First day using the heater, but heater only blowing warm/cold air on max

[Dano516]

Hi all,

As the title suggests, today is probably the first day of the year that the heater of my 330Ci has been used. Before I bought it, it had been garage-kept as winter started. My heater, however, did not blow any hot air for a while. It got a bit warm in the center two vents but the drivers side vent remained cold. I also turned it off for about five minutes, and turned it back on to the same results.

I also noticed that upon acceleration on the highway, the center vent air flow went a bit cold as well.

Here is some further information,
-The car has about 96,000 miles on it, I have put on about 4000 since I bought it in June.
-I had the AC gas recharged in June.
-Recently, whenever I would turn on and off the a/c maybe a few weeks ago, I noticed a slight crackling noice, like paper unfolding near the front where the windshield is around. I don't suppose that is too much.
-When I turned on the heater, I had it at max 91 degrees, gradually increasing fan speed. Is it bad that I immediately went to 91?
-On the highway, when I noticed the center vents go cold, I was accelerating from about 40 to 55mph.

I can only assume the heater works well, since the car lived most of its life in Toronto. Any help and/or input would be greatly appreciated!

[fredo]

I believe the e46 has a temperature knob like this one. Do you have it set to red ?

35890

[Dano516]

I believe the e46 has a temperature knob like this one. Do you have it set to red ?

35890


Okay yeah feeling like a total idiot now. Does it also affect the drivers' side temperature too?

[pedro2u]

mine looks like this... with the dial set to blue (cold)

[3ZHP]

What’s your engine temp running at??? It should be mid range. If it’s low you need a new thermostat. If it’s mid, it may be related to a heater control valve.

Also need to check coolant level (COLD) and if it shows low, fill it and maybe bleed it.

I can elaborate, if needed.


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[Dano516]

Thank you everyone, but it turns out I didn't have the center temperature knob moved at all. I guess this is what happens when you've never had that in a car.

[ZHPizza]

Thank you everyone, but it turns out I didn't have the center temperature knob moved at all. I guess this is what happens when you've never had that in a car.All good - happens to everyone at some point. The Germans put that in so you can have warm air coming out of the floor to keep the cabin warm while cool air is blowing in your face to keep you alert. It's pretty nice.

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[holyc0w]

-When I turned on the heater, I had it at max 91 degrees, gradually increasing fan speed. Is it bad that I immediately went to 91?


It shouldn't make a difference, when used like that. But you should set it to the temperature you want to get when using the auto setting. I keep mine at 60 for the winter.

[az3579]

There is no need to set it to 91. Set it to a temperature you would feel comfortable with (ex: 70) and it'll automatically blow whatever temperature air and at whatever fan speed it needs to in order to reach that temperature and keep it there.

Adjust whether you want it to blow hot or cold air with the slider instead. It's far easier than constantly adjusting the temperature.

[ZHPizza]

It shouldn't make a difference, when used like that. But you should set it to the temperature you want to get when using the auto setting. I keep mine at 60 for the winter.Effing yeti over here gd

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[holyc0w]

Effing yeti over here gd

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#Yeti4lyfe

60 is a fairly warm day in the summer. Now seeing that I'm wearing a coat, I see no need to go past 60 and make it a furnace.

[Dano516]

There is no need to set it to 91. Set it to a temperature you would feel comfortable with (ex: 70) and it'll automatically blow whatever temperature air and at whatever fan speed it needs to in order to reach that temperature and keep it there.

Adjust whether you want it to blow hot or cold air with the slider instead. It's far easier than constantly adjusting the temperature.

Hahah I typically just like maxxing it at 91 and then cycling back between that having the windows down. I know it's not exactly fuel efficient but I'll do anything to keep myself awake during rush hour traffic.

[John in VA]

Owner's manual / BMW suggests setting at 72°.

[Dave1027]

#Yeti4lyfe

60 is a fairly warm day in the summer. Now seeing that I'm wearing a coat, I see no need to go past 60 and make it a furnace.

Me too. I only ever use 59 - 63. I don't really care for the digital thermostat. I don't much care for the automatic heater/AC. Don't like the up/down push buttons of the fan speed either. Would rather have manual analog dials. I guess I'm a control freak that way

[holyc0w]

Me too. I only ever use 59 - 63. I don't really care for the digital thermostat. I don't much care for the automatic heater/AC. Don't like the up/down push buttons of the fan speed either. Would rather have manual analog dials. I guess I'm a control freak that way

I don't care much for the automatic function either. I feel like it doesn't really get rid of the tinkering as much as it should.

I've been trying to use the central vent adjustment, but that kind of defeats the purpose of an automatic system for me. In the winter before the car heats up enough, I want the vent adjustment at the hottest setting and the fan on low. After the engine heats up, I hit the auto button if I want more heat. Either way at some point I'll have to mess with the vent adjustment.

For manual controls, my general procedure is to wait for the car to warm up slightly. Put the heat adjustment on the hottest and start with the fan on the lowest. Go up with the fan speed when the engine warms up a bit if needed. When it gets too hot, start reducing the fan speed, and the thermostat after that.

If anything the manual approach seems simpler to me, and the auto hvac is a bit useless in my case.

[ZHPizza]

??? The auto HVAC literally does your entire manual warm up procedure...but... automatically...

I absolutely love it in the e46. I leave it set on 68 and it'll start blowing warm air once the engine gets warm enough to share. The only time it needs your input is when the defrost is required - then it dumps all available resources to the windshield to get you going. I have zero complaints about this system.

[holyc0w]

??? The auto HVAC literally does your entire manual warm up procedure...but... automatically...

I absolutely love it in the e46. I leave it set on 68 and it'll start blowing warm air once the engine gets warm enough to share. The only time it needs your input is when the defrost is required - then it dumps all available resources to the windshield to get you going. I have zero complaints about this system.

The problem is the system can't read my mind. I feel the fan speed ramps up too quickly when it's warming up, which leads to tinkering. In the winter, I would say manual/auto is about the same amount of convenience for me.

The AC control has more of an advantage.