A bit late to the angel eye party: 2001 M5

[Beej]

Did you give all of the other pulleys a spin with the belt off? I've had a chirp twice, one was an idler pulley that eventually grenaded while pulling onto the highway, the second time was the tensioner pulley.

Yeah the M3 had a chirp once too and it was an idler.  I replaced all of the idler/tensioner pulleys (one had some play, the other two were decent) and put new belts on...so if the chirpy noise is coming from something else, it's the alt/ps pump/ac.  Sounds more like the right side of the engine, where the alternator and ps pump are.  I didn't really check those for play, but might take the belt off again to do so.  Sucks, that tensioner is tight.

[Beej]

Found out on my way back from the car show that the air conditioning ain't working so great.

Going through records, it appears 1lb of freon was added in September of 2014, implying there was already a leak.  Obviously it's supposed to be a closed system, but is there any harm in chucking a can of freon from the parts store until I have time to take it to a shop?  I'm happily ignorant on a/c systems.

[JPolen01]

Found out on my way back from the car show that the air conditioning ain't working so great.

Going through records, it appears 1lb of freon was added in September of 2014, implying there was already a leak.  Obviously it's supposed to be a closed system, but is there any harm in chucking a can of freon from the parts store until I have time to take it to a shop?  I'm happily ignorant on a/c systems.

My coworker and I tried this on his truck the other day...an hour later I received a photo of a puddle under the truck when he was leaving work. Sounds like you may be in a better situation as his "AC" was no less than 85 degrees.

[Beej]

My coworker and I tried this on his truck the other day...an hour later I received a photo of a puddle under the truck when he was leaving work. Sounds like you may be in a better situation as his "AC" was no less than 85 degrees.

Like, a good puddle?  The condensation from a nicely working a/c kind of puddle?

[ViPER1313]

Watch a quick YouTube video; it’s pretty foolproof to charge the system. Is the compressor cycling on/off? Just make sure to charge as a vapor or ***slowly*** as a liquid so you don’t seize the compressor. Never add anything with stop leak in it, just pure 134a.

[JPolen01]

My coworker and I tried this on his truck the other day...an hour later I received a photo of a puddle under the truck when he was leaving work. Sounds like you may be in a better situation as his "AC" was no less than 85 degrees.

Like, a good puddle?  The condensation from a nicely working a/c kind of puddle?

No like the entire bottle of refrigerant he added puddle. It didn't sound like his compressor was cycling so I think he's got a serious leak and possible worn out compressor clutch.

[Senor_Taylor]

I thought refrigerant was a gas?

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[JPolen01]

I thought refrigerant was a gas?

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I'm not sure but I think r134a is a gas but some of the recharge bottles are a blend of gas/liquid? Either way something leaked out almost immediately after he added the refrigerant. Someone with more knowledge halp.

[ViPER1313]

134a is a gas when uncompressed and a liquid when compressed. You want to charge with the bottle upright so the charge is sucked in as a gas and not in liquid form, because dumping compressed liquid 134a into the low pressure line can slug (think hydrolock) the AC compressor.

Some bottles are a mix of gas/oil or gas/oil/stop leak. Stick with the straight 134a.

What was all over the ground was likely oil from the compressor, which is added separately in a 134a system during the initial charge. For a slow leak, it is unlikely you need to add oil back into the system.

[ViPER1313]

Also the small bottles are for suckers. Buy once cry once. $80 25lbs vs $7 for 12oz

[Senor_Taylor]

Very educational, Adam. When I did my E46, it said to spray while rotating the bottle 90 degrees back and forth.

[JPolen01]

The bottle we used said to turn the can back and forth between 12-3.

[ViPER1313]

That might be necessary if you get the mixed stuff (to keep the oil / stop leak additives mixed / flowing out.) Been a while since I have done it. Flashing the coolant like that is fine; the bit of liquid that comes out when at 3oclock turns to vapor in the lines and by turning it back to 12 you are giving the compressor a chance to recover. You just don’t want to keep the bottle below 3 continuously unless you are using a liquid charge adapter (which is only really necessary for a blended coolant like 410a)

Yellow Jacket 41123 1/4 inch Liquid Charge Adapter, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DLBXWU/ref...6AbXQTHKTX

[Beej]

According to that photo's timestamp, the clutch pedal went down November 11 and didn't come up until a couple days ago.  Got the new slave cylinder in pretty quickly, but newborn, holidays, unsuccessful manual bleeding, etc.  Borrowed a pressure bleeder from my buddy around the corner and had it done after a couple seconds of that. People don't like those things? Why?

Battery needed a jump but the car didn't miss a beat otherwise.  While driving the M3 around while this thing was out of commission, I convinced myself the M5 was a big oaf, but it ain't.  After driving it in anger, I remembered why I liked it so much.

I'm sure it'll pass with time until I have to do it again, but I'm pretty fucking over being under a car on jackstands, and this wasn't even a difficult job with heavy parts or anything.

[Senor_Taylor]

I'm sure it'll pass with time until I have to do it again, but I'm pretty fucking over being under a car on jackstands, and this wasn't even a difficult job with heavy parts or anything.

Working on a car you want to be driving sucks. Working on a car because it's broken sucks. 

The only time working on something is fun is when it doesn't matter if the car sits and you're choosing to do it. 

Glad to hear the M5 is in good shape! I need to pick up a power bleeder. Anyone have any suggestions?

[ScottyB]

but newborn

wha? congrats! you're not kidding about that time of the year getting busy then (my son's bday is like RIGHT after Christmas, i would know).

I'm sure it'll pass with time until I have to do it again, but I'm pretty fucking over being under a car on jackstands, and this wasn't even a difficult job with heavy parts or anything.

What Taylor said, but for me any job gets much more irritating when its cold.

all things equal, i'd rather be driving than wrenching anyway.

[.RJ]

for me any job gets much more irritating when its cold.  

Well at least you traded that problem for insufferable heat and skeeters

[ScottyB]

Theres only a 30% chance I'll get malaria. Ain't skeered

[D_Eclipse9916]

but newborn

wha? congrats! you're not kidding about that time of the year getting busy then (my son's bday is like RIGHT after Christmas, i would know).

I'm sure it'll pass with time until I have to do it again, but I'm pretty fucking over being under a car on jackstands, and this wasn't even a difficult job with heavy parts or anything.

What Taylor said, but for me any job gets much more irritating when its cold.

all things equal, i'd rather be driving than wrenching anyway.

Working in cold or on your back sucks. Plain and simple. A lift and proper tools makes things enjoyable again. If you don’t have those, crash at someone’s that does.

[Senor_Taylor]

all things equal, i'd rather be driving than wrenching anyway.

Working in cold or on your back sucks. Plain and simple. A lift and proper tools makes things enjoyable again. If you don’t have those, crash at someone’s that does.

You must be lonely these days.