Anyone ever delete AC on M50 E34?

[Jon K]

I was talking with the gf to see how she'd react to no air conditioning... she said to pull it she likes the windows down :) I cannot fit my somewhat large intercooler behind the stock bumper with the aux fan and condensor in the way... So, out it will come. Is there any trick to removing the AC? I am going to remove the compressor from the car too. Anyone want working AC compressors? I have two once I remove the one on my car. Anyone want the condensor?

[Kalevera]

Do it all the time when prepping race cars. Last one I did was on an S52 M3. You can even remove the pulley from the harmonic balancer (less possibility of damaging the radiator if the car's in a front hit), as the HB has to come off to remove the mounting bracket. Usually pull everything, back through the firewall.

best, whit

[winfred]

id leave and cap the pipes at the computer box if you think you may ever want coolness again, that way it would be easy to reinstall

[Jon K]

I think I am going to leave the pipes near the strut tower so i can have AC in the future

[Jay 535i]

Whoah, removing AC intentionally. I guess that's what I should tell people I did ;)

[angrypancake]

i dont have a/c... and last summer was brutal. but then again jon's car is fast enough to create its own jet stream, heh.

[Dave M]

I was talking with the gf to see how she'd react to no air conditioning... she said to pull it she likes the windows down :) I cannot fit my somewhat large intercooler behind the stock bumper with the aux fan and condensor in the way... So, out it will come. Is there any trick to removing the AC? I am going to remove the compressor from the car too. Anyone want working AC compressors? I have two once I remove the one on my car. Anyone want the condensor?

Jon,

I removed the system in mine while doing the block swap(s) as it didn't work (I live in Northern Ontario). I removed everything up front (compressor, pulley, condensor, evaporator, pipes to the firewall). You can pull everything out to behind the 'bulkhead' without sacrificing the opportunity to add it later. I simply plugged the lines behind the bulkhead using a wine cork and the lid off a 'sharpi'brand marker. There is no sign of components in the engine bay save for a few wires. You'll have to grind down the harmonic balancer bolts so they don't hit the timing case cover. Otherwise, its simple. Oh, getting into the bulkhead was a B!atch, maybe just me.

The box of AC parts is pretty heavy :)


Dave M

[Jon K]

What do you mean by "bulkhead"?

Yeah I dont see how I will get the AC compressor out while the timing wheel is still on the car.

[Dave M]

The bulkhead is how Bentley refers to the upper portion of the firewall in the engine compartment where all the electronics and AC etc are fed. Its a matter of pulling it out just enough to allow a wrench/socket in there to remove a small number of nuts. Not difficult, just awkward (for me at least).

By timing wheel, you meen the harmonic?

Shouldn't be a problem to remove the compressor and outer AC pulley should it? Remove the compressor and mount (includes the belt tensioner I believe), the remove the belt/outer pulley. Grind down your bolts a couple of mm and replace. You don't even need to remove the harmonic balancer.

Does that make sense?

Keep us in the loop,

Dave M

[joshua43214]

Compressor and mount come out easily, do as posted above and shorten the bolt a bit, or bolt the mount back up sans compressor. In theory you could put a stack of washers inplace of the bracket, but that is, well, gross. it only weighs a small amount. leave the evaporator in, its very light and unless you are shaving ounces, not worth the hassle to remove.

[Jon K]

evaporator is coming out so i can fit my intercooler. About how deep is the evaporator?

[winfred]

that's the condensor up front, the core is about a inch thick but it takes up more room then that, with the fan maybe 3-4 inches


evaporator is coming out so i can fit my intercooler. About how deep is the evaporator?

[Jon K]

Good god thats a lot of room, exactly what I need in order to get the intercooler to fit. winfred, how hard is the evaporator to remove?

[winfred]

when you say evaporator i am guessing the one by the radiator, couple few 10mm bolts and the two lines, the evap is the name for the coil inside of the car, look up the procedure for changing a microfilter and that will get you in the ball park, the lines going through the firewall are a bit of a pain in the ass if you are use to doing them, you need to take the cover off the firewall like you need to do when changing the blower motor and theres some almost hidden bolts for the lines


Good god thats a lot of room, exactly what I need in order to get the intercooler to fit. winfred, how hard is the evaporator to remove?

[Jon K]

Wait, so the thing in front of the radiator is how thick with fan? Thats the one I am interested in removing.

[winfred]

that's the condenser, with the fan it's 3-4" thick at it's biggest point


Wait, so the thing in front of the radiator is how thick with fan? Thats the one I am interested in removing.

[Jon K]

Ok my mistake - its the condenser I want to remove- any tricks for that? Should I just cut the hardlines near the fender

[winfred]

just unbolt them that way you can reinstall later or sell, id take off the front bumper that way theres plenty of room to work, the black trim pops off and theres a couple 17mm nuts per side and unplug the marker lights/fog lights, then it slides right off

[Jon K]

Thanks - i've had the bumper off thats not too hard. So the hardlines can be unbolted and removed? I will have to look at it in detail tomorrow.

[misfortune]

2 Things.

1. Never come to the south. Ever. At least during the summer. Don't even dream of it. Rent a car or w/e

2. What if your next gf can't live w/o AC? You'll be riding with her all the time!!!

:D

[Kalevera]

C'mon now, Fritz never had (and still doesn't have/but will soon have) A/C when I lived in NC. No sweat. That's what the sunroof and windows are for.

Jon, have someone evacuate the system before you open it. Be nice to the environment. Don't cut the lines -- 19mm and 22 or 24 (forget which at the moment). Use a little heat if they're fused together, but let them cool once cracked loose to prevent galling the threads. Also, if you want to try and save the receiver/dryer, cap the ends of the lines with aluminum tape and draw a vacuum on the system. Not sure how long it would last on a driving car, but I've done it on non-driving cars for months at a time.

I forget the dimensions of your intercooler, but there should be a way to mount it behind the bumper while keeping the condenser. I mounted (admittedly much thinner that most intercoolers) a trans cooler in front of the condenser in my car with plenty of room to spare.

best, whit

[Jon K]

Misfortune - I think optimistically, so the current gf is the only issue. When you have the option of being in 60 degree car temp or having an additional 50 - 60 hp, you choose which you'd rather have :)

Lowell - the condenser has to go. The intercooler is so long that it meets the ends of the bumper when mounted in front of the condenser. Granted, I may try removing JUST the aux fan first, to see if I can preserve the AC (shut it off at idle) and mount it, but I don't think that will happen.

[winfred]

here in south louisiana ill take the cool car, it's not just hot in the summer it's ****ing hot in the summer, 100* with 40-60% humidity in the shade is common


Misfortune - I think optimistically, so the current gf is the only issue. When you have the option of being in 60 degree car temp or having an additional 50 - 60 hp, you choose which you'd rather have :)

[misfortune]

Misfortune - I think optimistically, so the current gf is the only issue. When you have the option of being in 60 degree car temp or having an additional 50 - 60 hp, you choose which you'd rather have :)

Lowell - the condenser has to go. The intercooler is so long that it meets the ends of the bumper when mounted in front of the condenser. Granted, I may try removing JUST the aux fan first, to see if I can preserve the AC (shut it off at idle) and mount it, but I don't think that will happen.


In texas its hardly an option. IN the north, you guys have the option. :)

[Jon K]

Well it still gets hot as **** up here... but when driving i am rarely stationary... even @ 90 degrees moving air feels good. The space that I created by removing the condenser and aux fan is so worth no ac... cant wait for new intercooler ideas :)

[Booster]

Lowell - the condenser has to go. The intercooler is so long that it meets the ends of the bumper when mounted in front of the condenser. Granted, I may try removing JUST the aux fan first, to see if I can preserve the AC (shut it off at idle) and mount it, but I don't think that will happen.

Jon, I could sure use the Aux fan assembly if your tossing yours for sure ? I had a nice Rednecks oversized trailer hitch back squarely into my kidney's and fan !:(
Missed the bumper fully.Flexed my radiator core too but I've found one and painted it.
Regarding the A/C lines........those can indeed be a bitch to break loose. Definatly use the HEAT tecnique as afore mentioned. They'll bend til fail,with wrenches if you don't.Particularly the ones that pass through the Radiator core support.
...........Vincent