Re: Need help blocking cold air entry into cabin (archive)

A quick test: make sure fuse 6 is OK. Fuse 6 is the frontmost, leftmost fuse in the fusebox. It also controls the reverse lights, among other things. Following is some more info and suggestions.

I have a 1986 535i (US model), and on my car, and probably yours, the center lever doesn't move the vent directly, but instead controls an electric motor which in turn moves the vent. When you switch A/C on, the vent should automatically close, and you should be able to hear it, and hear the motor as well. If you can, the center slider, or fuse 6, is probably bad. If not, it's probably the motor. The motor is to the left of the glove box.

The motor receives power via fuse 6 (when you use the lever) and fuse 14 (when you use the A/C button).

You can access the motor by removing the plastic panel to the left of the glove box. You have to drop the glove box door to remove the panel. After you remove the panel, you should be able to see the motor. It's been a while since I've been under there, but you may be able to unplug the motor and manually turn it to move the flap. According to the Bentley manual, the motor is riveted to the side of the heater box, and thus is a major pain to remove.

I took my father's 86 535i to our BMW mechanic in the hopes of him being able to solve an annoying problem...the center slider vent control no longer opens or closes the center vents, and it appears that those vents are stuck open. The result is cold air from the outside blowing in through the vents in front of the A/C motor (the one below the heater and A/C controls and above the ashtray). The mechanic told me that to fix the problem he would have to take the dash apart and the job would probably take a whole day, thus costing a fortune in labor plus whatever parts needed to be fixed or replaced. He suggested a cheap solution of blocking the unwanted cold air flow by patching the area with a plastic bag and tape (he has done phenomenal work on the brakes on our 535i and my friend's E34 in the past, so I trust his opinion). I tried this but the cold air is just diverted elsewhere, now it is flowing through the gaps around the radio and through the space around the shift lever.

My question is whether it is possible to close the vents manually somehow, bypassing the slider control and the motor (i assume) that it is connected to. Any suggestions would be helpful..thanks in advance and Happy New Year!

-Francis
1986 535i

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