Hi there all- I've looked into the forums for clarification on issues before but never posted- I'm hoping someone will recognize the symptoms and tell me definitively "this is what's wrong", rather than I have to go throwing hard earned money at mechanics who think they know what's wrong, but are really just lining their pockets... Needless to say I've been through a few of those...

So here goes...

The A/C just doesnt seem to be cold enough, or blowing hard enough for some time now...

Additionally, when I idle, it seems to cycle up, and down. When up, blowing cool air, not cold enough I think, even when full blast- and when down, I get barely cool air from the drivers side vent, and warmer as you go to the other side/ passenger's side.

Interesting; When I'm in the shade, literally under a tree- the a/c seems to catch up in cooling the car interior. But when in the sun, as is most of the time here in Florida- it struggles and cycles up and down, sometimes just tepid from all the other vents other than my own. I mention this because I think I saw something online about there being a direct sunlight sensor??

A few months ago I replaced the radiator fan (is this the low speed fan?) because it was failing- and that was causing overheating. The coolant system took a beating in that time and I had to replace the thermostat housing too.

The mechanic suggested I replace the a/c fan (I think he meant the blower) at the same time, but I couldn't afford it at the time. Plus he wanted 2/3 more than the mechanic I found to switch out the rad fan anyway- so I suspected he was trying to gouge me, if thats how you spell [gow-g].

Things were ok for a while, but then this week the issue came up again.

I really don't think this fan is going bad like the last time... the air would go warm and I'd get a hot engine alert, followed quickly by a overheat alert, and I'd have to drive home with the heat all the way up till I could get it fixed.

Just before, I was idling for a while and it went completely warm- all vents, I revved the engine and it came back to cool, but still not super cold on full blast.

OK experts! Let me have it!

I look forward to your diagnosis!

Oh yeah- she's a 2011 CCS All4 Surf Blue too

 

First, someone needs to evacuate the A/C system and measure how much Freon is in the car right now. There should be a sticker in your Engine Compartment listing the ounces or grams your system is supposed to have and which type Freon.
Once you’re low on Freon, A/C systems can often do strange things since you’re at the threshold of a low pressure switch cutting in and out.
If you’re NOT low on Freon, and the System doesn’t have any moisture contamination, then you start looking at parts that control the system.
But have a reliable A/C shop look at it, and tell you if they see any bad pressure readings from the System while it’s running. Compressors can have valve issues that cause erratic system performance as well

 

Check out # 0020 of the below thread. This is a Gen1 thread but the AC discussions is for all cars.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...questions.html

 

When I bought my 2012 Countryman S All4 it was a bit low on refrigerant but I have minor experience working with A/C systems. I added a small amount of the R134 and interior cooling was restored. Keep in mind that if the A/C system is overcharged the R134 systems will not cool properly as well. When I worked at an A/C shop in Phoenix we had to slightly undercharge the systems so they would cool right. You need to have a set of gauges and know what to look for to diagnose an issue like you are describing. Find a good A/C shop to do the work and DO NOT let them add fluorescent dye to the system! Some shops will charge for that so they can "detect leaks" with a UV light. Good shops don't use UV lights to find A/C leaks and the dye displaces refrigerant volume! Minor loss of refrigerant is normal over the years, just not a great deal of loss.