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Thread: E36 central air blower

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    E36 325 is 1992

    E36 central air blower

    Hi all
    I've been reading this forum for months and found helpful answers but this time I really do need your help.
    The windshield defrost works fine on my 92 E36 325 but when I switch to the central air blower there is a noise of trapped air blowing nowhere and almost nothing comes out. Do you know where I have to look at to find what's wrong with it ?
    Thanks

  2. #2
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    If the inner box flaps arent broke, and the airvents themselves arent closed (the little sliding thing on the vents), the cables in the manual boxes sometimea break off. In digital climate controls, the motors in the boxes go bad.
    Personally,

    Alot of people forget that the vents turn on and off individually at the vent front panel where the air comes out.

  3. #3
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    Mine are definitely digital, there is a knob controlling where the airflow goes and I don't feel anything like a cable behind it. As far as I know these motors are on the back of the glove box and on the early E36 they are not the same as on the latter ones is that right ?
    Btw the vents are open :-)
    Thanks.

  4. #4
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    If you have the digital climate control, then there are no knobs to control where the air goes, only buttons.
    A analog climate control has a temperature knob, and a knob that you turn to control what vents the air comes out of..
    If your spinning a knob and it feels like its connected to nothing, then the end of the cable is broke.. Which happens alot.

  5. #5
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    11/88 E32 750iL+98 E36M3
    let us have your VIN, then we can check in the parts catalog what you have, we even do not know if you have just a heater, or a automatic climate control system. http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  6. #6
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    E36 325 is 1992
    Hi,
    my vin is WBABF31070EF06340 and here is a pic of my climate control.
    At first the right knob used to work fine, then a slight delay occurred before the air was able to blow through the central vent, and now close to nothing blows through it.

    IMG_20200203_084735.jpg

    It looks like it is this one:

    http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E36-Coupe/Europe/325i-M50/L-M/jun1992/browse/heater_and_air_conditioning/air_conditioning_control/



    Last edited by I.P; 02-03-2020 at 04:25 AM.

  7. #7
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    Thats a analog climate control.

    - - - Updated - - -

    If theres no air pressure at all, the blower motor is probably bad. If the knob doesnt open the vents, then the cable end is probably broke.. Theres nothing digital about that climate control.

  8. #8
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    There is something I don't understand, where is the cable supposed to be in this drawing ?

    http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E3...oning_control/

  9. #9
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    apparently there are different brands, here Heater control kammerer http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E3...ntrol_kammerer
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  10. #10
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    Indeed I saw that one too with its cable but it's not the one I have, I can clearly hear motors moving some parts when I turn the right knob... Well I least I used to hear...

  11. #11
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    It looks like I accidentally deleted the message I wished to edit, anyway there is (was) indeed a cable at first glance, I can definitely see something connected to the back of the knob.

  12. #12
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    It looks like I accidentally deleted the message I wished to edit, anyway there is (were) indeed a cable at first glance, I can definitely see something connected to the back of the knob

  13. #13
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    The other end of that cable...

  14. #14
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    I have to stop it's getting too dark to get anything useful done and actually I had not planned to work on this this afternoon, I went back to it because of (or thanks to &#128513 your message.
    So, indeed I have a cable, actually this cable is not broken as far as I can tell because I can switch from the windshield vents to the foot vents, but the closer the knob gets to the front vents position the more I hear this noise of trapped air and I get maybe 20% of what I should get when the knob is on the front vents position.
    I'll try to find what's going on this Saturday.

  15. #15
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    Mines the same thing! I have a digital board and the air blows but doesn’t come out of any vents. When I pull the sunglasses piece out I feel the air blowing down there.
    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.

  16. #16
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    HE DOESNT HAVE A DIGITAL CLIMATE CONTROL!

    So the dash vents do not put out much air. Is that what your getting at?

  17. #17
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    That's it, none of them gets much air but when I switch to the windshield or the feet vents it's ok.

  18. #18
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    s-l400.jpg see this pic?.. All the vents have that black turn knob that goes right to left.. 1 side turns a flap that shuts the vent off...the other opens that particular vent... Allllll the vents have those knobs except the floor vents and the windsheild vents... If the knobs are turned off... Then the vents are turned off nomatter how you set the knob on the climate control.
    Nobody would recertify these machines after somebody screwed with them without any visibility into what they did.

    HONK! HONK! Clown car coming through!

    -Oakdizzle

  19. #19
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    Yes I know about these vents, they are open.

  20. #20
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    K.. So.. Vents are open. The cable isnt broke.. That leaves us at the armatures on the flaps on the airbox as broke. Yay! We found the problem!
    Nobody would recertify these machines after somebody screwed with them without any visibility into what they did.

    HONK! HONK! Clown car coming through!

    -Oakdizzle

  21. #21
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    And this is an easy fix or do I have to remove the whole dash ?

  22. #22
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    Whole dash. Probably going to be stuck getting a new air box in entirety. Itspretty in depth and invasive.

  23. #23
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    Ok well... I'll consider this issue as fixed I guess. I'd rather change the rod bearings than removing the dash.
    Many thanks for your help.

  24. #24
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    Hello all,
    I'm really wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if I don't understand at all how these vents are supposed to work.
    When I switch to the front vents they still remain closed as explained above, but if I switch the cold/hot knob to cold and wait a couple of seconds suddenly they open and blow air like crazy. Here is a video to show what's happening, sometimes it's better than a long explanation. (Warning: the sound is awful but you can clearly hear the vents opening around 0:10)

    https://youtu.be/k65HWkd9qQw

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