fresh air flapper problem....won't stay closed

[krellboy]

Looks like it may be a cold winter if I don't do some work on my heating system.

Blower is intermittant (fresh one on the way) but worse yet is the fresh air blow by that I am getting. It seems that the fresh air flapper either doesn't close all the way or won't close correctly.

When you move the center lever from the open position (far right) to the closed position you can hear the flapper close and feel the air shut off.....but only momentarily as it either fully or partially opens up again. This isn't so bad if the temperature outside is above 40ish but anything below that my heater won't keep up. The cold fresh air blows right thru the center console.

Has anyone seen this problem before? Short of tearing out my center console any simple troubleshooting tips?

Jeff

[DiLLiGaF - IA]

I just fixed that problem on the '87 about a month ago, not really a fun job but do-able. The servo for the fresh air flap is located just to the left of the glove box, you don't need to remove the glovebox totally but you will need to release the straps from the front to let it drop down. Then remove the plastic cover to access the center consol area from the right side of the center, I am not sure exactly what you need to remove here but it is pretty easy to figure out when you are in there. You do not have to remove the whole center console.

You will then be able to see the servo in there, turn the ignition on so that theres power and move the center slider back and forth to help identify it. This is where is gets fun, hope you don't mind being upside down in the front seat... btw, it amazes me just how far the comfort seats will recline in these cars, almost flat! Anyway, the servo is held on by 3 small screws going into it from the back side. A small mirror and small screwdriver will help out here a lot. Mine was missing 2 screws and the third was loose, I have a small bag of computer hardware screws and found one that fit, (like the ones to hold in a motherboard), I superglued it to the end of the screwdriver to get it started. Tight space, need patience, but when I got it all tight and back together the car has better heat than it ever has since I bought it in '02. Flap closes solidly and does not pop right back open. I have some pictures at home from the repair if you need i can possibly post them, but if you tear into it you will see what need to be done. Good luck!

Dan

[ddstl]

Having this problem myself with the '85, which has no servo but rather a mechanical center lever. Need to pilfer parts from the '86 parts car to fix it.--was the '86 model year servo-equipped, or still manual--anyone??

[a]

Having this problem myself with the '85, which has no servo but rather a mechanical center lever. Need to pilfer parts from the '86 parts car to fix it.--was the '86 model year servo-equipped, or still manual--anyone??

I THINK so, I used parts from an 82 to replace stuff I broke on the Grape, which is an 86

[twan]

Thanks for the advice on how to fix this problem, Dan. I currently am dealing with it on my car. Currently I wrapped a long john long sleeve shirt around the center console where the air comes out and tucked it into the corners. It's been keeping most of the air from coming in. But I really should get around to fixing it, properly!

[RonW]

Having this problem myself with the '85, which has no servo but rather a mechanical center lever. Need to pilfer parts from the '86 parts car to fix it.--was the '86 model year servo-equipped, or still manual--anyone??

I think it changed midway through the model year. My '86 was built 4/86, and has the servo system.

[DiLLiGaF - IA]

But I really should get around to fixing it, properly!

After I finally got after it and got it fixed I wished I would have done it sooner... Plus its a cheap fix !

[krellboy]

"twan" you're killing me.....lol. Long johns......

I basicly did the same thing wrapping and taping to try to keep out the cold air. I guess I'm not as proficient as you....the wind continues to blow in and I'm still cold.

Looks like some more bimmer disassembly is in my future.

Dan, hope mine comes out as straight forward albeit frustrating as your fix.

Jeff

[krellboy]

Did the servo motor air flapper fix tonight. It was just like Dan said and described. Mine also had 2 out of 3 screws missing too. Not really hard to do just tedious. I removed the piece of ductwork that connects the heat box to the windshield defroster for some extra space. Aside from dropping a few screws and losing one of my screwdrivers down into the heat duct it was pretty much straight forward, although as usual a lot more time consuming than planned. I also used some screws I found laying around that were used in computer build-ups but they really didn't fit perfectly, but good enough to get the servo reasonably well attached and fully functional again.

Thanks, Dan.

Jeff

[DiLLiGaF - IA]

I remember removing a section of the ductwork now too, or at least disconnecting it to push it off to the side. I also dropped a screwdriver down into the ductwork , it was the only really small driver I could find in the garage that night and I was relieved that it dropped out the bottom and onto the passenger floorboard.

Anyway, glad it worked out for you, cold weather driving will be alot nicer for you now !

[el-cid]

OK, I'm having the same exact problem with my '86 so this is good news; at least there's a fix. I have one question, hope this doesn't sound too stupid; I did read this thread a few times but it's still not clear: are you guys just re-securing the servo (replacing the missing screws) or replacing the servo? Thanks, Chad.

[RonW]

OK, I'm having the same exact problem with my '86 so this is good news; at least there's a fix. I have one question, hope this doesn't sound too stupid; I did read this thread a few times but it's still not clear: are you guys just re-securing the servo (replacing the missing screws) or replacing the servo? Thanks, Chad.

Usually it's just a matter of re-securing the motor. I had this exact problem, tightened the screws, and everything was fine for years.

Until it wasn't. The door wouldn't open all the way, or if it did, it wouldn't close. After going on a wild goose chase into the fresh air door control unit, I found out that one of the plastic gears in the motor housing had split.

I shaved the teeth of the gear in question near the split with my pocket knife and reassembled. So far, so good. But I got a spare junkyard motor just in case.

And I don't care if a car is 20 years old- if it has a device called a "fresh air door control unit" then it has too much electronics.

[krellboy]

Hey Ron

Trying to think and plan ahead here.....or just in case I'm not as lucky as you.

Tell us all what motor housing... ie where it is and how to get to the gears that are located inside.

This will be good info for someone searching on this thread.

Thanks

Jeff

[RonW]

Hey Ron

Trying to think and plan ahead here.....or just in case I'm not as lucky as you.

Tell us all what motor housing... ie where it is and how to get to the gears that are located inside.

This will be good info for someone searching on this thread.

Thanks

Jeff

(Cribbed from my own post on RoadFly)

ACCESSING THE FRESH AIR FLAP MOTOR

You can get to the motor by removing the oblong panel you see when you open the glovebox (this is on US cars). This panel comes off with two screws- one at the top, visible when you open the glovebox, and one at the bottom, visible when the glovebox is closed.

Two straps keep the glovebox from opening too far. You have to undo them to remove the oblong panel. The easiest way is to pop the plastic pins that hold the straps to the glovebox door.

There is a short bellows next to the motor. You have to remove this bellows to access the motor's retaining screws and the ball-and-socket mechanism. The bellows is flexible- you'll figure it out.

The screws' heads face forward, so you can't see them directly. They are USUALLY Phillips. BMW didn't see fit to use slotted mounts, which would have let you loosen the screws a bit and slide the motor out. You have to undo every screw all the way.

Once you have the motor out, opening the motor and accessing the gears well be self-evident.


ACCESSING THE FRESH AIR FLAP CONTROL UNIT

Same location, opposite side of the car. Remove the driver's kick panel. This is 6 screws, if I recall correctly. Unplug the power window circuit breaker (the button in the panel to the right of the steering column) and unclip the interior temperature sensor (the gray bulbous thing in the panel near the hood release lever). Throw the panel in the back seat for the duration.

Now your view of the fresh air flap control unit is obstructed by the evaporator temperature regulator (ETR)- a black rectangular thing that looks like a too-tall relay. The ETR is attached to a connector, which is clipped to the climate control unit. Unclip the ETR and connector by lifting up. Now you should be able to see the control unit, and the linkage from the flap that goes to the feedback potentiometer inside the unit.

[krellboy]

I hope I don't need to get back in there and work on that motor anytime soon....the screws I used to reattach the servo motor weren't the exact thread match and I think are cross threaded to the extent that removal will be difficult.

A hint to the wiser here for the next person who affects this repair....maybe look for the "exact" screw size/thread when doing the repair discussed. Computer screws may not be the right ticket.

Ron, thanks for the elaboration.....maybe this problem won't come up too soon.

Jeff

[spudooli]

Ok, I can see exactly the problem here. I can even see where the screws are missing.

But I have a right hand drive car. I cannot see anyway in hell that I'll be able to get a screw in there let alone a screw driver with all the steering column and wiring stuff in the way.

Has anyone in the right hand driving part of the world ever effected this fix without tearing the car completely down?

[Karl Grau]

Damn I love the archives!:alright:
I have fresh air for the first time in three and a half years

[jlucas]

fixed

[DRP535]

Ok, I can see exactly the problem here. I can even see where the screws are missing.

But I have a right hand drive car. I cannot see anyway in hell that I'll be able to get a screw in there let alone a screw driver with all the steering column and wiring stuff in the way.

Has anyone in the right hand driving part of the world ever effected this fix without tearing the car completely down?

I've just realised I'm in the middle of this exact fix right now and have the same RHD problem. It started out with me looking to find the fan speed resistor for replacement and has graduated now to fixing the middle vent electronic flapper inoperability problem as well. My servo motor is falling off and I can't get the resistor pack out either.

There's absolutely no room to work in here on a RHD car. Think I'm going to have to seek professional help with this.

Where can I find the RealOEM diagrams that show this servo motor? Is that it number 15 in below diagram? If so, what's the part number? That item 15 isn't shown in the parts listing I got the diagram from.

[1st 5er]

For a temporary fix, fasten heavy plastic over the openings in the firewall under the hood.