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Thread: Heat

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Indianapolis, IN
    Posts
    62

    Heat

    Started the car up and put the defroster on for 10 mins or so and noticed no heat coming from the vents while stationary. Temp gauge was dead center with no dash lights coming on at any point. Adjusted the temps all the way up, no change. The scroll between dash vents is on the 3 red dots. Set HVAC on auto at 80* and after about 60 secs of driving it started to turn up the fan speed and put out heat.

    Although the temp gauge was up to center, was the system still not registering as hot and not circulating coolant to the heater core? I am hoping that maybe if I left it on auto it would have eventually put out heat while warming up at idle. One day I will get my lift and be able to park in the garage again.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Lexington, KY
    Posts
    4,903
    Yep, I have had this same problem in the past. Your thermostat is stuck in the open position which (if I remember correctly) is a safety default to always want to cool the engine, diverting coolant to the radiator and NOT the cabin. Or something like that.
    It is an easy DIY, right behind the water pump if I remember right.
    I will let others with more experience chime in.
    325i, 2005, 5MT, Silvergrey, leatherette, Sport package; CDV delete, KONI STR-T & KYB Excel-G, Weisslichts, Stewart H2O pump

    328i, 2010, 6MT, Spacegrey, dakota leather, M-sport packages; has a 330 intake but no tune - yet
    http://s900.photobucket.com/user/othibau/media/Junesig.jpg.html][IMG]http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac208/othibau/Junesig.jpg

  3. #3
    How does that center dashboard thing work? Mine doesn’t give heat in the dead center position, only in the heat position.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Chicago area
    Posts
    1,920
    Quote Originally Posted by Fried_Chicken View Post
    How does that center dashboard thing work? Mine doesn’t give heat in the dead center position, only in the heat position.

    The vent control? It adjusts the air mix. Red is warm and blue is cold. More dots increases increases the mix based on the color. I think what you're experiencing is normal if I remember correctly.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Atlanta/Macon, Georgia
    Posts
    574
    If I'm remembering correctly, if my dial is set at the middle setting, I usually get heat from the lower vents with cool air coming from the upper vents. It creates this weird dual temperature affect.

    2004 Titansilber Metallic BMW 330i ZHP

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Posts
    818
    Quote Originally Posted by JPMo View Post
    If I'm remembering correctly, if my dial is set at the middle setting, I usually get heat from the lower vents with cool air coming from the upper vents. It creates this weird dual temperature affect.
    Yup. I recall reading in the owners manual of my old e28 that having warm or hot air blowing to the face and torso was sleep inducing. So, heat to the extremities (feet) and cooler air to the face / torso is the middle setting. Manual override with that selector in between the vents.

    I love how engineered BMWs have always been. Too bad the bean counters and the marketing people seemed to have wrestled control of the company from the engineers in recent years.

    Edit: Maybe not sleep inducing, but it caused people to become more drowsy. Not good for long drives down the highway on a cold night.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Location
    SF Bay, CA
    Posts
    1,266
    Quote Originally Posted by Will View Post
    Yup. I recall reading in the owners manual of my old e28 that having warm or hot air blowing to the face and torso was sleep inducing. So, heat to the extremities (feet) and cooler air to the face / torso is the middle setting. Manual override with that selector in between the vents.

    I love how engineered BMWs have always been. Too bad the bean counters and the marketing people seemed to have wrestled control of the company from the engineers in recent years.

    Edit: Maybe not sleep inducing, but it caused people to become more drowsy. Not good for long drives down the highway on a cold night.
    That's quite interesting! Another interesting thing I read on E46F is that is the AC is low on refrigerant, it'll prioritize the driver first. So the vents on the passenger side will blow air at ambient temp, while the driver's side still gets cool air.

    Not sure if this was the true design intent but I have certainly experienced it with my car
    2004 BMW 330CI ZHP (well, technically ZAM)


  8. #8
    The dials and illuminations are intentionally red b/c it doesn't cause your pupils to contract which would impede your night vision.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Indianapolis, IN
    Posts
    62
    FWIW- I left it on auto and the cabin warmed up just fine. Apparently blasting defrost won't warm up as the car warms up.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Chicago area
    Posts
    1,920
    That makes sense, as it blasts the air at full force and it takes a long while for the engine to warm up. Running full blast probably increases that period.

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