Author Topic: Recirculation Baffles next to Blower motor (Read 15663 times)

2002Harv · « **Reply #30 on:** March 26, 2012, 10:28:54 AM »

You guys ROCK!

I have been having a similar problem for the last two years! Started off with fog in the car in winter, so of course Blunt sent me a new heater core. No difference. So then I took my stereo apart to see if my extra wiring back there got in the way as I started to notice outside smells when recirc was on.

This thread gives me new stuff to look at.

Thanks!

John

tfrain · « **Reply #31 on:** March 26, 2012, 11:21:17 AM »

yep - pull your radio, hit the recirc button and see if it moves the two motors behind there. If they move, then pull your cowl cover inside the engine compartment and see if there are two holes in the lower flaps. If so, yours are broken like mine. It is a little trouble to get the motor and the upper plastic housing out, but it is possible. It is a lot of trouble for just getting recirc working, but I like for stuff to work!

tfrain · « **Reply #32 on:** March 27, 2012, 02:41:48 PM »

Dave - I'll PM you my address. thanks, Tom

2002Harv · « **Reply #33 on:** March 29, 2012, 12:16:50 PM »

Quote from: tfrain;111417

It is a lot of trouble for just getting recirc working, but I like for stuff to work!

I hear ya. My car is very clean and un-molested so I'm salting to think its the wiring from the stereo.

John

tfrain · « **Reply #34 on:** March 29, 2012, 03:25:31 PM »

Quote from: 2002Harv;111487

I hear ya. My car is very clean and un-molested so I'm salting to think its the wiring from the stereo.

John

Mine is fairly unmolested. Not modifications at all, just broken stuff here and there. See if both of the motors are working when you hit the recirc button. If they are, you can see if they are still attached by reaching in where you took out the radio and GENTLY wiggle the pushrods. If they are just all flopping around towards the front of the car, they are probably broken at the flaps. If they give a little, but are firmly attached at both ends, they are probably still good and your problem might just be the seals or gaskets on the blower motor. They are attached via a ball and socket joint at the far end.

tfrain · « **Reply #35 on:** April 04, 2012, 10:29:19 AM »

Hey Dave - the box got here yesterday and all was in very good condition. No shipping damage. I think you packed it very well. I don't see how you got all that in that box, however, because once I unpacked it, I couldn't get it all back in. My wife wanted me to take my "car crap" back to the garage last night... ha ha ha. Anyway, it all looks great and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you getting this together for me. Honestly, above and beyond. You are a good man. I installed one of the motors last night, but the battery is dead on the car (left the glovebox open like a dummy), so I'll have to test it tonight maybe. Hopefully one of them will work. The baffles and pushrods and all are in good shape as well.

tfrain · « **Reply #36 on:** April 12, 2012, 04:30:28 PM »

I finally got all this fixed and just wanted to post a few photos and comments and such.

First of all, my thanks again to DesktopDave for sending me the parts. It helped me out tremendously.

First of all, here is a picture of the rebuilt housing cover. I used some open cell foam weatherstripping stuff I got at autozone in a roll for $10. It worked pretty well. Not like stock exactly, but it functions.

tfrain · « **Reply #37 on:** April 12, 2012, 04:35:34 PM »

One of the baffles had a crack in it at the connection point where the ball joint is, and it would have broken again eventually. I used some plastic welder epoxy that I had on hand to reinforce the crack and I filled up that little pocket on the back to make it rock solid. I also did this for the one that was not cracked to prevent it from breaking in the future..

tfrain · « **Reply #38 on:** April 12, 2012, 04:38:08 PM »

I also refoamed the cowl cover with the same weatherstripping. Again, it is not stock (pretty sure stock was closed cell high density foam) but I had this on hand and it should work pretty well. Better than the cracked stuff that was on there. I've messed with this and the resistor so many times I could swap a motor out in 10 minutes I bet!!

tfrain · « **Reply #39 on:** April 12, 2012, 04:39:51 PM »

Here it is, all buttoned up and reinstalled. You can see the new foam. It was a booger bear to get it all put back in. especially the little ball joint links. I left them disconnected until I had the baffles back in because I was worried about breaking them, and had to reach in with two fingers to reattach them.

tfrain · « **Reply #40 on:** April 12, 2012, 04:44:21 PM »

I then installed a new motor for the driver side baffle behind the radio/hvac panel. I had the dash apart for a new radio and odometer gear replacement anyway. Was a good time to do all of this stuff.

One concern I have is that there is not positive "hard stop" on the motors. The only thing that stops them is the baffle itself - the arm pulling the baffle close or pushing it open - is the only thing that keeps the motor from continuing on to either hit the heater box itself (the top where the ducts come down) or, for the left motor, hitting its bracket. The right motor I think would just go round until it hit the duct work. I'm assuming after a few seconds the motor quits pulling on the baffles?

Seems to me that they would burn out if that is not the case. It makes me worry about the baffles breaking again, despite the reinforcement of the epoxy.

Any comments on any of this stuff?
Thanks!
Tom

DesktopDave · « **Reply #41 on:** April 12, 2012, 05:41:19 PM »

That's an excellent looking job, all 'round. I'd never have believed the parts I sent would end up that clean!

There are many BMW motors and servos that operate on an overload principle, from what I've heard. The power window and sunroof motors, for instance. They overload when their panel closes, breaking the connection with a relay.

tfrain · « **Reply #42 on:** April 13, 2012, 02:06:18 PM »

Thanks Dave! I did dump all the parts I needed into the sink with some Dawn and scrubbed them with a scouring pad to get all the funk off beforehand (after I scraped off the old gaskets). If you are anything like me, it probably gives you satisfaction to see some dusty junk from your basement fix up somebody else's problems. I really do thank you!

Interesting about the motors. No wonder they are broken. I'm surprised more aren't broken with 20 year old plastics living so close to the heat from the engine being pulled on like that.

Sorry the photos are so big. Didn't have time to resize them.

colin86325 · « **Reply #43 on:** April 16, 2012, 05:44:43 PM »

Nice write-up and glad you got it to work again! I should do the same thing and re-foam my system while it's apart...

BTW, The door lock actuator motors seem to operate on the overload principle that Dave mentions.

tfrain · « **Reply #44 on:** April 17, 2012, 03:19:29 PM »

Quote from: colin86325;111880

Nice write-up and glad you got it to work again! I should do the same thing and re-foam my system while it's apart...

BTW, The door lock actuator motors seem to operate on the overload principle that Dave mentions.

Thanks! I hope it helps somebody else as there wasn't a whole lot of details that I could find out there related to this issue.

Yeah, my central locking isn't working. That is one of the things I need to look at. I have a bunch of stuff I'm ordering from a guy in UK, and one item he has is the central lock module....gotta see if that is my problem or not and get him to throw that in with the rest. My doors and trunk lock manually, but no power at all. Driver door won't double lock (turn past 45 degrees) - so probably a combination of issues.......