Bet you can't top this one! Cabin Air Filter/HVAC Problem
 

Hello ALL! This being my first post I thought I would see if anybody could top this! :eek2:
Attachment 150822
Attachment 150823
This is the Cabin Air Filter and crapload of junk from my 04 MCS JCW. I bought the car last Oct. and have been working on it since. The AC was not working very well and air flow was minimal at best! Guess what? I found out why! It now blows like crazy.

Now for the problem! When the AC is turned on (equipped with ACC) I only get cold air from the 2 passenger vents, I get air from the driver vents just not cold. The rest of the system is working normally just no cold from driver vents.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks for looking.

Here is the car as it looks today.
Attachment 150824

Previous owner must of drove alot of dirt roads with the windows down:confused:

Hope that's all the previous owner neglected...

well, you have an 04, so taking the entire dash piece off should be just literally a few screws. maybe you can get to more of the vents that way, see if they are clogged.

looks like a neglected mini, sadly. on the plus side, you have a JCW with the aero kit!

Wow!!! The car must have been left unused for a long time for that much crap to accumulate! The interior also looks way too dirty, maybe they also left the windows open while it was seating there??

There have been a few posts of rats/mouse nests in/on the filter......
I would clean like heck.....your airflow issue might be resolved....if not...it might reach further into the ducts looking for more blockages....might have a nest or critter nest up there if the filter looks that bad....

And I thought my cabin filter was dirty when i picked up my 06 MSC. Check out the link. And boy did it smell in the cabin. My wife told me I'll never get the smell out. Ha, clean cabin filter some jars of oder out under the seats for a month and smells like NEW. Good luck with cleaning all that out. Get up in the vent with some bleach or cleaner and clean the vent tube good.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-see-pics.html

Wow, that's pretty bad, I have seen dirt and animals nesting, that must be from driving down a " dukes of hazzard " dusty road all the time. Must be original or just never changed.

Link to other dirty filters:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ir-filter.html

Should looks like this.

Cabin filter regular:


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/64311496710/

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/131574_x600.jpg


Cabin filter - Active Carbon


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/64319257505/

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/118748_x600.jpg
http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/118750_x600.jpg


"you have a JCW with the aero kit!" +1 on that, bring it back to life.

Would check up the HVAC system for more clogs and dirt.


Thanks

I bought the Active Carbon filter. It really cleaned up the oder in the Mini. I need to change it again - it's been just under 2 years.

Most people never change these, nice konigs!

Thank you for all the replies! I have been a mechanic most of my life and I have never seen anything like this not even under the hood.

I am in the process of tearing this little car from limb to limb, I am done with the mechanical and now am tackling the rest. It is a very well equipped JCW with several M7 Mods and it is a shame that someone abused this thing as bad as they did.

I have driven it around just like it is :thumbsup: and it screams! I can already tell that keeping tires on this thing will be a real problem. Turn the DSC off and this thing will ROAST the tires at anything under about 30 MPH. :grin:

I will get the dash off tomorrow night and hopefully have this figured out over the weekend.

Thanks again everyone!

OMG! Did someone run the Paris-to-Dakar in that car?? :eek:

You are tearing into the JCW, so I am sure you will get to these spots, but just in case:

My car was super clean when i got it. Even then i found a lot of crud in the ECU box when i pulled the ECU out: leaves, bugs, feathers (fortunately no other avian "components"). Also found a bunch of crap stuck between the radiator and condenser.

Great looking car, though. It's great to see someone showin' it some love.

Just a couple pics of the progress on the JCW. Just have to add the factory hood stripes and the exterior will be complete. Just have a few interior issues to fix and the car will be complete!

Wow , looks good. Had to repost this a little bigger for you. :)

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...703_192949.jpg


If you need factory Cooper S Factory Hood Stripes Sets , we have these here which have been discounted, used to be much more. We have the white to match the top or black . These are the solid versions. Part # 51140407142 & 51140407141

http://www.ecstuning.com/News/R52_R53_Cooper_S_Solid_Hood_Stripe_Set_2002_2003_2 004_2005_2006_2007_2008

http://www.ecstuning.com/marketing/R...Stripe_Set.jpg

Keep up the good work. :thumbsup:

Did you ever find out why your driver side blows out warm air? Ive been trying to tackle this problem and cant find a fix.

I did find out what the cause was on mine. I had the system vacuumed down and let it set for several hours and then recharged it. This system only holds .91 lbs of freon and it doesn't take much to mess it n up.

Talked to the tech at Mini and that is what he suggested and it worked.

Great looking car!
After seeing that opening pic of the filter it's a great reminder to check mine. Previous owner did very little maintenance so I might be able to give that pic a run for its money.