I've been having some issue with my 2003 03 build R50 with about 84000 miles on it.

Almost a month ago my AC stopped blowing cold air and is only blowing hot air even with the AC temp set as low as it can go. I tried to recharge the 134a to 45 PSI and the air was still hot. A few days later I checked the pressure on the low pressure side and it was back at zero. I tried the recharge again and got the same results.

I have been reading a lot about what could be wrong with the AC and found that it is most likely the AC compressor. I had my GF turning the AC on and off while i was listening under the hood and I could not hear the Compressor engaging. So I think the magnetic clutch has gone out.

I also learned that the low speed fan on the radiator should be turning on with the AC. So i decided to see if my fan is working properly. I turned on my car put the AC on high and the low speed fan didn't even start. I did this about 10 times and got the same results each time. I took the car out for about a 10 minute drive and the low speed still would not engage. However the high speed is still working as far as i can tell. It does come on after i've been out driving for a few miles.

So based on this I think the car has 1. a leak in the AC lines or maybe a bad o-ring at the compressor. I haven't been able to get under the car to take a look at the compressor to see if there are any leaks there. 2. Bad compressor I've been shopping around and found some re built for around $250-$300. 3. The radiator fan has gone out and will need to be replaced.

My question is there anything else that could have caused these problems that i'm missing? From what I've gathered it looks like the fan went out 1st and the compressor went out due to the lack of the low speed fan.


My other question is how should i go about fixing this? What order should i go in? And are there any special tools that i will need i.e. "belt tension tool"? I'm wanting to do all the repairs my self since the car is about 5000 miles out of the extended warranty that i purchased along with the car.

I'm thinking that i will need to replace the Fan, Compressor, and dryer. Should I go ahead and replace the condenser while i've got everything taken apart?

Any Info would be greatly appriciated. This will be the biggest project that i've taken on my mini.

 

There are plenty of theads on your issues already.

Do a search. Most of your concerns have been addressed as recently as last night for others.

Then if you still have questions, feel free to post it.

Thanks.

 

Your compressor might be fine (then again, it might not be)....but it sounds like you have a leak somewhere....fix the leak....and the system will hold pressure...AC systems run at hi pressure, and even a pin-hole leak will result in your issues...and since the system has been at 0 PSI for a period, you should have a new dryer installed, and the system needs to have a full vacuum pulled on it after it is fixed, before it is recharged. Just fixing the leak, and refilling it will not give you good results...its operation will be sub-par. IF you are sure of the diagnosis, you could fix it, then take it to someplace, and have the system vacuumed, have them re-fill it with 134A....about $200, but it could still save you some $$. But if you replace a $300 compressor when a $.03 o-ring is bad.....or the leak is in the $200 condenser (or a $50 hi pressure line)...you have spent more $$ than needed. It might be wise to swap out the fan, and to pay some $$ to a shop to inject some dye into the system, to track down the leak..it could be at the compressor...it could be ANYWHERE.

IMO throwing random parts at a system with out KNOWING what has failed is like gambling....
IF you had some DYE in the134A last time you recharged the system...then you could look for the leak....(this sometimes requires a special light)...then you would know if the leak is at the compressor, a line, a valve, or even the condenser....heck it could even be behind the dash...you would know 100% where the coolant is getting out...and THEN you could effectively FIX it, and not just throw parts at the car...I would hate for you to put a new Compressor (possibly a inferior rebuilt unit, or possibly a good quality one), and a new condenser, just to find out there was a pin-hole leak in a high pressure line somewhere due to rubbing....
Sometimes when a compressor fails..it contaminates most of the system with small parts...kinda like grit....that is why sometimes parts like the expansion valve, etc are done at the same time....
It sounds like you have done the cheap/easy thing...trying to refill/recharge it....but going further with the tools and knowledge you have might not make sense.......a DIY'r can do almost anything...the only limit is $$ for parts and time to do it, but if you must do the job 2 or 3 times to fix it...it may not be the most cost effective solution.
PS, Welcome to NAM, and good Luck!!

 

zippy, thanks for the advice! I haven't had dye injected into it yet so i will take it to the shop asap. Hopefully you're right on about there being a leak in one of the o rings i would much rather have that be the fix than a new compressor. I'm still pretty new to getting under the hood of a car which is why i'm wanting to DIY the job i'm wanting to learn as much as possible about how to work on this car. I've been working on some of the basic maintance like oil changes brakes fuel filter changes ect for a while now but nothing this in depth.

Again thanks for the advice.

 

decided to put some dye in the system a few weeks ago and found my leak. Turns out that my CAI has rubbed a hole in the aluminum low pressure hard line over the past 40000 miles and that's where the leak happened. I managed to finally get time to fix it. The leak was about 1\4 inch long and 1\16 inch wide. I used some jb weld to seal the leak since i didn't want the epoxy to leak into the AC line i took the screen out of my spare bathroom water faucet and laid it over the hole to make sure the epoxy wouldn't leak through then added some JB to the hardline let it sit for about an hour and added another coat waited one more hour and added a 3rd and final coat. to prevent my CAI from wearing another hole in the line i got some thick rubber hose and clamped it down really tight over the part where the leak was. After the JB had 24 hours to cure i filled up with 134a and it's been holding it's pressure very well now. Here's a few pics.

If your CAI curls under the throttle body toward the ac lines i would highly suggest putting some rubber hose over the hardline to prevent this from happening. It will save you from going through a huge PITA.