1997 e39 aircon not as cold as it used to be

Hi all,

My e39's aircon is not cooling as much as beofre. It does cool a little,
but no where near enough. Does that mean it needs recharging? Is there
any way I can check this?

TIA

--
Grunff

Grunff wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> My e39's aircon is not cooling as much as beofre. It does cool a little,
> but no where near enough. Does that mean it needs recharging? Is there
> any way I can check this?
>
> TIA
>

it's just the gas, there's nothing you could really do to check it...
it's cheap to refill, i got my E34 done with SP34E for $80AU (about
$55US) and he came out to my office and did it

now it's so cold the little temp stick that he put in the vent went down
to 0C ! now that's cold!

if you use your aircon often you will probably need to regass every 2 years

"furious gibbon" > wrote
> Grunff wrote:
>> My e39's aircon is not cooling as much as beofre. It does cool a little,
>> but no where near enough. Does that mean it needs recharging? Is there
>> any way I can check this?
>>

Usually, you can have someone turn on the a/c while you watch the little
window in the fitting next to the dryer (a round pint-sized canister).
If too many bubbles appear, or if it takes a while for the fluid to run by,
you're low.

> it's just the gas, there's nothing you could really do to check it... it's
> cheap to refill, i got my E34 done with SP34E for $80AU (about $55US) and
> he came out to my office and did it
>
> now it's so cold the little temp stick that he put in the vent went down
> to 0C ! now that's cold!
>
> if you use your aircon often you will probably need to regass every 2
> years

That is bullocks. My '91 E34 (with R12) has the original charge. If you
have had to have it refilled every two years, you should get the seals
or whatever is leaking replaced.

FloydR

> "furious gibbon" > wrote
> > Grunff wrote:
> >> My e39's aircon is not cooling as much as beofre. It does cool a little,
> >> but no where near enough. Does that mean it needs recharging? Is there
> >> any way I can check this?
> >>
>

> > now it's so cold the little temp stick that he put in the vent went down
> > to 0C ! now that's cold!
> >
> > if you use your aircon often you will probably need to regass every 2
> > years
>
> That is bullocks. My '91 E34 (with R12) has the original charge. If you
> have had to have it refilled every two years, you should get the seals
> or whatever is leaking replaced.
>
> FloydR

My 95 e34 has the original charge as well. It did stop cooling
sufficiently, though. It was a filter. If you haven't cleaned the filter
under (behind) your dash every 25-30k miles, debris will build up
and limit airflow through the dash vents

SNIP most

> if you use your aircon often you will probably need to regass every 2
> years

Quite the contrary. Lack of use is the culprit. The seals dry out, develop
leaks and then the refrigerant leaves when pressurized. Good practice,
cycle the A/C on every week or so even in winter .. just a few seconds to
pressurize the system and circulate the refrigerant.

R / John