86 635CSi Just acquired my first 6er. When the A/C is running in order to get adequate air flow from the driver's vents I have to close the upper center vent. Is this normal? Also, the fresh air flap control still appears to work when the A/C is on. Sliding the control to the right while driving at highway speed increases air flow from driver and center vents. Thought it was supposed to be inoperative when the A/C is on. Any help/advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
On my E30, the only for me to get adequate air flow (I like a lot of A/C air flow) was to close the upper vents and the far passenger vent, concentrating the flow distribution to the two center vents. The same thing happens on my dad's 2003 GMC pickup and my mom's 2000 Infinity. I generally found air flow to be weak on my E30 with all of the vents open. If by adequate, you mean, basically no airflow, you could have an issue with the blower motors. One is located under the hood, underneath that black panel above the firewall, and the other is located behind the center console. If you can get at them, I'd check to see if they work by getting a multimeter and testing for continuity through the motor. You could check for voltage, too, while the car is running and the A/C controls on. I would expect to see a significant voltage increase from the off/on settings. I'd think it'd be a 12V reading since it's a 12V system. You can download a PDF of your E24's Electrical Troubleshooting Manual here: http://wedophones.com/BMWManualsLead.htm On the fresh air flap, do you mean that you will get hot air through this vent on a hot day even when the A/C is running? Sounds to me like a vent flap may not be closing somewhere. I may be misunderstanding what you're asking, but sliding the selector to the right will open up the main vent controls (upper, center, lower). Sounds as though your system is working as it should. If the fresh air flap is still open while at highway speeds, the airflow inside the cabin will increase since the air is rushing around the vehicle faster. Alex
