Hot sunglasses tray?

[MrMaico]

Does anyone elses sunglass tray get hot inside when you have the heater on? Mine sure does. I was just wondering if it's normal or if I could possibly have a heater duct leaking or maybe not fully connected. Never had the dash apart before myself but maybe the PO might have. I sure hope he didn't butcher the ducts to put an different radio in it.

Thanks.....Barry

[Meric]

Does it get super hot or a little warm?

[MrMaico]

Does it get super hot or a little warm?

I don't know if I'd say super hot but it's definitely more than just a little warm. I'm sure it's caused by the heater so if there isn't a leak blowing on it then it must be right up against the ductwork.

[MrMaico]

I'm guessing that BEHR piece shown here is the heater core and if so that is right in the area of the tray so I'd imagine that would be pretty warm.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/jeffbechtel/CIMG3650.jpg

[zj96sc]

My whole center console gets noticeably warm to the point where I don't like leaning my right leg against it when I do long distances. I'll try to make a point to feel in the sunglass tray tonight after my commute home.

[MrMaico]

My whole center console gets noticeably warm to the point where I don't like leaning my right leg against it when I do long distances. I'll try to make a point to feel in the sunglass tray tonight after my commute home.

Hmmm.....can't say I've noticed that before. Now I'm going to have to check that out next time I have my car out.

Thanks......Barry

[rickflairne]

3 e46'ers later and they all do it. More than "a little warm" is right.

[MrMaico]

Thanks Rick, at least I know it's nothing to be concerned about. A person could keep some food warm in there. LOL

[rickflairne]

Pack a lunch and warm it up in there.

[trancenation]

I've experienced the same heat in the sunglasses tray area too. Doesn't Seem out of the ordinary.

[zj96sc]

Pack a lunch and warm it up in there.

had a buddy that used to throw a pack of hotpockets in tinfoil and onto the intake manifold on the morning of a long wheeling day in his jeep. since the jeep inline 6 has the intake and exhaust on the same side they were pretty much perfect by lunchtime.

[llll1l1ll]

Man you guys must have your heat on full blast. The highest I've ever turned the heat up to is about 24C. Maybe 26C. Then it just got stuffy in the car, so I put it back down to 21C or 22C. In fact, the manual recommends that as "the perfect setting regardless of season." I've never noticed or felt anything abnormally warm in the center console, but it wouldn't surprise me since that's where the heater core and HVAC ducts are.

Do you guys drive in t-shirts and shorts all the time in the middle of winter?

[zj96sc]

you realize that regardless of how the air is blended to create the temperature you've chosen, the heater core receives the same (maximum) temperature coolant, right?

[llll1l1ll]

This I did not know.

I was thinking about my E30 and how the valve only lets in a certain amount of coolant at a time correlating with how far you turn the knob.

Edit: I do not have the problem with the hot sunglasses tray.

[zj96sc]

I believe that may very well be the case in the E46 as well, there a hot water valve if I remember correctly. My point was just that, there is no "medium" temperature coolant floating around. If there is coolant in the heater core, the heater core is holding coolant as hot as any coolant in the car, thus whatever temperature you've chosen doesn't have much of an impact on how hot the heater core itself gets. Higher flow might bump it up some, but I'd contend that if the heat is on the core is a single temperature every time, thus warming the center dash "guts" the same way.

[llll1l1ll]

Oh, I see what you mean. Makes perfect sense.

[MrMaico]

Man you guys must have your heat on full blast. The highest I've ever turned the heat up to is about 24C. Maybe 26C. Then it just got stuffy in the car, so I put it back down to 21C or 22C. In fact, the manual recommends that as "the perfect setting regardless of season." I've never noticed or felt anything abnormally warm in the center console, but it wouldn't surprise me since that's where the heater core and HVAC ducts are.

Do you guys drive in t-shirts and shorts all the time in the middle of winter?

Once it gets down to below 50 or so I just run it on 90 and that way I can keep the blower on the lowest setting, less wear and tear on the blower motor. I use the center dash vents to blow a little cool air to my upper body if it gets too warm. Plus that way you don't have to listen to the sound of the blower running.

[llll1l1ll]

Hmm ND is a bit colder than MD...

[MrMaico]

Ya probably. :-) We have been having a great winter though....finally. After 3 hellish winters we have been setting record highs every other day lately. No snow on the ground either.....nice ZHP weather. Cold and windy today though but it's supposed to warm up again by Friday. Usually by mid Dec. the Missouri River is frozen over here, but it's still wide open.

[llll1l1ll]

Yeah here in the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic it's been unseasonably warm (much to my dismay). I remember when winter was cold...

[zj96sc]

did you just call maryland southeast?

[llll1l1ll]

The rest of my family lives in NC and it's been warm for them, too. But MD is more Mid-Atlantic (though I still consider it the south).

[zj96sc]

OK, good save ;)

[llll1l1ll]

Dodged that bullet!

[MrMaico]

I've noticed this is dependent on how high you have the temp set. At 80 or less it only gets warm. 90 is when it gets pretty hot, especially in the left rear corner. It must be right up against the heater box there. It's been so nice here this winter I have been able to take the car out pretty often. There is no snow at all on the ground around here, streets are nice and dry.