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      03-03-2018, 08:53 PM   #1
jooobi3
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AC leak help?!

I recharged my ac and with a week it's not blowing cold air anymore. The AC compressor does engage I believed (I can see the pulley active on it when the AC button is on)? I'm not a mechanic but I do like to work on my car as much as possible if I have the proper tool to do so. How do I find if I have a leak in the ac lines or go about diagnosing this problem myself?

Thank you.
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      03-17-2018, 03:21 AM   #2
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Did you get the recall complied with?
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      03-17-2018, 09:38 AM   #3
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Why did you recharge your AC system?

What is the current refrigerant fill, or at least what was it at the time you recharged it?

Charging the system to specification and adding dye infused PAG oil is the normal way to find leaks. The green dye will leak out along with the refrigerant and a UV light will make it glow brightly showing the leak source.

The condenser is the most common leak source I've seen on F10's.
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      03-19-2018, 07:51 PM   #4
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There are numerous threads dating back 3 years or more on the rather common problem of F10 aircon condenser issues. Initially these problems were blamed on mechanical damage but now appear to be universally treated as a design fault.
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      03-20-2018, 02:03 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stück View Post
Why did you recharge your AC system?

What is the current refrigerant fill, or at least what was it at the time you recharged it?

Charging the system to specification and adding dye infused PAG oil is the normal way to find leaks. The green dye will leak out along with the refrigerant and a UV light will make it glow brightly showing the leak source.

The condenser is the most common leak source I've seen on F10's.
I will diagnose the leak with the dye method this May. When you say the condenser do you mean like the whole unit or is there a gasket that can be replaced?

Thanks everyone for the reply!
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      03-21-2018, 07:50 AM   #6
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The whole unit normally needs to be replaced.
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      03-22-2018, 06:08 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tmarshall57 View Post
There are numerous threads dating back 3 years or more on the rather common problem of F10 aircon condenser issues. Initially these problems were blamed on mechanical damage but now appear to be universally treated as a design fault.
+1

My condenser went on my 14 535i with 19K miles...

Replaced with a Different, newer part number in mid 2017.. Hopefully thats a fix.
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