yeah, I did the same by replacing the 0.47 uF capacitor and my climate control works for a months by now.Originally Posted by ry328
if you can turn on the AC and turn it off, and everything seems to work okay (no dimming/AC Compressor kicking in), you're probably fine. If you're not sure, bring it to an electronics shop, or someone who is more experienced with soldering and let them take a look at it.
Thanks,
Benjamin Hirsch
Track Junky Extraordinaire
Glad to hear it Reno You just saved yourself around 300 US Dollars, not sure how much that is in your currency.
Thanks,
Benjamin Hirsch
Track Junky Extraordinaire
As an update.....it's now May '04 and I haven't had any problems with the new unit....knock on wood
i need the item # so could order it from fry's electronics
i called them and they said i need the item #
I have a 97 328IS and my climate control went dead on me this week. I searched it and found this thread, followed the repair in the DIY, except for replacing the capacitor. I just added some solder to it and it's working again(for now). Just wanted to say thanks for the great info.
Jeff
Good for you! That's what we're here for. Good luck!
98 328i - Minor mods include Eisenmann exhaust, Lowered Suspension, Hi-Flo Air Intake, 18" M5 Rims, 6-Disc Changer, subs, tinted windows, M3 shifter & pedals
Another BIG THANKS to the list!!!
Fortunatly for me a Fry's just opened 10min from my house here in the Atlanta area.. They had the part at the store for .49 cents. That plus a $2.99 soldering iron and I was in business!!
The only thing I would add to the DIYers with little soldering experience is to be careful not to let solder fill the holes as you remove old cap. I wasn't sure what to do when I did so I just drilled them out to be big enough for the leads on the new cap. I guess spending a few dollars on a proper desoldreing setup might be beneficial but obviously not a requirement.
The new cap I bought was polarized with the longer lead being the positive side. If you face the board with the blue connector in the back the positive is the right hole and the ground or shorter lead is the left. Can anyone back me up on that? Mine certainly works that way but YMMV..
anyone know if is possible to find the small square switch comes with the white or orange let, i has one broken and i want to replace it.
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I discovered this site while researching this problem (it's a great place!). I've experienced the same issue with my '98 328is. I was actually able to have a new CC computer put in for free thanks to a 3rd party warranty I never thought I'd be able to use. Problem is, the CC unit reads out in Celsius. I'd like it in Fahrenheit, but the guys who put it in didn't know how to fix it. Any ideas? Thank you.
Hello, I have a 1992 BMW 318i and I am having the same problem with the fan going on and off. I have did step by step what the Richard's web site has said but my climax control logic board is different then the models mansion.
Can someone share some information about replacing the capacitor for this model. I do have pictures, I can take for you if that helps?
thanks
My son purchased his first car last weekend, a '98 323is. After a successful test drive with everything functioning (except for a door lock quirk), we closed the deal only to find shortly after that the CC control was blank with no functions operational. The drive back from Virginia to Baltimore was a real bummer in the "new" bimmer! The underside of the dash got very hot due the position it defaulted to and the fact that the fan was not operational. After getting it home and resting it briefly, the display came back on for a short period and went back off, this time leaving the AC on.
Having no manuals and no clue, we resorted to the web and were fortunate to find this and other forums loaded with information describing these symptoms and various corrective possibilities. Thanks to all of you for your input. It has allowed me, at least for now, to get the cc funtioning again. Even though most of this has been discussed at length, I would like to share with you my actions and observations in hope that someone else may benefit.
We quickly learned that the most likely causes were poor board connections or the much discussed capacitor. We also learned that for a very reasonable charge of less than $100 there were several people offering to repair your unit. Having virtually no electronic expertise (as will become more evident later) and 10 thumbs that are not conducive to good soldering techniques, my first impulse was to send it to someone. But then my curious and frugal other side took over. I own mostly Volvos (heaven forbid), and have never taken them back to the stealer (as you rightly call him), unless they were under warranty. (Note my oldest is a 1966 p1800- most of you are too young and will draw a blank). As a first step, I pulled the unit out and flexed the main harness connector with the ignition key on. I didn't want to waste fuel, so to keep from draining the battery through all this I connected my battery charger. Sure enough, I was able to easily make the unit turn on an off by doing this, suggesting an obvious connection problem. I then removed it from its case, relatively easy following the procedures described in another site's well documented (with pictures) tome on how to replace the capacitor.
The sight of the 24 pin connector with all its potential problems was truly daunting to the faint of heart, so I decided to try the simplest approach - resolder the capacitor's two connection points. I reassembled the unit, and it worked flawlessly, or so it seemed. After two days and only several hours of driving, it flickered off/on several times, so I new all was not well and it would have to come out again. Armed with more web insights the second time, I took it out of the case and hooked it up so that one could better identify where the connection problem was. As before, moving the main connector easily induced a fault. Now this is where it really gets interesting. I selected a ordinary lead pencil to use as a tool to poke soldered connection points. The very first point I touched, and I did it ever so gently, was one of the two capacitor points. This caused the display to flicker immediately as did a second very gentle touch. Obviously, a bad connection - right? Well, after that, the unit continued to function flawlessly, no matter how much I played with that point or pushed on it, flexed the harness connector or the capacitor itself. I have now managed to convince myself that it was not a connection problem at all, that some other electrical phenomena was in play. Now I know all you electronic geeks out there are doubled over in laughter, but you cannot convince me that the gentlest of touches could have sealed a connection so well that I could not easily disrupt it. Again, at the risk of exposing my ignorance, is it possible the touching the capacitor connection could have discharged energy that was stored in the circuit, possibly in the capacitor? If so, is this why making minor repair efforts seems to briefly correct the problem only to have them return? I convinced myself of this, so I changed the capacitor.
A few points on that change. Removing the old one was more difficlut than expected, even with most of the solder removed. The capacitor was stuck to the board by the sealer and it took a lot of gentle flexing in both directions with a pair of needle nose pliers to break it free. Another controversy has been the rating and polarity of the capacitor - .47 or 47uf. The blue square one that I removed was marked rather clearly u47n63. As there was absolutely no indication of a decimal point, my electronics store guy and I decided on a 47uf, 63 volt radial, polarized electrolytic type. Wanting to be safer, I would have preferred a non-polarized one but the only one they had at at 47uf was 100volts which was way too large. Several people have tried to clarify the polarity on the board but I kept getting confused by board orientation, verbage, etc. Finally, after reading a post contained in "the tome" for replacing the capacitor for the dozenth time, it finally sunk in. Find the round blue capaitor below and to the left of the problematic one. That one has the negative clearly indicated by a black band with arrows and circles going down the side. Use an ohmeter to check between that leg and the points where the other capacitor was removed. You should find that the negative is installed 180 opposite of the round blue one. ( I guess I am just dense )
In any case, its working for now and I'll report back if problems develop. One other unknown - the small unit fan seems to continually run, even with the ignition off. Is this normal? It may have been doing it all along but I didn't notice.
Sorry for being so long winded on my first post. Hopes it helps rather than confuses!
does anyone know what a new/re-built CCU runs retal at the dealer?
Hey everyone, I recently decided to embark on the task of removing my CC unit and doing the capacitor replacement. I found a suitable 0.47uf non-polarized capacitor at Fry's here in Austin. I guess the prices have gone up - it was $1.49, not $0.49 like I've read elsewhere.
Anyway, here's my dilemma: I cannot remove the OBC! I know, this is supposed to be the easy part, right? I've got a 1998 M3 Coupe. When I poke my finger into the little hole just beneath the OBC, I am able to slide part of the OBC forward but the plastic dash stuff just beneath the OBC itself (there's a little tray/cubby hole, then below that the ASC button, etc.) that whole tray/cubby thing is totally in the way and prevents me from sliding the OBC out. I'm pretty handy, definitely didn't just wimp out here. In fact, I managed to get the OBC 1/3 of the way out when the front face of the OBC popped off (whoooops) but lucky me I didn't damage anything. It looks like I need to pop off the lower dash/cubby hole plastic before I can remove the OBC, but that didn't want to come out either (not without disconnecting the ASC button, cigarette lighter, etc.). Definitely doesn't seem like the way to go.
I read the instructions posted at Richard's site (sorry, I can't post the link...) but see no mention of anything tricky in removing the OBC. Has anyone else encountered any problems with this step? Any suggestions?
thanks,
Kaan
Just wanted to make a follow-up post, I got the OBC out, and followed the instructions at macadamizer.com/bmwfix.html and so far (crosses fingers) my climate control system works fine. It's only been 2 days though...
You can order a replacement system (OEM part made by BMW) from Pelican Parts for $368 (part # 64-11-8-378-466-M9) or a rebuilt unit (rebuilt by Programa) for $221 (part # 64-11-8-378-466-M250).
I would suggest trying the removal/install yourself (not the soldering stuff, just pull out your old CC unit and put in the new one). It's not that hard if you follow the steps at macadamizer.com. Even if the dealer charged you $20 that would seem like too much.
i get a deal from the dealer, so I just opted for buying a new unit, i sapped them out in about 10 minutes - the only thing now is trying to figure out how to make the temperature read out in fahrenheit, anyone know how to do this?
Ok, I had the problem of the CC unit turning itself on + off. After reading the threads, I replaced the capacitor and voila, it worked. Or so I thought... my CC units functions correctly in terms of being able to control everything, EXCEPT I can't control which direction the air is getting blown. So the 3 buttons on the left don't do anything, though the green lights do come on when I press them, the air just keeps blowing at my feet like its stuck or something.
Anyone have any ideas on this one?
I've read thru the thread and can't find my issue. All lights are working and everything appears to be ok but my heater/climate control seems to have a mind of its own. If I turn the heater controls (dual) on and direct the heat to windshield or any of the possible settings, it works fine for a while. The problem is that the temp control doesn't seem to stay set. If the temp is set at 68 degrees it will maintain until suddenly it goes to maximum heat for maybe a minute. Long enough to let you know it's not working correctly. Any ideas? Car is 92 325is.
IslandmanFL
"stuck in the 70's!"
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