Gus:

You asked about Sin City. I have never heard a bad thing about them, and I think Chris keeps about half of the E30's in Las Vegas on the road.

If you replaced the tensioner 6 years ago, it might be time. Sometimes aftermarket replacements just don't last as long as OEM.

Try another gauge set. Your control system appears to cycle off at all sorts of different low side pressures. Either the switches / sensors are bad or your gauges do not repeat. Before you go after the control system, try a second set of gauges to make sure you are not chasing your tail. You have re...

What is the high side reading while it cycles?

BMW used a hydraulic tensioner for the belt in that car.

Open the hood, and locate the tensioner. Have someone start the car, then turn on the A/C while you watch the tensioner.

Absolutely. If you are finding bits of foam coming through the vents, something is failing.

Mitchell DIY subscription is $20 for a one month access. You get the whole factory service manual.

Well worth the price, you can save days of work on jobs like removing the a/c evaporator box.

Ask yourself, how did the debris get all the way to the radiator? Through the condenser? Or around it somehow? And A19 has a valid point. I have seen condensers clogged with gnats, while the surface is clean. I always recommend deep cleaning the fins with a strong surfactant like simple green, spray...

That is an ongoing problem with electric fans. No real metrics for the OEM motors, and aftermarket stuff is all over the place. Usually the difference between ram air & parked cooling is a good indicator. Duct taping the gauge set on the windshield on the passenger side & going for a drive w...

Sorry Danny. After a19 starts clogging up a thread with useless junk I just scroll to the end - where I see pressures as high as 400 psi. I missed the part where you sprayed the condenser. You say the fan blows well. But what is well? is it 75% of what it did when brand new? The only metric we have ...

18 year old electric fans. You are chasing your tail. Spray the condenser with water and watch the pressures. You should be able to get the system to stabilize at the control valve pressure on the low side - if you can get rid of the heat. We went through this at length on the old board. The electri...

Most people here do their own work, although sometimes we can tell you who to avoid...

Good luck in your search. As others have said, avoid tire shops - and any place adjacent to a junk yard.