gray/Mocha)
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Yeah, flaps are off, and due to that, the sides where the hinges for the flaps attach are cracked... which allows air from the engine compartment to be sucked in. It is sounding like everyone is saying it is an easy job, and the parts are plentiful... so I will either get with the parts folks to see what they have or order new for a little over $100! And watch a few YouTube videos!
Trunk and Hood Struts done...
New Cabin Air Filters done...
Leather conditioned done...
Side Skirt clips being delivered Friday to reattach passenger side properly
Touch-up paint for rock chips ordered... then will do paint correction (maybe when it cools off a bit)
Headliner...
Valley Pan needs to be addressed, slow leak/smell... have to top off after a week and a half. May pay to have this done... may find a friend with more tools than me.
A slight clunk from passenger front wheel when turning... will have to figure out which component(s) need replacing...
New Wheels... and then I will be done!
Wish me luck!
Thank you!
Member
Don't forget the cabin filters INSIDE the car, John.... one left, one right. If they are clogged (most are) it affects the blower
operation/airflow.
Cheers!
Member
there's just one recirculation filter under the glovebox
Member
No, on the e38, there are two recirculation filters...one on each side of the "HVAC box". The one near the glovebox (LHD cars) is easy to spot and get to...but the one on the driver's side (LHD cars) is a little bit more difficult to get to in its location near the accelerator pedal. See the driver's side recirculation filter's location highlighted in red in the diagram below:Originally Posted by MKIVJZA80
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2015 650ix GC (Moonstone/Cohiba Brown) <<~>> 2014 X5 50i (Space Gray/Mocha)
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Can anyone point me to the instructions on replacing the duct? I have the new one being delivered today or tomorrow, and wanted to read up on it for this weekend... but am not finding it... actually, thinking my terminology must be completely off since I am not finding much of anything.
Touch up paint and buff/polish went well... still some scratches, but overall I am more than pleased for a 20 year old car.
Did remove the passenger side skirt last weekend... figured out why it was loose. Looks like the PO hit something hard - actually bent the sheet metal underneath the plastic. Probably bent the rear wheel, hence the reason for the wrong/cheap replacements. Luckily, the clip mounting points are all okay, and outside of me ordering the wrong clips, and needing a few new expanding rivets, reattaching should be a snap.
New upper windshield gasket should be in shortly as well!
Thank you for any help on the cabin air duct replacement instructions!
Member
Qsilver7...appreciate your posts on the board. I've run into them a number of times working on my e38s and e39s. Question for you or anyone who might have run into this: do prefacelift (95-98) e38's have recirculation filters? I bought new ones for a recent acquisition of an early 97 740iL and then went to replace them and didn't see either of them in the usual spots.
Thanks!
Member
When you look up the IHKA housing in the part database (#1 in the diagram below)...all e38s from the Euro six cylinder 725tds to the V12 L7...they all use the same housing...which means that there are two recirculation filters...one located on each side of the housing. In the diagram below, you can see #13 which is the recirc filter on the right side of the housing...and in post #9 above...you can see the location of the left recirc filter:
Last edited by Qsilver7; 09-12-2018 at 12:16 AM.
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2015 650ix GC (Moonstone/Cohiba Brown) <<~>> 2014 X5 50i (Space Gray/Mocha)
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Qsilver7.... thanks for the picture! The BMWfans.info page got me to the parts catalogue and correct part name... Microfilter clear air channel... and a quick google got me to none other than https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=737791 and the write-up I needed...
Member
Sounds like you are doing some of the same projects I did after I picked up my first E38 this summer. I replaced the cabin air filter channel (and all of the air filters too). From memory, here is what I did:
Make note of current position of wipers on windshield. I used blue tape for this.
Pop the windshield wiper caps off.
Remove windshield wipers (make sure you have a good puller tool for this, don't force the wipers off, you don't want to bend/brake the arms).
Remove cabin air filter channel (screws are located in the two channel ducts that would have the flaps on them.
Optional: Clean area where new channel will go.
Installation is then reverse of the above steps. Make sure the new gasket doesn't fall out of the new air channel during installation. One thing to note: lining up the screw holes for the new channel was a real pain. It took me a while. Recommend that as you get each screw started, don't fully tighten until all screws are lined up and grabbing.
Good luck!
Member
Thank you! Exactly what I am doing, small projects here and there - adding stuff as I come across things. I have the upper windshield trim coming soon... and I still need to order the clips for the side skirt. After that- OEM floor mats and a really good cleaning!
Member
That was an interesting job. The unit I took out crumbled in my hands as I was pulling it out! I ended up having to vacuum out the inlets to get the pieces that fell down into the inlet... and after I was done sweeping up... I didn't think about all that dropped under the car - it was a mess.
But happy to say, the a/c is working much better now.
Also installed a new upper windshield gasket... car is coming along nicely!
New side skirt clips and pins coming this week!
Member
wow, interesting. never seen it, better change that nasty thing out. what must be removed to access it?
Member
If memory serves correct...there's the panel above the pedals & part of an air duct that needs to come out of the way. The recirc filter on the left side is just above and to the right of the accelerator pedal.
EDIT: okay...I caved-in and looked it up: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...filter/BmdHY0r
Last edited by Qsilver7; 09-18-2018 at 11:21 AM.
Become a BMW CCA member! Click HERE to join and feel free to use my BMW CCA member #191509 as a referral.
2015 650ix GC (Moonstone/Cohiba Brown) <<~>> 2014 X5 50i (Space Gray/Mocha)
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