Re: E39 stinky a/c ...

On Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:57:10 -0700, "Floyd Rogers" <fbloogyuds@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

"drd" <drd@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote
Is there an evaportor drain that needs clearing and if so, where is it?
If not how do I get rid of the smell?

There is a drain; don't know where it is on an E39.

Be sure to turn off the a/c a few minutes before parking the car to help
dry the evaporator to help alleviate this. If possible, manually select
exterior air. It seems that BMW programmed the a/c system to always
select re-circulation mode until the interior air is at the desired temp.
This really retains humidity in the cabin and ventilation system.

FloydR


I think you might have that last part backwards. Recirculation really should
reduce the cabin humidity quicker than that obtained when pulling in outside
air, in which case the expansion coil would also more likely be drier in
recirc mode than fresh-air mode.

But you were spot-on with the advise to dry out the expansion coil prior to a
lengthy parking time. That will go a long way to minimizing A/C funk.

fwiw, it is not uncommon for more intelligent HVAC systems to automagically
switch to recirc mode until the interior temperature is within, for example,
ten degrees F of the desired/set temperature, at which point they will open
the fresh air intake - unless the Recirc mode is forced via console button.
Don't know if that applies to the E39 or not, but a little experimentation
would go a long way to understanding how that system works...

/daytripper
'00 s4 6spd
.

Relevant Pages

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