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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > No heat from defrost



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      09-16-2019, 11:33 AM   #1
gotturbo
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No heat from defrost

Ok, so I just replaced the vent line from the expansion tank (because it blew and the car overheated) across the front to the radiator hose and that radiator hose that it goes in just for fun while I was at it. Filled it up with coolant and went through the bleeding process. The first time I tried it with the battery charger on it and it seemed like it started cause I heard something but then nothing really happened after that and I guess my key on timed out cause the dash went dark. So I went and ate breakfast. After that I took the charger off and tried again. It definitely went into its program and I could hear it cycling on and off and gurgling sounds. But it didn’t really go 12 minutes, it was more like 9 or 9 1/2 minutes. Level was full so I let it go til this morning. Drove my son to the bus stop and on the way back it still hadn’t cleared up the windshield so I didn’t have to hit wipers periodically to see and in fact was fogging up the inside. That’s when I realized defrost wasn’t blowing hot. Is this something that would happen if I didn’t get all the air out and need to repeat again? I know the last time I did this when I did the OFHG I did it twice just to be sure... or is it more likely something else? Why did it not run for closer to 12 minutes? Are you supposed to leave the bleeder open while you run the bleed program? It sure reads like that and the cap both should be closed in my Bentley manual... anyway, appreciate any and all help and thoughts! Thanks
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      09-16-2019, 12:22 PM   #2
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Agreed on the confusing wording re: bleeder screw. It should not be open when bleed cycle is running. Cap should also be closed on expansion tank.

Did you have the heat on high while running the bleed procedure? It’s definitely possible there is air trapped in the system. Do other vents blow hot?

I’d run it again and ensure the heat is set to max. See where that gets you. The bleed procedure runtime you experienced sounds about right, as I believe it isn’t necessarily exactly 12 minutes. I could be wrong about this though.
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      09-16-2019, 12:47 PM   #3
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Thanks man! That’s what I’m gonna do, try it again tonight. Definitely had them both turned up to 84 degrees. Not that many steps to it and I love the theory of how this is done. Lol. All the old school hacks around here freak out when I tell them about the way my car works and how it’s repaired!
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      09-16-2019, 12:49 PM   #4
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Gonna be sure to turn air off and auto off as well this next time too just in case it doesn’t like that.
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      09-16-2019, 01:36 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gotturbo View Post
...Drove my son to the bus stop and on the way back it still hadn’t cleared up the windshield so I didn’t have to hit wipers periodically to see and in fact was fogging up the inside. That’s when I realized defrost wasn’t blowing hot...
"Defogging" or removing condensate from the inside of the windshield does NOT require heat, but rather evaporation by high air flow of "de-humidified" air that has had water vapor removed by the cold A/C Evaporator coil. Assuming your IHKA Module is controlling the "Flaps" and blower motor correctly, what happens when you press "Defrost" button on top-right of A/C Control Panel is:
1) the Blower goes to High Speed;
2) the Windscreen Flaps are opened and Footwell Flaps are closed; and
3) air is directed through the Heater Core.

If your "Snowflake" button below the Defrost Button is NOT lit, then your Compressor Valve is NOT active and you are getting NO cooling of the Evaporator coil, and hence NO de-humidification of the air. In warm, moist climates or conditions, if the Compressor is NOT pumping and cooling the Evaporator, you will NOT get quick "defogging" of the windshield. Heat of the air is irrelevant in those conditions. HEAT is only needed in cold conditions to prevent or remove ice formation.

You don't say how long the engine operated to, at and from the bus stop, but it takes 3 to 5 minutes for a cold engine to warm sufficiently to produce heat at the heater core. If you get NO warm air from the Defrost vents when the engine has run for 10 minutes, post back and someone can suggest "next steps" to address that issue. If you have INPA, ISTA, or a BMW-specific Scan Tool, let us know what you have and we can suggest specific tests.

Assuming you have a 2008 335i, here is the TIS Procedure for Bleeding the Cooling system. Ignore ALL the pages BEFORE the last page, as they deal with the "Vacuum Filling System":
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...check/CNCeB76L

Most US E9x models do NOT have either a Water Valve or Auxiliary Water Pump, so I don't see any reason for step (4) related to A/C Control Panel settings for heat & blower -- the main water pump is sending water through the heater core REGARDLESS of Control Panel Settings on those models, so no settings are needed to remove trapped air from the heater core.

George
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      09-16-2019, 08:02 PM   #6
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Thanks George! Awesome info.. I didn’t have much luck tonight. Couldn’t get pump to go into bleed program at all. At one point I got a better light on my dash so I figured that was the problem. Ordered a CTEK 5.0 charger as it didn’t seem like my regular old chargers were acceptable for this. I have a schwaben at work and I will get it too for after charging if problems persist. Charger should be here tomorrow from amazon
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      09-16-2019, 08:03 PM   #7
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Battery light*
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      09-17-2019, 02:06 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gbalthrop View Post
"Defogging" or removing condensate from the inside of the windshield does NOT require heat, but rather evaporation by high air flow of "de-humidified" air that has had water vapor removed by the cold A/C Evaporator coil. Assuming your IHKA Module is controlling the "Flaps" and blower motor correctly, what happens when you press "Defrost" button on top-right of A/C Control Panel is:
1) the Blower goes to High Speed;
2) the Windscreen Flaps are opened and Footwell Flaps are closed; and
3) air is directed through the Heater Core.

If your "Snowflake" button below the Defrost Button is NOT lit, then your Compressor Valve is NOT active and you are getting NO cooling of the Evaporator coil, and hence NO de-humidification of the air. In warm, moist climates or conditions, if the Compressor is NOT pumping and cooling the Evaporator, you will NOT get quick "defogging" of the windshield. Heat of the air is irrelevant in those conditions. HEAT is only needed in cold conditions to prevent or remove ice formation.

You don't say how long the engine operated to, at and from the bus stop, but it takes 3 to 5 minutes for a cold engine to warm sufficiently to produce heat at the heater core. If you get NO warm air from the Defrost vents when the engine has run for 10 minutes, post back and someone can suggest "next steps" to address that issue. If you have INPA, ISTA, or a BMW-specific Scan Tool, let us know what you have and we can suggest specific tests.

Assuming you have a 2008 335i, here is the TIS Procedure for Bleeding the Cooling system. Ignore ALL the pages BEFORE the last page, as they deal with the "Vacuum Filling System":
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...check/CNCeB76L

Most US E9x models do NOT have either a Water Valve or Auxiliary Water Pump, so I don't see any reason for step (4) related to A/C Control Panel settings for heat & blower -- the main water pump is sending water through the heater core REGARDLESS of Control Panel Settings on those models, so no settings are needed to remove trapped air from the heater core.

George
while all these statements are generally correct there is always some corrections from bmw by design
1. bmw e9x climate control can defog windshield without compressor valve enabled, this is very easy to check if car have working condensation(fog) sensor under windshield mirror cover assembly
if windshiled was ever replaced in aftermarket shop this sensor can absent, glued incorrectly or have wiring damaged
2. n51, n52, n53,n54 and n55 engines do not have auxiliary water pump because it's main pump has variable performance, and during inital engine warmup it's performance set to minimum to faster achieve warmup and required emissions level
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      09-17-2019, 02:25 PM   #9
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Well, the TIS does suggest to use vacuum fill first and then do another bleeding procedure. My heat is also funky since my thermostat to cylinder head coolant fitting blew out. Although it does seem that there’s heat coming in from somewhere, just not from center vents. Well, sometimes there’s a warm air coming from them and footwell vents often work. Might be electronics issue, when that fitting bursted, it sent a lot of coolant everywhere
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      09-18-2019, 08:12 PM   #10
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Appreciate the help so far guys.. I sure am glad I have a new car to drive while i’m Trying to figure out the one I need to sell. I’ve done so much work on this thing over the years (fixing all the “normal” issues) and it is an awesome car that has given me no unexpected problems till now. Lol. I think it is just pissed at me now cause I bought a new one. Poor guy. 😕
Anyway, I hooked up the CTEK charger this morning. It has 8 lights in a row and from the directions it says you can start the car when it has 4 of them lit and 7 lit is full charge. It started out with three lights lit which is funny cause I have always been able to start the car... it eventually got to where 7 lights were lit so I tried to initiate the water pump program again. Nothing. Couldn’t get it to go into bleed cycle at all and the charger lights basically went instantly down to 3 of them being lit again. 🤔 I would have thought it might light the eighth light or something which means it is pulse charging as it falls down less than a hundred percent but I didn’t expect it to go down to three...?
You think this means I need a battery? Am I right to assume the whole battery thing is keeping the bleed process from starting up? Im not sure how old the battery is because I have never changed it in this car. Bought it in December of 2014 12/13/14 to be exact. Can’t forget that date, lol. So it would make sense that it could be done for, even though like I said it has never failed to start the car even after sitting for like two weeks at a time just recently after I got my new one..
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      10-16-2019, 06:42 PM   #11
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sometimes water pump fails, got water on inside electronics and start to work continiously even if car closed and locked
in that condition it will eat any battery
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