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Non-BMW Stuff on a BMW Forum


gilber33

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1 hour ago, jc43089 said:

So you determined that the low speed resistor on the fan was bad?  I think I removed a failed resistor on an e30 once and just connected the wires.  Then when the temp sensor calls for low or high speed it will just run high speed.  Costs nothing and the fan runs on high speed right away.

I have read that as an alternative. Bypass the resistor and replace the 15a fuse in the fuse box with a 30a fuse. For me, I couldn't determine if the resistor was good because the resistor wasn't getting any power. I followed these steps: 

If low speed does not come on:
With the aux fan low temp (green/black to black) switch jumped, check for voltage on both sides of fuse 3. If you have no voltage, the K1 relay is suspect. If there is any appreciable difference across the fuse, replace the fuse. Check for voltage at aux fan resistor on the black wire. Voltage dropped from 12v at the connector to less than 1 volt at the resistor. If you have no voltage, there is a wiring fault. If you have voltage, check for voltage on the aux fan red wire. It should be less than 12V. If you have voltage, the fan or ground is suspect. 

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6 hours ago, SteelBlue said:

To make the R134A AC update, did you need to do anything additionally? I have not tried my A/C, but will be on the old stuff. Would be nice to have if I ever needed it. 
 

Are you no longer running the clutch fan? Can you turn the fan on without having the A/C on?

You need to at least do a valve on the evaporator, new drier and pressure switch. I also did new evaporator and condenser and now a new fan. 
 

I still have the clutch fan. The auxiliary fan comes on automatically with the AC on and mine wasn’t, that’s why I replaced it. 
 

The tools worked as they should but I have a leak somewhere that all the Freon drained out. When I put in the first can I was hearing a hissing sound coming from the vents behind the hood. I thought it was the Freon filling the evaporator but now I believe it was a leak. The pag oil I put in has the uv dye in it but since the pressure never got high enough for the compressor to kick in, I’m not sure if the oil was cycled through all the lines to help me find a leak. I do have leak detector spray for gas lines in your house, so I may sacrifice a can of r134 to find the leak. 
 

I read it’s not super uncommon for a leak to be sealed when the system is under vacuum and appear when it’s under pressure. 

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1 hour ago, SteelBlue said:

I’m struggling to identify where this is on the car.

Also, what’s the process for doing this?

 

1 hour ago, KaiserRolls said:

Assuming that’s under the dash?

also, UV dye

Correct. Under the dash. It’s the hi line from inside the car that was leaking a bit and then the low side at the fitting between the evaporator and the expansion valve. 

It was a $10 UV flashlight from Walmart. Decided to grab that at the last minute but it was very worth it. Excited to say the car now has cold AC. It’s actually a little better than my XC70. That probably needs a charge - which I can now do. 

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11 minutes ago, SteelBlue said:

How’s the new rack been working?

Much better. Had a huge air bubble reveal itself on my way home last week several days after installing the rack. Thought I felt the PS getting weak and when I got home the reservoir was empty. But zero leaks. Topped it off and it's been all good since then. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The car has been running great for the most part. One nagging thing has been about once every other week I’d get home with an empty PS reservoir. I always thought maybe there’s a large bubble in the system since I completely drained it. 
 

Confirmed today that’s not the case. 

58FA65DF-0796-4247-9B26-1174251C8BCD.jpeg

Pried one of the boots away from the steering rack and it was so full of fluid that it squirted out. It was under pressure. 
 

Both seals are clearly blown out. Really disappointed with Rack Doctor. Will give them a call tomorrow but I can’t put on of their racks back in my car. I don’t trust them anymore. Will go with OE rebuilt unit from FCP. 

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3 hours ago, gilber33 said:

The car has been running great for the most part. One nagging thing has been about once every other week I’d get home with an empty PS reservoir. I always thought maybe there’s a large bubble in the system since I completely drained it. 
 

Confirmed today that’s not the case. 

58FA65DF-0796-4247-9B26-1174251C8BCD.jpeg

Pried one of the boots away from the steering rack and it was so full of fluid that it squirted out. It was under pressure. 
 

Both seals are clearly blown out. Really disappointed with Rack Doctor. Will give them a call tomorrow but I can’t put on of their racks back in my car. I don’t trust them anymore. Will go with OE rebuilt unit from FCP. 

Ive heard really good things about rack doctor. Id give them a second chance.

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10 hours ago, gilber33 said:

The car has been running great for the most part. One nagging thing has been about once every other week I’d get home with an empty PS reservoir. I always thought maybe there’s a large bubble in the system since I completely drained it. 
 

Confirmed today that’s not the case. 

58FA65DF-0796-4247-9B26-1174251C8BCD.jpeg

Pried one of the boots away from the steering rack and it was so full of fluid that it squirted out. It was under pressure. 
 

Both seals are clearly blown out. Really disappointed with Rack Doctor. Will give them a call tomorrow but I can’t put on of their racks back in my car. I don’t trust them anymore. Will go with OE rebuilt unit from FCP. 

Major bummer... I've always heard really good things about them, hopefully they remedy the situation!

 

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They're sending me out a new rack tomorrow. The guy there highly recommended against using synthetic dexIII ATF and suspects that was the issue. I just was used what the internets said to use. 
 

Anyways, on a more positive note. My wife ditched the XC90 for a 2021 VW Atlas with the second row captain seats. They are a game changer for hauling three kids. 
 

 

CCFB2461-3F91-4A42-B8D2-4385E949994E.jpeg

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Interesting. I siphoned and refilled my reservoir over the weekend and it doesn't feel quite right. Could just be a tiny bit of air that needs to work itself out, but I am using Maxlife ATF. I like the Maxlife because the seal conditioners really seem to help reduce leaks in past experiences but if the “air”/lack of smoothness  doesnt resolve itself I may try non-synthetic ATF

 

Atlas seems cool 👍🏼

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16 hours ago, gilber33 said:

They're sending me out a new rack tomorrow. The guy there highly recommended against using synthetic dexIII ATF and suspects that was the issue. I just was used what the internets said to use. 
 

Anyways, on a more positive note. My wife ditched the XC90 for a 2021 VW Atlas with the second row captain seats. They are a game changer for hauling three kids. 
 

 

CCFB2461-3F91-4A42-B8D2-4385E949994E.jpeg

What did he suggest to use for fluid

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