2005 Climate Control dash vent issue

mecm1 · 05-16-2022, 05:41 PM

I just inherited my first BMW, a 2005 X3 E83 (142k miles) and am having climate control issues. I live in a warmer area and the climate control/AC will put out cold air but only from the driver’s side dash vents. This has been mentioned in other posts but have not seen a good resolution. On a 84F day a Temp probe in the driver side door vent will show 48 degrees, the drivers side middle vent will be 54, the passenger side middle vent will be 72 and the passenger side door vent will be 80. This is with the climate control in Auto, recirculate and AC on or with Auto off, manual dash vents, recirculate and AC on. The car has one heat control valve that seems to work fine in Auto in warming the car or in manual in defrost mode and seems to shut off fine for the Driver vents when set to cooling.
The car has a separate AC compressor belt which is in much better shape than the parallel serpentine belt and appears to have been replaced. When the car is idling in the driveway, the passenger side vents will drop about 10 degrees (from above readings) but still remain well above the driver side vents. While driving the temp on the passenger vents goes back up those above. This is repeatable.
Will replace the both belts but would appreciate any other information I should have or suggestions before I do any further work or take it to a shop.

richardodn · 05-21-2022, 05:17 AM

This sounds more like an air distribution issue in the ducts. I'm not too familiar with the HVAC (IHKA) system on these, but the first place to start is a trouble code reader to read any and all codes from the car. (I personally have a Foxwell NT530, but there are other brands/models out there.) According to the Bentley service manual, there are 5 stepper motors in the system that control the airflow. One of them could be faulty either electrically or mechanically. The best case is they are all still working but have become disconnected from the flaps. If any need replacement, they must be registered with the IHKA controller.

mecm1 · 05-22-2022, 08:56 AM

I thought it was a distribution problem too but I would get colder air out the vents when the engine was cool. I had checked the freon level and it was 38 and well in the green zone on the gauge I had but decided to recharge it. Added 16 oz in 4 or 5 steps with several minutes between steps to watch what happened and to make sure I did not overcharge it. In the end the pressure only went up to 39 but the AC works much better and the temperature from all 4 vents is in the 50s. The weather here is cold and rainy now so could not test it when it is hot for long periods. One other post I read said that a recharge would help uneven vent temperatures so that may be true in some cases.
Thanks for the input

05-16-2022, 05:41 PM	#1
mecm1 Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: 2005 X3 3.0i E83 Join Date: May 2022 Location: Canon CIty CO, USA iTrader: (0)	2005 Climate Control dash vent issue I just inherited my first BMW, a 2005 X3 E83 (142k miles) and am having climate control issues. I live in a warmer area and the climate control/AC will put out cold air but only from the driver’s side dash vents. This has been mentioned in other posts but have not seen a good resolution. On a 84F day a Temp probe in the driver side door vent will show 48 degrees, the drivers side middle vent will be 54, the passenger side middle vent will be 72 and the passenger side door vent will be 80. This is with the climate control in Auto, recirculate and AC on or with Auto off, manual dash vents, recirculate and AC on. The car has one heat control valve that seems to work fine in Auto in warming the car or in manual in defrost mode and seems to shut off fine for the Driver vents when set to cooling. The car has a separate AC compressor belt which is in much better shape than the parallel serpentine belt and appears to have been replaced. When the car is idling in the driveway, the passenger side vents will drop about 10 degrees (from above readings) but still remain well above the driver side vents. While driving the temp on the passenger vents goes back up those above. This is repeatable. Will replace the both belts but would appreciate any other information I should have or suggestions before I do any further work or take it to a shop.
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05-21-2022, 05:17 AM	#2
richardodn First Lieutenant 160 Rep 349 Posts Drives: '12 X3 35iX/'20 440ix cabrio Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Denver, CO iTrader: (0)	This sounds more like an air distribution issue in the ducts. I'm not too familiar with the HVAC (IHKA) system on these, but the first place to start is a trouble code reader to read any and all codes from the car. (I personally have a Foxwell NT530, but there are other brands/models out there.) According to the Bentley service manual, there are 5 stepper motors in the system that control the airflow. One of them could be faulty either electrically or mechanically. The best case is they are all still working but have become disconnected from the flaps. If any need replacement, they must be registered with the IHKA controller. __________________ 1986 Delphin 528e - Roof rack equipped lumber hauler. 2008 Platinum-Beige X3 3.0si - Current project 2012 Alpine White X3 xDrive35i - My new snowmobile. 2020 Estoril Blue 440i xDrive cabrio w/MPPSK - This car is a blast to drive.
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05-22-2022, 08:56 AM	#3
mecm1 Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: 2005 X3 3.0i E83 Join Date: May 2022 Location: Canon CIty CO, USA iTrader: (0)	I thought it was a distribution problem too but I would get colder air out the vents when the engine was cool. I had checked the freon level and it was 38 and well in the green zone on the gauge I had but decided to recharge it. Added 16 oz in 4 or 5 steps with several minutes between steps to watch what happened and to make sure I did not overcharge it. In the end the pressure only went up to 39 but the AC works much better and the temperature from all 4 vents is in the 50s. The weather here is cold and rainy now so could not test it when it is hot for long periods. One other post I read said that a recharge would help uneven vent temperatures so that may be true in some cases. Thanks for the input
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