335i A/C not cold enough

dcarter94 · 06-01-2023, 10:19 PM

Hi all, I have an 07 335i that I purchased earlier in the year that needed some work done. While I was in the process of upgrading the intercooler, I was cutting some of the plastic out of the way and hit the ac condenser with the wiz wheel 🤬

Pulled the condenser out and was able to braze the hole shut the next morning with some aluminum rod (within 24 hours so I thought the drier would be fine). Put it all back together, pulled a vacuum to check for leaks and continued to vacuum it down for 45 more minutes. Refilled the R134a with one 12oz can and around 3/4 of the other can. AC was decent since it was 60 degrees out and the vent temps were in the low 40s or high 30s if the blower wasn’t turned up very high. Fast forward where it’s now mid to high 80s and the best I can get out of the vents is 55 degrees on full recirc which is not enough to cool the cabin comfortably even after driving for 20 minutes.

I decided to have the refrigerant recovered and pull another vacuum and measure the Freon by exact weight this time so I know it has exactly 1.3 lbs in it…. No change. The AC is pretty horrific. Definitely a lot worse when coming to a stop vs driving at 55 mph. The cooling fan is working and I don’t seem to have any leaks in the system. I checked all the vent positions in INPA and all seems to be working there as well with no codes.

Any ideas?? Maybe the condenser and dessicant was left open to the atmosphere for too long and needs replaced? I’m at a loss here and just want some decent AC. Seems like a pretty simple system which is why it’s frustrating

BashShah · 06-07-2023, 08:51 PM

you need to have max 580 to 600 grams.
1.3 Lbs.
and yes, over all BMW AC system is not a strong as some other manufacturers.

06-01-2023, 10:19 PM	#1
dcarter94 New Member 0 Rep 5 Posts Drives: 07 335i Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Ohio iTrader: (0) Garage List 07 BMW 335i [0.00]	335i A/C not cold enough Hi all, I have an 07 335i that I purchased earlier in the year that needed some work done. While I was in the process of upgrading the intercooler, I was cutting some of the plastic out of the way and hit the ac condenser with the wiz wheel 🤬 Pulled the condenser out and was able to braze the hole shut the next morning with some aluminum rod (within 24 hours so I thought the drier would be fine). Put it all back together, pulled a vacuum to check for leaks and continued to vacuum it down for 45 more minutes. Refilled the R134a with one 12oz can and around 3/4 of the other can. AC was decent since it was 60 degrees out and the vent temps were in the low 40s or high 30s if the blower wasn’t turned up very high. Fast forward where it’s now mid to high 80s and the best I can get out of the vents is 55 degrees on full recirc which is not enough to cool the cabin comfortably even after driving for 20 minutes. I decided to have the refrigerant recovered and pull another vacuum and measure the Freon by exact weight this time so I know it has exactly 1.3 lbs in it…. No change. The AC is pretty horrific. Definitely a lot worse when coming to a stop vs driving at 55 mph. The cooling fan is working and I don’t seem to have any leaks in the system. I checked all the vent positions in INPA and all seems to be working there as well with no codes. Any ideas?? Maybe the condenser and dessicant was left open to the atmosphere for too long and needs replaced? I’m at a loss here and just want some decent AC. Seems like a pretty simple system which is why it’s frustrating
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06-07-2023, 08:51 PM	#2
BashShah Colonel 311 Rep 2,017 Posts Drives: 2012 335i Sedan Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver, Canada iTrader: (0)	you need to have max 580 to 600 grams. 1.3 Lbs. and yes, over all BMW AC system is not a strong as some other manufacturers.
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