How To Recharge Your BMW 3 Series AC System BMW E46 1998 - 2006

[ughkane614h]

Your vid is a favorite on Kiribati

[Mr325iBMW]

will this work on my 1992 325i???

[kareemDC]

thnx

[signboy76]

Thank you! That's exactly what my problem was.

[defkon99]

easy way to overcharge your system, and possibly damage it

[olaf2046]

@defkon99 yeah obviously anyone can damage their car if they are not careful. thank you for pointing this out captain o.

[evaporator100]

not a good video no glove no goggles and you are using refrigerant at -26 deg any in your eyes that will be the last thing you see any on your hands frost bite ,It is about time this product is baned as all persons in the Uk have to have a licence.i bet you dont have a Licence ???

[srmcglennon]

@evaporator100 Hey man give him a break you don't need a licensed for a simple job like this at least in the US.

[starfox20]

Thank you so much man, i think this video was way better than all the other ones ive seen and to top it off i have the same car :)

Thanks man very informative. Always wanted to know this and now i can do it anytime i want! :) sick

[AniruddhaNatekar]

nice video. upright position of can noted. headed to autozone now. cheers!

[schrankm]

refrigerant leaks past the compressor shaft seal by design. the refrigerant contains oil which needs to be displaced to all parts of the compressor. it has nothing to do with winter. in fact, the compressor runs in the winter and summer. when you use the defrost, in the winter, the compressor runs intermittently to dry the air being directed at the windshield as moist air will only fog the windshield more. btw, you can't attach that hose and gauge to the small cans.

[CarSpirit]

I have a problem with ventilation in my BMW and hot air is coming from up to the front mirror and to my foots.is this the same problem is that missing some freon

[olaf2046]

@CarSpirit Check to see that your front defroster/defogger is not on first. Since that tends to sometimes blow warm air out the window vents even with the AC on. My write up is only based under the condition that your driver side vents is blowing cool to cold air whiles the passenger vents is blowing warm air. Check these conditions and if you find it is true for your car then follow what I do in the video. NOTE: that the problem can also be more serious in your car than it was in mine.

[ShowinYaHow]

Lol... thats not why They did it.. It's just what happens when your AC charge gets low.

[jimvitek]

Great time saving video. Agree with the other comments about holding the can upright. I didn't know about the driver vs. Passenger difference, and my 2003 330xi had just that going on. Thanks for teaching 99% of what I needed to know in 10 minutes. My A/C works great again now.

[DJAmatuerHour]

DelMarco?

[olaf2046]

@DJAmatuerHour Yeah it is me! Whose this?

[DJAmatuerHour]

@olaf2046 NDubSki over at bimmerforums. You're all over the internet man haha

[SuperSupersnooper]

@olaf2046

One more (and final) remark from my side. There is an instruction video of how to use the product properly given out by the producer IDQ. Just search for "Arctic Freeze" here in youtube.

[SuperSupersnooper]

@olaf2046

It's great that you put up a video about how to DIY a system recharge on a BMW. However, chidoTV is right, you used the can upside down and thus demonstrate a wrong usage.

If applied like this the product will not work. So as your intention surely was to demonstrate "how to do it right" you have to correct this mistake or take the video off.

Great work effort - keep it up!

[schrankm]

@SuperSupersnooper if you read the instructions, on many refrigerant cans, it does say to rotate the can from vertical to 90 degrees, back and forth. holding the can upside down will not cause the refrigerant to not work. it works just the same and it actually fills much quicker. the manufacturer doesn't recommend doing it this way but why would they if you don't need to?

[zzQUEzz]

hey thanks for posting this.

[xj40owner]

Use your AC during the winter , also. The dry air ( albeit warm) will demise windows in no time, plus, having the refridgant running round your system, will keep the seals lubricated and stop them from drying out, a popular source of leaks , that, and perforated condensers!! Good guide though, but U would suggest wearing some sturdy gloves and covering your arms, freon is nasty stuff if it escapes and can cause severe frostbite :).

[7477238]

@xj40owner Yeah I just replaced the condenser on my 00 Maxima. A rock went right through the grill and punctured the condenser. I hope the system can hold a refrigerant charge because it hasn't been used in 2 years. Hopefully the o rings are good.

[schrankm]

@xj40owner it's not freon. if you get it on your skin, you're filling the system wrong and wasting it anyway.

[adrianalanis20000]

Great video, thanks for sharing !!

[chidoTV]

you dumb ass you don't suppose to hold the can upside down!!! please make note of that somewhere in the vid :/

[olaf2046]

@chidoTV I don't recall saying to hold the can upside down

[schrankm]

@olaf2046 he didn't say you SAID to hold it upside down but you SHOWED to do it this way. like you stated yourself in the video: "i don't really understand". if you don't understand what you're doing, don't mess with an A/C system.

[DieDieYagKii]

@chidoTV why you gotta be calling him dumb ass, dumb ass?



[TheRaff112]

delmarco is this the same for a M3

[olaf2046]

@TheRaff112 hey...yeah it is the same for the M3

[basketman5050]

@olaf2046 hey i like your videos. i have a 01 325xi sedan sports package. How did did u get that silver trim around that goes around the doors. Was it factory or after market ? thanks

[foxdmulder]

containers of r134a are shite, full of moisture.

[blkart15]

ok i recharged it and the needle is on the BLUE section but no cold air? and suggestions?

[JMS2422]

thank you

[tnt2121]

Any suggestions on the type of recharge? I have heard a lot of people talking about the oil mixtures. I was told Ester oil is pretty universal. Did that work for you?

[olaf2046]

@tnt2121 IDK. Get the cheapest most basic can with minimal to no additives.

The fancy cans with all the space shuttle technology is what people tell you avoid.

[AleksandarKospenda]

If you clean or flush out the system ( is alot more complicated ) you could do this every 2 or 3 years instead of very summer :)

[delmiryt]

WARNING: Please keep the can up right when charging the system or else the compressor might get damaged!!!

[hpygolkyone]

@delmiryt .......I agree, you gots to hold the can UPRIGHT. Shake the heck out of that can BEFORE you even hook the can up to your port. Hold the can UPRIGHT.........and continue to shake the heck out of that can while charge your system. Watch that gauge closely.......you don't want to overcharge. BAD.

[TheDavidPhoenix]

Thanks for posting this video. I do have one question, however. I have a 1995 BMW 325i & both of the ports are near the positive terminal & next to the windshield. Any suggestion on which one to use?

[olaf2046]

@daniells71 This DIY is specific to the BMW E46 3 series. What is does or doesn't do on other cars is out of my scope. That said, I appreciate the discussion and welcome all constructive criticism BUT at the end of the day if these kits were not for sale, or didn't work we wouldn't buy them and they wouldn't sell them.

If you want to hate on me junking my car you might else well hate on everyone that drinks soda, eat hamburgers, smokes and don't run 3 miles a day/3 times a week. Relax man!

[olaf2046]

@daniells71 This DIY is specific to the BMW E46 3 series. What is does or doesn't do on other cars is out of my scope. That said, I appreciate the discussion and welcome all constructive criticism BUT at the end of the day if these kits were not for sale, or didn't work we wouldn't buy them and they wouldn't sell them.

If you want to hate on me junking my car you might else well hate on everyone that drinks soda, eat hamburgers, smokes and don't run 3 miles a day/3 times a week. Relax man!

[olaf2046]

@daniells71 This DIY is specific to the BMW E46 3 series. What is does or doesn't do on other cars is out of my scope. That said, I appreciate the discussion and welcome all constructive criticism BUT at the end of the day if these kits were not for sale, or didn't work we wouldn't buy them and they wouldn't sell them.

If you want to hate on me junking my car you might else well hate on everyone that drinks soda, eat hamburgers, smokes and don't run 3 miles a day/3 times a week. Relax man!

[olaf2046]

@daniells71 This DIY is specific to the BMW E46 3 series. What is does or doesn't do on other cars is out of my scope. That said, I appreciate the discussion and welcome all constructive criticism BUT at the end of the day if these kits were not for sale, or didn't work we wouldn't buy them and they wouldn't sell them.

If you want to hate on me junking my car you might else well hate on everyone that drinks soda, eat hamburgers, smokes and don't run 3 miles a day/3 times a week. Relax man!

[infinity3jif]

nice car buddy

[thisisgame]

when i tried to connect the hose to the low side port, it doesnt lock in easily, does your hose lock in perfectly and easily with ur port?

[thisisgame]

great vid man, i have a 97 318i and I live in Texas so u know i need to recharge my ac, thanks!

[kirbienstien]

" Hold can upright to charge "

[olaf2046]

What they teach you in college can change overtime as the technology of cars improve. My DIY is not trying to replace the proper and more expensive way of doing this. At press time our E46 cars are between 12 and 5 years old. Many owners are under 30 years old, and will not keep them for much longer, it is a recession & when it comes down to splurging 3,000 on a non drive train related problem of a feature we use only 4 months out of the year that can be fixed for 30 a can what will you do?

[daniells71]

Perfect way to junk your car! There is a reason why it costs money to get your a/c properly serviced. Also if you find yourself having to recharge your system every year then there are issues that are not being addressed. I did a whole semester on this back in college, get it done right and stop the guess work.

[olaf2046]

@daniells71 l'm not an expert on the AC, but as an engineer I understand basic systems & this method works fine. After 2 years with this car I realized the circuit discharges a small amount of charge over the winter months when the AC is off. BMW Dealerships charge between $1,800 and $3,000 to fix AC systems. Local shops aren't much better and love to get cars like this ($). I'm only with this car a few years before I sell it. I highly doubt this is junking the car or these kits will not sell

[GangreneVagina]

@daniells71

How is this going to "junk your car!"?? Relax man... if there's a small leak, it doesn't hurt anything to add a little bit each year. While I agree it might not be the "get it done right" approach, it certainly isn't going to hurt the car.

[daniells71]

@GangreneVagina By junking i mean replacing your ac system. The cost to do that... might as welll replace the car. For example have you ever asked yourself why there are different types of oils that need to be put in the system while recharging an ac system (just like engine oil changes)? How do you know which one is the right one? how do you know if you have to much or too little, or maybe none? Anyway nuff said, that's why I keep getting business, do whatever you like!

[GangreneVagina]

@daniells71

While I don't agree with some of the statements this kid made ("add until up to the upper blue" or whatever), the canisters DO come with a gauge to answer every question you just asked. There's a chart to use to determine whether you have too little, correct amount or too much based on ambient temperature. The bottom line is that it may not be the absolute perfect repair, but it also isn't going to "junk your car" or even, as you amended your statement to, "junk your ac system".

[olaf2046]

@GangreneVagina

Thanks...I'm not a kid though and I have a pretty clear idea of what I'm doing

and what I do to my car. I definately don't treat my car like a riced out civic. BMWs are expensive if you mess them up. I learned this the hard way from my first car which was a '95 318i

[daniells71]

@GangreneVagina if you go back to what you just replied to take note that I'm talking about PAG (air conditioning oil) and not freon which is what is in the bottle with the gauge on it.

[GangreneVagina]

@daniells71

I haven't tried this technique myself, so I can't swear to any of this. I do know that BMW doesn't manufacture the AC system themselves so perhaps it's not as touchy with oils. And even though I used expensive Lubro Moly oils in my car and get what you're talking about BMWs being fluid-snobby, I sometimes wonder if it's really necessary when I meet lots of guys with BMWs who don't go crazy using the most expensive boutique fluids.

[GangreneVagina]

@daniells71

In fact, this Saturday, we're driving to Pasadena for Bimmerfest 2010 and maybe I'll talk to some other owners to see if they use Olaf's technique to top off freon. It just seems to me that using this stuff, which does have lubricants in it, to top off an AC system seems fairly harmless. Notice he didn't fill an empty system entirely of this stuff. And the idea of a $10 DIY (half a can or so?) versus whacky-ass dealership prices of $200-$300 for this service seems attractive to me.

[daniells71]

@GangreneVagina I spent six months in a 4yr college mastering automotive a/c systems, from rebuilding compressors, understanding different chemical structures, analysis, research, presentations etc. I still have a shitload of text books that I refer to, not to mention former classmates, teachers, and old school mechanics, most with over 30yrs experience and some up to 50yrs. Thanks but you don't need to prove anything to me, I have not recommended dealerships, and you can do whatever you want.

[GangreneVagina]

@daniells71 You've suitably listed out all your credentials and that's impressive. I have NOT tried this guy's method of topping off freon but I truly "junking the car", that's all I have been saying.

I also haven't been trying to prove anything to you, so I don't know what you're thanking me for.

PS - I forgot to ask anyone at BFEST 2010 about this. I was too distracted by insane M3s and all the rest...

[olaf2046]

@daniells71 @daniells71 This DIY is specific to the BMW E46 3 series. What is does or doesn't do on other cars is out of my scope. That said, I appreciate the discussion and welcome all constructive criticism BUT at the end of the day if these kits were not for sale, or didn't work we wouldn't buy them and they wouldn't sell them.

If you want to hate on me junking my car you might else well hate on everyone that drinks soda, eat hamburgers, smokes and don't run 3 miles a day/3 times a week.

[olaf2046]

@daniells71 This DIY is specific to the BMW E46 3 series. What is does or doesn't do on other cars is out of my scope. That said, I appreciate the discussion and welcome all constructive criticism BUT at the end of the day if these kits were not for sale, or didn't work we wouldn't buy them and they wouldn't sell them.

If you want to hate on me junking my car you might else well hate on everyone that drinks soda, eat hamburgers, smokes and don't run 3 miles a day/3 times a week. Relax man!

[hotmail2011]

thank u..... you posted this video right on time ...already bought the can and im going to do this the first thing 2moro morning ....thanks