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Heater housing, remove and install.


Note:
This procedure requires recovery of the air conditioning refrigerant.  See an appropriately certified air conditioning technician to have this recovery performed before commencing any air conditioning system repair.

Close fresh air / recirculation flaps by pressing the recirculation switch with ignition on. 610046.jpg (64555 bytes)
Turn ignition off and remove negative cable from battery. 610024.jpg (37957 bytes)

Non air bag equipped:

Remove the three 1/4 turn screws along top edge of panel and one below the steering column 510063.jpg (22743 bytes)

Pull panel forward and out. Remove chime module from bracket in panel by pulling back tabs.


510156.jpg (51767 bytes)

Air bag equipped:

Remove the four 7 mm hex head screws from bottom edge of trim panel. 510143.jpg (54911 bytes)
Remove the three Phillips screws securing trim panel to dash.
Remove trim panel.
510147.jpg (54496 bytes)
Pull horizontal panel down and forward.  Remove chime module wiring connectors or entire module by spreading the plastic clips securing it to the panel. 510148.jpg (54910 bytes)
Remove the knee bolster by removing two 10mm bolts on left and three 10mm bolts on right side of bolster. 510149.jpg (62083 bytes)
Remove rear console ashtray by opening, then lifting straight up, remove 10mm nut (arrow) below ashtray. 510001.jpg (35547 bytes)
Rigid boot: Pull up front of park brake cover and slide off handle.
Leather boot: Pull up front to release boot, feed boot through opening in console.
510002.jpg (42929 bytes)
Pull rear section of console back to disengage it from front section. Lift up at front and slide over parking brake lever. 510003.jpg (48747 bytes)
Squeeze edges of shift boot in and lift up. 510005.jpg (30954 bytes)
Pull boot up far enough to access wiring for lighted shift knob (if fitted) and unplug connector. 610033.jpg (31632 bytes)
Pull shift knob straight up to remove. A sharp tug is required. 510004.jpg (26497 bytes)

Remove insulation pad from around shifter (if fitted).
Remove power window switches and power window circuit breaker by lifting straight up.

Tight switches can be removed by placing fingers inside shift hole and pushing up.

510006.jpg (23088 bytes)
Remove 10mm nut from behind shifter, holding rear of console section to floor.

 

510007.jpg (48124 bytes)
Remove front ashtray by opening, then pulling straight up. 510009.jpg (28126 bytes)
Remove the two screws forward of the ashtray (arrows) and lift out the ashtray / lighter assembly. 510010.jpg (29858 bytes)
Unplug lighter and illumination bulb. 510011.jpg (60095 bytes)
Remove bolt from below heater slides. Position shown in mirror. 510117.jpg (38122 bytes)
Turn screws on either side of console, by firewall, 90° and remove. 510014.jpg (16725 bytes) 510012.jpg (18799 bytes)
Pull front section of console up and to the rear to remove. 510013.jpg (46325 bytes)

 

Remove dash.

 

Remove rubber seal from top edge of firewall in engine bay. 510132.jpg (31453 bytes)
Remove plastic cover from wiring at top of firewall by pulling top edge towards engine. 510133.jpg (28204 bytes)
Remove the two Phillips screws securing the diagnostic connector bracket and one Phillips screw at the other end of the wiring support. Pull wiring support away from firewall as far as possible. 610031.jpg (31810 bytes)
Remove the four 7mm screws securing upper panel to firewall.  Lift out panel. 510134.jpg (33380 bytes) 510135.jpg (26997 bytes)
Drain coolant and disconnect both heater hoses at the firewall 640019.jpg (59421 bytes)
If possible, place a compressed air blower in one of the heater core pipes and blow residual coolant out of other pipe.

If compressed air is not available, connect a water hose to one of the heater core pipes and flush core with plain water.

Warning : Coolant damages carpet, you want all traces of coolant removed from the heater core to prevent spillage inside the car when removing the assembly.

Disconnect heater wiring harness from main harness. Plug is located to the right of the steering column. There is no need to disconnect any wiring from the heater box components, except on the right side of the heater box, 640022.jpg (53091 bytes)
Remove nut and bolt from heater housing right angle bracket where center console belongs.

Pull off drain tube from heater box.

640020.jpg (50059 bytes)
Disconnect suction and pressure lines for air conditioning system from expansion valve on right side of heater housing. Small one is 19mm, large one is 24mm and requires sealing compound to be peeled off nut for access. Both lines are flexible, pull them out of expansion valve and move them aside. Place tape over expansion valve and line ends to prevent contaminates entering system. 640023.jpg (53217 bytes)
Remove ducts between heater housing and rear heater outlets under carpet. Pull top of duct down to remove

Pull drains on each side near firewall , off heater housing

640024.jpg (60512 bytes)
Remove two 10mm nuts on either side of the blower motor, accessed from the engine bay. 640018.jpg (56848 bytes)
Remove heater box, recirculation flaps must be closed, by pulling into car.

Installation:

Ensure seal around blower motor housing is in good condition, replace if necessary.
Check rubber grommet around heater pipes correctly seats in firewall. 640057.jpg (26911 bytes)
Connect three condensation drains , two in front near firewall, one in left rear, beside rubber mount below center console position.

Note : If A/C system remains open for more than 24 hours, the receiver drier must be replaced. It is good practice to replace it any time the A/C system is open , to ensure longevity of the system. A receiver drier that has reached its moisture capacity will break down internally, spreading debris throughout the system.

 

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E30 M3 Repair Manual V2.7.  Copyright ©1999-2001 Koala Motorsport & Brett Anderson