So I figured I'd post this here in case someone says "aha, I know that problem!" Electrical seemed like the best spot.

On Sunday my A/C died. Its only 90 degrees out there, so my 2 hour commute on the DC beltway is unpleasant.

The fan blows but barely, even turned all the way up I barely feel a breeze coming out. It doesn't feel cooler with the A/C on or off. Normally my car's power falls through the floor with the A/C on, it can barely get going from a dead stop with first gear, but now the A/C isn't making any noticable difference in the performance, on or off.

I took a look at both the fuse box under the hood and the one next to the driver's foot and I didn't see anything that looked blown. I'm assuming if the fuse was blown it would be obvious, or do I have to pull each fuse out one at a time to check them?

Does anyone know what the issue might be off the top of your head?

I only want the car to last another month so I can trade it in, but this is going to be an unpleasant month and it may significantly reduce the trade-in value so I would like to get this fixed, but I'm not dumping any more significant amounts of money into this thing.

2003 R53

 

when the a/c=not on, does the cabin fan blow normally (all speeds)?

 

Could be many things, but if you say there is no airflow from the vents, I'd start by checking the cabin air filter in the footwell of the passenger side. After that, you can check to see if the compressor is engaging - open the bonnet and see if the compressor (passenger side, on bottom right side of the engine) spins when you turn the AC on. You also may have a low speed fan resistor failure. See the "Stock Problems/Issues" forum for many threads on both AC and fan issues.

 

Sorry I'll clarify. Even with the AC off and the fan cranked all the way up the airflow is very low. Switching between external and recirculate seems to make no difference.

I'll check the air filter, I just replaced it a month or two ago, maybe something is stuck.

I'll take a look at the stock problems thread, thanks.

 

Hmm, read through some of those threads but they don't sound like my issue. The low speed fan thread says the high speed fan cycles on every 30 seconds or so, and in between is nothing. But mine is just very faint all the time. I have a 90 minute commute through stop and go traffic so it can get pretty hot, but the car isn't overheating. I'll check out the compressor you mentioned when I get home, see if it starts spinning when I turn on the A/C.

Man, I just really don't want to pay Mini $170 to do a "diagnostic".

 

Airflow being very low sounds more like the blower in the cabin (as opposed to radiator fan). If the filter has been replaced, it is possible critters got in and blocked things, but this is much more common in the fall. If you actually think the air is not flowing normally from the vents, it is really not the AC, but the blower which works with heat too. Some blowers are easy to get to, others not so much. You may want to search for blower fan and see if you can easily eyeball things.
My infiniti had a nest that the fan sucked into the cage. Easy to get to and fix. I park the car near woods at work and in the fall the warm engine bay beckons the critters.

 

Do you hear the interior fan turning when it's on 'high'? In my car, it's pretty loud. If you don't hear it blowing/turning, then that is likely your issue. But even without the fan you should get some decent flow while at speed if there isn't something blocking it. A process of elimination should get you to the problem without paying $$. It's then that things can get pricey. Unfortunately to reach the fan blower, IIRC you have to remove a bunch of stuff.