Reference - Final Stage Unit - The Photo Library - All Useful & Useless Photos.

[MatWiz]

Reference - Final Stage Unit - The Photo Library - All Useful & Useless Photos.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=193717&d=1247923742

Replacing the FSU I was one of the unlucky ones. It took me a long time to take it off, and even longer to put it back in. I just could not see what is going on, and how it should fit in, and what is the obstacle. My solution was to take close up photos and then study them, study the unit until I figured out how that thing fits in, and how to take it out and put it in. After that, it was a 5 seconds out, and 5 seconds in.

So for the benefit of anybody who wants to see it all. Of when someone needs to explain something, to answer a question. When a picture will worth a 1000 words, but you don't have that picture to show - it is all in here. So many pictures, that I am sure you will find what you are looking for.

Call it, "The Final Stage Unit Photo Library". ;)

Enjoy.

mw

[MatWiz]

Group 1. Pic 1-12.

[MatWiz]

Group 2. Pic 13-24.

mw

[MatWiz]

Group 3. Pic 25-36

mw

[MatWiz]

Group 4. Pic 37-48.

mw

[MatWiz]

Group 5. Pic 49-55

mw

[bluebee]

Simply amazing!

[MatWiz]

Simply amazing!

Thank you bluebee! :)

I really hope that it will be a help for people who want to explain to others, or for those who need to replace the unit and just need to understand what is going on in there. :)

mw

[LuvThatSam]

So the question stands.

Do you like to do it yourself?

:angel:

[MatWiz]

I have been fortunate that my FSU has not failed (yet, knock wood). So, I'm sure when the time comes I will find other references , but as GREAT as those pictures are-there is not really a reference picture that shows where the heck you are working or how you got in to wherever it is! Seriously, pictures are clear and superb and I am sure you are in passenger side foot well area left, but unless I really study the shots, I have no clue where you were! My cluelessness, not yours. :confused:

Then you didn't look long enough... I am being serious though, I am not :stickpoke at you. You really would want to study the shots if you are going to replace the FSU. I didn't try to write a DIY - Elvis did a fantastic job at that, so why creating just another one? But if you look at the pics of the open panel, you will see the yellow sticker, and you will know where the unit is. But you will need to also look at your car, and the pics, and you will quickly understand where things are. But again, this is not instead of the DIY. This is meant as a supplement to DIYs.

mw

[MatWiz]

I have been fortunate that my FSU has not failed (yet, knock wood). So, I'm sure when the time comes I will find other references , but as GREAT as those pictures are-there is not really a reference picture that shows where the heck you are working or how you got in to wherever it is! Seriously, pictures are clear and superb and I am sure you are in passenger side footwell area left, but unless I really study the shots, I have no clue where you were! My cluelessness, not yours. :confused:

OK, so I was working at the left side of the passenger footwell area, like you said:
If you look at the picture's bottom right side you'll see the black rubber floor mat. On top of the picture, the gray panel is the bottom of the glove compartment door.
The yellow sticker is on the FSU. So you can see the the FSU will be near the toes of the passenger's left foot. All the way up:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=195328&d=1249009546

Zoom out a little, to make it more clear where we are:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=195365&d=1249010211

Here is a close up of the unit and you can see the yellow sticker. The plug is disconnected and is hanging just above the unit.
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=195332&d=1249009546

You'll have to remove that side panel and you will see all of that.
This is the panel:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=195361&d=1249010194

Slide it backward, because you need to free it from these clips:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=195363&d=1249010194

you can see the 2 rectangular holes in the "zoom out" picture above. The 2 clips go into these 2 holes.

Etc.

Like I said, I was not trying to rewrite Elvis's DIY (Link (http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143393)), because he did an excellent job :thumbup:. Just wanted to have all these pictures available, so that if and when somebody comes with any questions or needs more clarifications, there is always the photo to refer to and explain. Just like I did above.

BTW, did it help and now you have a pretty good idea of exactly where the unit is?

mw

[dalekressin]

Very nice job. I replaced mine months ago and wasn't sure I got it in correctly. The wierd fan behavior ended so I was pleased. Your photos are great.

[bluebee]

This is actually embarrassing to say but ... even though I did replace my FSU ... and it did fix my eccentric fan and dead-battery-overnight problems ... I broke the clip taking it out (http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4119533&postcount=22) ... and ... well ... even now ... although I certainly could do it again ... I'm still not sure exactly how to unclip the FSU from the harness connector ... properly that is ... without breaking off the clip.

There's some funky German engineering going on with those two little clip thingies ...

I, for one, would like to see a DIY that just shows how to undo the clip if you had both the FSU and the harness connector in your hands!


http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=173716&stc=1&d=1233566470
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=173717&stc=1&d=1233567224

[cloud13031]

Great job, hopefully this will fix my fans MAX speed problem. Cheers!!!