condensor cooling fan not working

[2000-323i]

I just had my 2000 323i ac system evacuated and charged, thinking I was going to be riding in an ice box this evening, I was wrong. The mechanic told me that the condensor cooling fan was not working and he did not have the electronics to figure out why. Needless to say this was not the BMW dealership. Usually I try to fix things like this myself but now I;m stuck. Can anyone tell me how to fix this? Thanks in advance ( New Member )

[441tech]

I would check for power and proper ground to the fan once the system is operating. Also, make sure the compressor is kicking in when you activate the A/C. The simplist thing to do first is check the fuses. The owner's manual will tell you exactly where it is. (in glovebox, undo two camloc fasteners, and pull panel down) If the fuses are good, I would suspect either a compressor fault, or a cooling fan fault. Checking for power and ground at the cooling fan will tell you if it is a fan motor or not (with the system operating)

If the compressor doesn't kick in, then I would suspect a pressure switch. This can also cause your fan issues, but if a pressure switch is not satisfied with the pressure in the system during operation, it will shut everything down.

I'm ASE Certified in Air Conditioning, and my primary experience is with domestic vehicles, but it all works off the same principle. I also have the 1500-page factory 3-series Bently service manual for '99-'05. I am responding to your cooling fan ailment after looking at the wiring diagram.

Let's just hope it's not the IHKA Control Module. Those can't be cheap, and they run the entire HVAC system.

Let me know what you find.

441 tech

[2000-323i]

Thanks 441 tech for the info.

I had already checked all the fuses and they were all fine. I believe a sensor or relay has gone bad somewhere and therefore the cooling fans shut off because of that. And with the cooling fans not running I think the ac system purged out all the freon out of a pop off valve to keep from messing up the compressor. Does this sound like it makes any sence. The mechanic had unplugged the compressor because of the chance of the samething might happen again, the pop-off valve popping and the freon coming out because the cooling fans are not running.

If a relay has gone bad, would there still be power at the fan, or would the relay have cut it out.

I am looking into buying a Bentley manual to see if this might help me out somehow.

Thanks for your time,

[441tech]

I HIGHLY recommend this site and manuals. This is where I bought my factory service manual from. They also have electrical troubleshooting manuals w/detailed wiring diagrams. They aren't the cheapest, but they're sure worth it in savings from maintenance costs.

http://www.autorepairmanuals.biz/sit...83/page/367467