Evaporator DIY

[juan.manjarres]

It would be great if someone can post up an evaporator DIY. I searched and found nothing but I remember a while back that I had found something but cannot anymore. Any links will be appreciated.

[Mikeville]

I've been looking for a DIY Evaporator for a while and i found nothing, i think you have to remove the complete dashboard to complete this task, thats why I havent done it yet, i wold like to do it do to the cost of labor on this kind of job, if you found something please share, someone told me that it coult be done without removing the hole dashboard but my locals mecanics said we have to pull the entire dashboard.

[Bimmertech]

The evap on my ti is leaking and I plan on doing it after my s52 swap is done. I can to a DIY write up then but its going to be a few months at the earliest...sorry.

[juan.manjarres]

Yeap this might be a great idea. I am holding my evap diy hopefully for a while. I had to replace the compressor, drier, and expansion valve and while I did that replaced all o-rings. Heres hoping that the leak was at the expansion valve or maybe o-rings. So far it has been cooling like it never has before too little time to tell if that was the source of the leak.

[Mikeville]

Guys, good news, I just had my evap replaced and theres no need to get the entire dashboard out, my mechanic said that because our dashboards are simililar to the e30 just had to get the entire glovebox off and when you access to the box where the evap is located make a few cuts thru the plastic, change it, relocate de temp sensor and then they had to glue back the box, and that whas it.

[Bimmertech]

Cutting, glueing, and relocating the temp sensor??? Sounds like your mechanic is a hack...that is not the proper way to do the job.

[Mikeville]

Only telling you, you dont need to remove your dash, once you remove the dashboard from a 15 year old car its never the same, some of the plastic parts and clips can break and thats about the time everything in your car starts to sound awful, my air con is working pretty good and cooling like it never did, its been 3 days, and the dahsboard, glovebox and other things dont sound a bit, everything is tigh like has always been, he relocated the sensor because i bought my evaporador at Thefinishline in miami an apparently the little hole where the temp sensor goes was on the upper part not in the down part where it was supposed to be, so he didnt want to cut the cables to make fit (Obviously) so he relocated.

[JustinH]

LOL I agree with 'Bimmertech'...that is a complete hack job to cut the airbox open. Dash never the same when you remove it? lol. This is because dopes don't reinstall it correctly with missing screws and loose bolts.

[adamud]

As an HVAC designer right now for cars, I would not completely recommend cutting into a case. The prototypes that we test in various situation do hold up to some extent, but they always fail some where along the line.
We use some pretty good Jerry Rigging techniques, but I wouldn't trust them in my car. But to each their own. If the job was sealed up tight and the evap has a solid fit so moisture does not collect in massive amount on the heater core, you should be fine. Just please keep an eye on it.

[bimbim]

How did the evaporator get in the case in the first place? Was it dipped in plastic?

[Mikeville]

Thanks Adamud, so far so good, Where i live (Venezuela) we have a pretty hot weather, and the AC is working fine like new, i just chance the microfilters and its running great, no floats or moisture.

[DesktopDave]

I agree with the majority...I wouldn't cut it up myself. I'd also worry that the plastics in the HVAC box might not play well with glues or epoxies. Those boxes are polypropylene IIRC - that usually requires plastic welding for a permanent fix.

I'm all in favor of cheap fixes though - an E30 HVAC box R&R is pretty much a weekend job if you don't want to break anything...I'd definitely hesitate farming that one out to a pro. Around here it'd likely end up costing more than the car is worth to do it right.

[bimbim]

fiberglass resin should fix it no prob IMO.