Air circulate button turns on A/C

[jtc]

For some reason the air circulate button seems to activate my A/C. I recently replaced the blower resistor (hedgehog) to correct a blower problem and I'm not sure if this started when the blower resistor was replaced as I've only had the car a few months and live in Arizona so I had the A/C on non-stop until a few weeks ago.

[SCANDINAVIAN13]

It's supposed to. You may turn it off once you've turned the circulate on, but it will always come on by default when recirculate is turned on. This is done in an effort to remove impurities from the air.

It explains it all in the Owner's Manual.

[E36 Phantom]

Whoa. Say what? So [supposedly], if the fan is on, A/C compressor off, and you activate recirc, A/C will automatically come on too?

Mine doesn't.........

[SCANDINAVIAN13]

Pushbutton for Recirculated Air:
This program should be selected when the air outside is polluted - fresh air flow from the outside is cut off, inside air only is recirculated.

Although the air conditioning is switched on automatically, this position should not be used too long.

Excerpt from the Owner's Manual.
Thus my staunch and obsessive pushes for reading the manual.

RTFM

(No, I do not mean the above to be taken in a condescending manner)

[E36 Phantom]

Well, I can guarantee you that the A/C compressor does not come on in mine.....

I'll read my climate control section again (trust me, with the absurd design of the c/c system in these cars, I've already read over it a few times....), but I don't remember that, and neither the A/C light nor the compressor come on when I switch it to recirc. YMMV.

[jason_recliner]

I asked this question twice and never got an answer. I'm glad it does this for others too.
I just figured it was probably to take moisture out of the air from all my sweating and panting.

Not too sure why not to leave it in recirc mode though. On a stinker of a hot day, why the %^& would you want to take fresh air and try to cool it, when you could take cooler recirculated air.

Recirc did a 350km straight run last weekend, and after four hours don't think I came even close to running out of oxygen.

[stvtackett]

mine does it also.

[SCANDINAVIAN13]

I asked this question twice and never got an answer. I'm glad it does this for others too.
I just figured it was probably to take moisture out of the air from all my sweating and panting.

Not too sure why not to leave it in recirc mode though. On a stinker of a hot day, why the %^& would you want to take fresh air and try to cool it, when you could take cooler recirculated air.

Recirc did a 350km straight run last weekend, and after four hours don't think I came even close to running out of oxygen.

They don't recommend it because it's not really healthy. You're recirculating a lot of exhaled CO2. It's not enough to kill you, but it'll depelete oxygen after a while, and CO2 poisoning is not noticeable to the human senses. Furthermore, if you've ever heard people whine about air recirculation in airliners, it's just about the same principle, but it's worse in a car. If all fresh air is cut off, you're essentially re-breathing everything anyone else has exhaled.

[jasonf860]

Besides, what if one of your passengers farted and didn't say anything!

[jason_recliner]

If headaches, shortness of breath, lack of concentration or fatigue normally associated with hypoxia aren't clue enough, the wide grin on their face would be a dead giveaway.

[jtc]

Thanks all...I don't have the manual, I've been trying to find one online for less than $90. Odd that the A/C light doens't ignite but it definitely turns on the compressor.

[SCANDINAVIAN13]

$90???
You're searching for the wrong manual in the wrong places.

The Owner's Manual should be about $20. You can get it from the stealer or from a parts shop.
Pelican Parts has it here:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/ksearch/pel_search.cgi?please_wait=N&forumid=&threadid=&command=DWsearch&description=01479786807&I1.x=12&I1.y=9&FILTER_BE36=ON&FILTER_TECH=ON&FILTER_SUPP=ON&FILTER_ACCE=ON&FILTER_CARE=ON&FILTER_STUF=ON&FILTER_PERF=ON&FILTER_MISC=ON&FILTER_GADG=ON&FILTER_TOOL=ON

[efanton]

Im a little confused (yet again:().

I do believe Scandinavian is right.

I was also under the impression that it was possible to use the recirculate button to keep your car relatively cool while parked on those hot summer days.

Unfortunately I could no afford to repair the condenser this year so had to suffer 35 degree heat with no aircon. I did read somewhere that it was possilbe to control the temparature in the car while parked. Maybe I have my car models mixed up or what i'm talking about is a completely different feature/function.

I have already organised for a new compressor and full aircon service in January for 10,000Kc (380 euro) including parts and labour. deal or what?:)

[E36 Phantom]

Im a little confused (yet again:().

I do believe Scandinavian is right.

I was also under the impression that it was possible to use the recirculate button to keep your car relatively cool while parked on those hot summer days.

Unfortunately I could no afford to repair the condenser this year so had to suffer 35 degree heat with no aircon. I did read somewhere that it was possilbe to control the temparature in the car while parked. Maybe I have my car models mixed up or what i'm talking about is a completely different feature/function.

I have already organised for a new compressor and full aircon service in January for 10,000Kc (380 euro) including parts and labour. deal or what?:)

There's a different button that vents your car on hot days. I don't remember exactly what it is, as I don't have it. When I go out to my car later today I'll check the manual, unless someone on here knows.

[SCANDINAVIAN13]

It's a part of the OBC. It's in place of the stopwatch TIMER function on equipped models (the button still says TIMER on it, but it's not a stopwatch, it's a ventilation timer).

[E36 Phantom]

Oh OK, that does sound familiar. Good call.

Thanks!

[jason_recliner]

Ok, I'll bite...

What's a ventilation timer?
(not that my baby has OBC anyway)

[SCANDINAVIAN13]

It opens the windows slightly and hits the A/C so the car isn't deathly hot when you come out to it after work/school/etc.

[jason_recliner]

Ok, I have to keep asking dumber questions...
It does this on a timer, say 10 mins before you come back to it?
To start the A/C, that means it has to start the car too?!?! I wouldn't have exepcted that from of a 90's car.

Cos to put the air con on when you leave the car is surely pointless.
Though I regularly crack the roof and windows an inch, like today.

[efanton]

You can get a bmw that's psychic? How will it know When you are coming back?

I would have thought that it would work with a thermostat and cut out completely after a period of time (to save draining the battery)

If anyone has a link on more info on this or more info on the computer option I would be grateful as I am in the process of fitting an 18 button OBC. Would be nice to know if I have to fit additional sensors etc.