BMW e90 328i Stinky Air Conditioner fix

[@Bmwguy2011]

Fantastic detail. Your a blessing to the auto world with this. Love your manual e series. I have a 2006 wagon 325xi manual with 333000 on it and keep thinking that it has reached its end. But with ideas like this, I’m still going. What a beautiful engine and transmission / drivetrain for sure.

[@ljschuby99]

Love the wagons - keep it going!

[@nicholasgoudoras2106]

Hey, thanks for taking the time to video this. Did mine today!! That fan does take a bit of “finesse”.

[@ljschuby99]

Good deal - it is well worth the time to do it right. Mine is still smelling fine.

[@robertjr.dronelife6776]

I must say the car looked good until you popped the hood I was like DAM hahahah

[@ktmax8963]

Hahaha, so true

[@binniedj]

Thank you for this video. I think it captures why our ACs stink the best. Just did this and everything smells better now. I change my filters once a year so I'll probably do this each time I swap those out.

[@ljschuby99]

Thanks. Another tip that I read about and have tried is to turn off the AC and keep the fan on for the last few minutes of each trip. This is supposed to help dry out the condenser area. I have tried this and think that it helps keep they musty smell away even longer.

[@trackmedixuk]

Does the same apply for right hand drive e90s ? Obviously I would spray the other direction but is the blower motor always located on the passenger side ? Thanks

[@sysakPL]

Where is the heater core on these? I have an e92 which was owned by a smoker. The full interiour wash and this procedure (+ spraying lots of this stuff deep.inside all the air vents took care of moat of the smell but when i switch the ac off i still get a whiff of stale cigs. Wonder which part of the system didnt get foamed when i sprayed it all while the AC was on.

[@MrLcmorales34]

Nice just tried on my 2006 330i in humid San Antonio TX and appears the smell is gone. Thanks for making it easy!

[@ljschuby99]

Good deal. Just an update, I just turned on the AC for the first time this year, and the smell is still gone.

[@dealsspot5928]

You explained it very well, there is a big improvement in the air quality, thank you!

[@ljschuby99]

Great - glad you got it cleaned!

[@Alpha-om2kn]

Do I have to replace the ac blower motor or just clean it? Or is that even necessary? I mean how good of a job would it do if I just insert the tube down into the centre air vent?

[@ljschuby99]

I have seen it done going through the vent, so that may work for you. I had great luck with going through the blower motor. It seemed to really get into the areas that would hold the mildew even though it was a more difficult job.

[@pamyarbrough]

Really great video! I have a slight smell on a 70K mile 2014 328i BMW and want to get rid of it. Number 1, after talking with my mechanic, I had no idea there was such a thing as a cabin filter and appalled that changing that filter is not part of regular maintenance. I thought that when they change the air filter in the car, that the a/c filter should be changed too! I too also did not want to just spray something into the vents as that does not get to the root of the issue. This video was so very helpful, thank you!

[@ljschuby99]

Thanks - hopefully the new cabin filter will help. Mine really needed the spray cleaner too. I am also getting into the habit of turning off the AC and leaving the fan going for the last few minutes of the drive when going home, which will help dry out the system and prevent future issues.

[@dadwillfixit]

I kept looking for a way to get under the car and use the AC drain, but since i can't do that, this will do perfectly. Thank you.

[@ljschuby99]

Yes, this should work for you - good luck.

[@Alpha-om2kn]

I just did this with your method. Man this mold has been making me sick so much. One thing that didn’t go as planned, after spraying the foam in the dashboard through the blower motor entry, I didn’t see any foam seep under the car, rather a good amount of liquid eventually just dropped down under the passenger leg area and onto the mat. Did I do it wrong?

[@ljschuby99]

Definitely should have drained underneath. Maybe the drain plug is clogged or blocked? You may have to get under the car to check it out.

[@Alpha-om2kn]

@@ljschuby99​​⁠ awesome thanks man. I might have to do it again. Also do I need to have the AC blower motor cover covering the blower motor while I spray the inside? Like how you showed in the video at 2:31? When I did it, I didn’t have the recirculating mode ON in the car. It was fresh air going through the car after I sprayed the foam. Also is there a way for me to check if the AC system is clean now? Like can I see the Coil or something?

[@ljschuby99]

Having the vent closed recirculating is a good idea just to make sure the cleaner stays where it needs to be. But I do not think it would matter too much if you left it open. There is really no easy way to check the coils without taking the whole center dash off. Best way to know is just by running it and checking the smell.

[@neil2470]

Shame the camera doesn't show where the tube is going

[@KathrynRhea]

Any chance you live in the northeast and I can pay you to do this for my 2014 320?

[@HenrySimpsonK]

Thanks for making this video, I found it very helpful and I think it solved my problem. Klima Cleaner is getting hard to find these day (unless you want to want to buy a case) but it seems to be the best product. I went in through the blower motor like you did the first time, but I was also able to go through the center AC vent as a test when I did it again and I saw the same drainage as before. You need to have your AC on then shut off your car so the flap behind the vent stays open. When you do that, you can get the hose into the center vent about 16-inches. Lastly, if you keep your Klima Cleaner straw, you can pop it on other similar AC cleaning products you can get at Home Improvement stores for less than $10

[@salaseviciuskarolis6978]

Is the foam should drain out under the car? Also my ventilator smells bad while AC is turned off, is this foam will help if i do exactly as a shown? Thanks

[@ljschuby99]

Yes it should drain under car. Along with a cabin air filter change, it would help with the smell even when the fan is not on.

[@salaseviciuskarolis6978]

Thanks for prompt answer, might you misunderstood my question. While my AC is turned off, my warm air ventilator smells bad. I have did the same as shown with the same foam spray, it still have bad smell. May you know it will help if I try to spray directly to dashboard air channels?

[@ljschuby99]

OK. Yes I know others who have sprayed the foam directly into the vents, and it should drain under the car as well. That should help too. Good luck!

[@deewademai]

I think if you can insert the tube from the center air vent to access the evaporator. That’s would be easier

[@publicname515]

Is this the same on the F10/F12/F13?

[@FiremanRodrigo]

You will get the same results by just sending the tube down the interior vent. You do not have to go through all the trouble to get the foam on the coil by removing everything. Just for future reference.

[@mosesmagnus2290]

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[@albertojackson7515]

@Moses Magnus Instablaster ;)

[@mosesmagnus2290]

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[@mosesmagnus2290]

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[@albertojackson7515]

@Moses Magnus Happy to help =)

[@freddybell8328]

Could you enter the evaporator from the top? Do you take the cabin filter out when doing this as well?

[@ljschuby99]

Yes, you can get into the area from the top when the cabin filter is removed. It just may not get into the bottom where the issue could be. You could definitely try that way first to see it takes care of the problem.

[@donghunlife]

Is it easy to find evaporator area thru the place you took out the blow moter? I just worry I spray to wrong area. You mentioned "to the left" "Sano conso area(?)"-i don't know what is is. English is not my mother tongue. And also Im not good at car.. do you think I can find this area after take out the blow moter? If I put the long tube to the left side, is it ok? I really want to remove stinky smell. Please help me.

[@ljschuby99]

Yes, the evaporator is located in the area behind the radio buttons.

[@donghunlife]

@@ljschuby99 can you please write the spell the word "sano conso" area that you mentioned? Ah. Behind of radio button. Inside. I try. Mine is E90 320i Lci. Looks similar. Do you think same? Sorry to ask you a lot.

[@donghunlife]

@@ljschuby99 ah. You mentioned center console?

[@ljschuby99]

Yes, it is behind the center console or radio area. And it will be the same for the 320. You will be smelling better soon!

[@donghunlife]

@@ljschuby99 thank you. One more question. I saw your video taking out glove box. So there is no filter in the glove box? 3series have filter only in the hood. right?

[@jacobthomas5286]

Where do I put the tube?

[@ahoyos]

do i need to do the first step and go thru the hood to open that up, I didn’t understand the purpose of doing that. Can I just go in from the bottom under the dash and proceed?

[@ljschuby99]

You do not have to remove the air filter unless it is dirty and needs to be changed. I just did that to show another view of the area.

[@ahoyos]

ljschuby99 thanks!

[@321ali]

This didn’t work for me. Followed instructions exactly as you provided - used exactly the same product- yet the smell remains 🙄 Any advice?

[@ljschuby99]

It is possible that you have some mold/mildew between the condenser and the vents. If this was the case, you could try this product, or lysol/something similar to spray directly down the vents.

[@321ali]

ljschuby99 thanks for your reply. I’ll get more product and try in the vent. The smell comes stronger with just the fan on. When the aircon is on, the odour goes away after a minute. But when on fan it constantly smells. Any thoughts?

[@321ali]

ljschuby99 I narrowed down the smell to only coming from the drivers side centre vent. Tried everything. Don’t know how to address this

[@juandontworryaboutit4150]

@@321ali hey did you find a fix? Wondering because this happens toe whenever i have the air on low i get this really bad strong smell coming from vents, thanks in advance

[@321ali]

Juan DontWorryAboutIt I never found the fix. Tried everything - didn’t eradicate the problem

[@DaveInBridport]

Would squirting foam from above (from engine bay) not achieve same result but without trouble of removing fan?

[@ljschuby99]

Yes, theoretically you could go from the engine bay. The opening under the hood is above the passenger side, so you would have to enter and guide the applicator down and toward the center area so you could get to the condenser area. It’s just easier to get to from under the dash.

[@JHZR2]

Very well explained. Need to do this on my e88.

[@ljschuby99]

Thanks - I will say that it is worth the time to clean it. my AC still smells clean.

[@Figglesprout]

just did this on my 335i and im pretty sure I got rid of the ac smell, I used armorall vent cleaner to clean each vent and the klimax ac condensor cleaner for the condensor, 1 hour after the clean and no smell of mildew,

[@ljschuby99]

Good idea to add the vent cleaner.

[@Figglesprout]

@@ljschuby99 thanks for the video, it helped a lot, diy is the reason i own my e92

[@fraspas]

This looks like an easy fix - but it did take forever to figure out where to spray the stuff into. Question regarding this procedure though...according to BMW service manual, it mentioned you needed to remove the stiffening plate underneath the car prior to spraying - I'm guessing because it needs to drain somewhere? - did you need to remove the stiffening plate at all?

[@ljschuby99]

No, I did not remove the plate. The liquid from the foam drained out of the AC drain underneath the car.

[@n54anaya79]

Nice! Very easy to follow, well explained

[@b58lol]

Thank you for making this video! I understand everything except for how far to go with the tube. Should i just stick it in as far as possible to the left or measure out the length to the radio?

[@trevorelvis2195]

The tube is not too long, and it will have to curve around to get to the evaporator area, so you can put it in as far as it will go.

[@b58lol]

Trevor Elvis great, thank you!

[@krlpl6282]

Bro I did but foam was going out and go on those big cord of cables and getting wet ! I'm worry now

[@ljschuby99]

Foam evaporates and excess goes through drain pipe pretty quickly so everything should be fine. Might need to do smaller amounts at one time and make sure to keep it in the main compartment for next time.

[@krlpl6282]

@@ljschuby99 ok thanks bro

[@mdq00001]

Do you know how can I access to my e60 evaporator? I think the configuration is different.

[@ljschuby99]

Check out video BMW E60 evaporator A/C replace. Obviously you will not need to remove the dash and replace, but it will show where the evaporator is behind the dash and give you a good idea of the area where you need to get the cleaner in the E60. It looks pretty similar.

[@mdq00001]

@@ljschuby99 Hello, I've just watch the video and in my opinion I think that removing filter box and applying the product directly with application tube could be enough in e60 case, isn't it?. What do you think?. Cleaner supplier specifies that I cannot use the product through air vents so I am afraid there isn't any other solution. I would prefer not to remove the tension strut due to it is recommended to replace screw and give them specific torque. That is so serious for me. I only want to improve ac smell haha. Here you have the specific evaporator cleaning process where you can find the complete work to clean the evaporator. There you can see that they remove a lot of parts during the proccess.: www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e60-525d-lim/repair-manuals/64-heating-air-conditioning/64-51-heating-air-conditioning-unit-evaporator-shift-elements/2QpSUxU

[@ljschuby99]

@@mdq00001 Yes, that would be a lot of work that may not be necessary. May be best to try going through the filter box first to see if that helps your problem. When you do that, watch out for the cleaner so that it does not drip into the passenger floor panel.

[@capt.saveahoe914]

@@mdq00001 so any luck? I’m wanting to do mine as well!!! I tried replacing the FSU (blower motor resistor) on my 03 E60 and I COULD NOT GET THAT MF’r OUT!!!! It’s causing my heat to blow only in the floor and windshield It’s over $1000 to replace the blower motor and all the other bs.

[@mdq00001]

@@capt.saveahoe914 I removed the filters and saw the evaporator through the holes. Then I applied the product and everything was correct

[@CrispusAttucks2315]

Great video! I’m going to give it a shot!

[@ljschuby99]

It worked - mine is still good after the one treatment.

[@3monsterbeast]

What is the difference between doing this and spraying directly into AC vents?

[@ljschuby99]

Spraying it into the vents may not get the coverage needed to take care of the problem vs spraying directly into the evaporator cavity.

[@teakodo]

Works on F25 X3 35i

[@ljschuby99]

Good to know, thanks. This is good stuff. The one application is all that it has needed so far.

[@laltromondo84]

Do you really need to remove the blower to be able to insert the tube? Would it be possible to pass the tube between the fanblades on the blower from above, below the airfilter?

[@ljschuby99]

You will be able to get more of the cleaning foam into the condenser if you remove the blower. Going in from above, you would likely not be able to get all the way into the condenser area to get rid of the problem.

[@laltromondo84]

@@ljschuby99 Thanks for the clarification. :)

[@norakat]

Wow that looks tough. I have a Lexus with a cabin filter in the glove box. I've seen instructions that says all you have to do is stick a tube down past the fan after removing the cabin filter. Will that work? Also why didn't you just go up the drain tube?

[@ljschuby99]

The issue is getting the solution past the fan and onto the evaporator. Going through the filter area will only get into the blower motor. You could try going up through the drain tube instead, you just need to make sure that the cleaner is filling the cavity and covering the evaporator.

[@kreshnikveliaj9741]

This is a waste a time the evaporator is inside the heater core it is not exposed and is unreachable unless you take the whole dash apart