Air conditioner noise in F 1 series

[kelevra]

Hello

I own a m135 and I have noticed that when I turn on the AC I hear a noise coming from behind the vents. The noise can be described as ‘whooshing to ssshhh’ kind of noise. I didn’t hear this noise until the other when the weather was hot and I had AC max on while driving and I could see what I would describe as odourless smoke / steam come from vent in middle of console. It was like someone vaped through the vents and it was gone. I have trawled through google for answers but can’t find the answers.

Would appreciate if you guys could help.

Thanks.

[the-sharpener]

So when you turn the fans to high you can hear a noise like a fan running

Nope

Haven't got clue

Sounds like a warranty job to me

[james_zy]

I wouldn't mind betting some debris (like a leaf) has been sucked into the HVAC system. Happened on my F20

[Comacchio]

Had the exact same (Noise and vapour) on my F21 (2014) and put it down to needing an air con recharge but traded it in for the F30 before I got around to it.

[anonymous-user]

I’d check the blower motor first. Easy access under the glove box. Could be a leaf stuck. I had a mini fire on my F30. There was smoke from the centre vents and a burning smell. Turned ignition off and it stopped. BMW Assist came out and didn’t have a clue what it was. There were no fault codes. It never happened again. Play it safe and get it checked out I think.

[Pica-Pica]

Two things come to mind.
If it is a fluttering sound, it could be (as said) a leaf stuck in the system. That will eventually dry fully and be blown out the vents. It could be a resistor failure and the fan speed is stuck on the highest speed (check by manually adjusting the fan speeds to see if that is a cause).

[rosejem]

My gut feeling is your air con needs regassing , & moisture is being blown out of the middle vents as the air cools the intial warm air around the system.

[T1berious]

Had something similar on our 440i. Turned out to be leaves as the blower is right below a debris shield (you'll amazed how much is down there)

From the passenger foot well it is pretty easy to get to and remove (i'd clear the debris first from the above in the engine bay), couple of clips for the controller and fan power and your away.

I'd try looking here before a re gas as it wont take long.

Cheers T1b

[bigdom]

If it's a whining noise, it sounds like a lack of gas in the compressor, which means there's a leak.

I had a similar issue earlier this year in one of my BMW's, new condenser required. When dye was added to the system, it was very easy to see the hole.