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Thread: heaters, stepper motors P.O. stuffery

  1. #1
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    heaters, stepper motors P.O. stuffery

    I went to replace my heater core o rings today and also wanted to check bowden cable as face vents didn't turn off. It's winter here so I wanted to make sure the heater wasn't leaking and also defrost vents worked - with face vent stuck on not much air went to the screen. Bowden cable peg mounting bracket was broken so I drilled some holes and cable tied it. Heater orings replaced and hopefully I didn't make a leak with improper fitment
    Bit of a nightmare job because my interior is unfortunately100% unoriginal, previous owner stuffed everything up changing ultramarine lower dash and console to parchment to make it two tone (and get rid of ultramarine cloth seats and use parchment coloured leather). The dash and console is a mess with broken plastic and missing/wrong screws

    Anyway, there was a step motor flopping around on top, from reading here it's the mixer damper. There wasn't a broken bracket - there was no bracket.
    BTW I've read here: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ng-as-expected

    As well as shoguns links like here: http://dd.jpn.org/BMW_HP/20050328/index.shtml http://bmwe32.masscom.net/johan/ihka/ihka.html http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/200205/
    There's another 6 open on my chrome browser so I thought I knew what to expect but yet again my PO suprises me.

    My big question is is there supposed to be another stepper motor on the other side for IHKR? On the other side there's a bracket but no motor or rod. Does this run off the temp control or purely of the centre face vent potentiometer? (if the latter, mine feels busted as well so I won't bother). E: If it runs off the temp controls I might look into fixing it if I ever see a wrecking e34 again (unlikely in my town). Not worth buying new stepper motors if the LH side is missing and the RH side is seized
    I wish this pdf writeup had bigger pics or I could read german http://www.gunnar525.de/screwings/ihkr-ihka_umbau.pdf

    Does the top stepper motor get in the way of a full size stereo? I'm trying to think of reasons why my PO might have completely cut off the bracket and I'm guessing it was that - but I've never heard of anyone else doing that before. Not expecting much but just sharing my PO stuffery.

    E: Another thing is the glove box is a wonky mess - again the PO changed the ultramarin one for parchment and I've never been happy how it opens and is hard to close. Anyone got a good write up with pics how to pull one out - preferably RHD? I started on it today but lots of rain and poor light and I couldn't see how some clips and fasteners should come out.
    Last edited by fo3; 06-14-2019 at 06:16 AM.

  2. #2
    moroza's Avatar
    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
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    I can't help you with RHD specific things, but here's what I've got, applicable to LHD US-market E34:

    IHKR stepper motors varied with three revisions. My 11/89 534i had three steppers: feet vents, face temp, and recirculation. It also had the sword resistor. My 4/93 530iT (pictured) changed the feet to a cable but kept the other two steppers. It also had a conventional resistor. My 1/94 525iT changed the face temp to a cable as well, and the dial lost illumination. Feet and recirc are on the side of the manifold on port, face on starboard. None of them interfere with radio fitment.

    You can see the face stepper near where the cables attach. Yes, I drove the car like this for a bit.
    Picture 326.jpg

    The variable face temp system bypasses the heatercore for front facevents. It is controlled only by the center dial.

    https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...box-Adjustment

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by moroza View Post
    You can see the face stepper near where the cables attach. Yes, I drove the car like this for a bit.
    Picture 326.jpg
    Mines different to that. The face vent actuator stepper is right at the top, like a IHKA. Just that there's only one of them, not two. Where the motor is there is no bracket. But on the other side of the box there is a bracket where a motor could go - but no motor.
    Heres a pic of mine. The floor/feet stepper actuator near the bowden cable controls. right hand side face vent blend stepper flopping around without a bracket on top of the heater box - like a IHKA.
    Sam_1786.jpg


    My car is weird and should be in a museum. Has one stepper motor on top and a bracket for another like a IHKA even though it's a IHKR. Also it did have all the wiring for a rear cig lighter even though it's a base model 525i. Maybe it was pulled from a different line and chucked onto the first run of m50s instead? It would be a great car if I got to it before the P.O. ruined it!

    Quote Originally Posted by moroza View Post
    IHKR stepper motors varied with three revisions. My 11/89 534i had three steppers: feet vents, face temp, and recirculation. It also had the sword resistor.
    Yeah, mines like that (09/1990 525i), so only 1 actuator/stepper at the top of the heater box for face vent right?
    The floor vent controlled by a stepper actuator on one side, fresh air actuator on the other side
    Cable for demist and face vents, E: and yeah, sword resistor.

    I was confused for a while because everything I've seen online is a IHKA with two top steppers for face vents, plus mine had the bracket for the other side. But no rod and no wiring. I guess IHKR doesn't need two different face vent actuator/steppers. The centre vents get the same blended cooled air from the centre vent potentiometer setting from only one motor. The main temp dials just control the separate heater valves.

    I got the glovebox out today - so easy when you know how. It allowed my to double check the passenger side for the possibility of a second top stepper motor like the IHKA. Definitely no wiring for it even though that side has the second mount bracket on my heater box

    Good news is the bottom hinges for the glovebox weren't broken which is great because they are a bit of a ripoff @$26ea.
    More PO stuffery though - they just plain didn't latch one of the hinges due to the glovebox lid lock having damage. The PO bent the inner side hinge mount bar so the glovebox was at a slight angle when latching in order for it not to get stuck locked.

    As soon as I fitted both lower hinges I had trouble closing and opening the glovebox. I had a go at lock/latch repair but gave up due to too much broken plastic and nothing to hold the latch pins right.
    I will order an new latch because they're cheap @$11. Hope they're all the same because the link you gave later on suggested that wood trim dashes have different locks to older plain trims? Mines a 1990 car but the PO added later fake wood trim glovebox. That might be why he butchered the hinges, rod and latch?
    Going by my vin I get latch/lock part# 51161849472 I went to realoem and plugged in a random 11/94 car with wood trim and got the same part number

    Anyway, I might do something about the face vent stepper if I ever find someone to make a metal bracket like shogun found here: http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/779402
    In the meantime I'll forget about it as I don't use temp setting on the centre face vents anyway. I don't want to take the console apart ever again, so depressing because so many screws are doing nothing because PO snapped off whatever tab they were supposed to screw to. Also the hazard light and window switch plugs were crumbling apart in my hands
    Last edited by fo3; 06-15-2019 at 09:54 AM. Reason: added pic of my loose motor

  4. #4
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    That bracket in the link I showed from Japan is a bit overkill, here I posted another one, that will do and easy to make from alu in a vice. quote: My solution to the broken stepper housing involved some 10x2mm aluminium strip and a vice. http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/1074058/
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  5. #5
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    I'll think about a cheaper bracket like that next time it's all apart. Might be harder as I have no old broken bracket for reference or to secure against (that's why I liked the self contained rivet in bracket from the other link )
    I don't want to take the console apart again for wear reasons, but one day I'll pull the dash off for restoring/recovering. All the blue vinyl is going brown due to UV, that face vent potentiometer needs replacing and that wonky dash vent annoys me.

  6. #6
    moroza's Avatar
    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
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    IHKR 1 had a stepper for face *temp*, but a cable for face *vents*.

    Given the extent of disassembly, the confusion, and stuffery (good word), is it possible that loose stepper is incorrectly mounted and does in fact live on the side (starboard), mirroring LHD IHKR 1 cars?

  7. #7
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    Yeah, when I'm talking about face vent stepper I'm referring to just the blend damper it has from the temp dial on the centre vent. The face vent on/off air control is a cable, which I mentioned I repaired.
    The stepper motor for the face vent temp/blend door control is definitely in it's correct place sitting on top. It's attached to a rod which goes down through the top of the heater box inside it (just like the IHKA). The rod isn't external so it can't go on the side or anywhere else.

    Here's a good picture of the IHKA
    stepper_motors_2.jpg

    my broken one is #3 on the top right (same as IKHA)
    #1 is my feet/heater stepper (same as IKHA)
    #4 is my fresh air stepper (same as IKHA)
    #10 I don't have on IHKR
    #6 I have the mount bracket but no motor or rod

    And my earlier picture shows green bowden cables on the right side for face vent on/off (blue ends) and demist/windscreen vent on/off (red ends)

    When they assembled my 525i they just decided to do things like stick in half an IKHA system, cloth seats and also pentosin power steering for comedy effect.

    E: I forgot another thing, mine is the very first run of m50 525i so like the m20 525i it has the battery in the engine bay. But under the rear seat is ~6g red and black cables for an underseat battery mount. No idea where the cables go to as I can't see any 6g red cable under the dash or in the engine bay and I don't have a engine bay jump start post. But why would they chuck a metre or so long of red and black pair of battery cables to under the rear seat for nothing?
    One day when I'm considering battery relocation I will find out where they go!
    I think people on the line were drunk the day they started assembling my car and the manager decided to send it as far away as they could.
    Last edited by fo3; 06-16-2019 at 07:31 AM.

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