i was heading down to the Mini Mania event on friday, 110 degrees out and the a/c is on. got stuck in some traffic, and once the car was at a complete stop the a/c stops blowing cold and started smelling "swampy". the car says the engine is hot and to pull over immediately. i did, waited an hour and then drove all the way to nevada city with the a/c off. made it just fine.
once the car was cooled off, i didn't find any leaks and the coolant lvl was good.
on the was back, i get a check engine light and the car says i'm in limp mode, although im crusing at 65 mph.
i check for codes and get P0597. searching here says thermostat and housing replacement?
does this fix both issues or is the a/c compressor clutch going also.

 

is the diy simular to the n14? mod mini has a video...

 

please help

 

The ac clutch is not going to make the car run hot. If you were low on water the bigger concern is a warped head. Be sure to check you coolant for oil and your oil for coolant (will turn the oil into a chocolate milkshake goo).

To check the clutch, have somebody in the car, open the hood while car running, stand by the engine and have the inside person turn on the AC. If you hear it click on, your clutch is ok.

 

thank you for the info,


the cars not puking coolant or anything. how can I make sure the head isn't warped?


I did hook up my obd port reader and used the torque app to monitor the coolant temps, is there another guage or display I can monitor within the app that maybe helpful?


I did order the thermostat housing today, luckly I have an 02/2013 build so I don't need the extra cable. it doesn't look like a fun job, but I have all weekend to get it done.

 

Just keep an eye on the coolant level and the oil. If the head is warped the coolant can end up going out the exhaust pipe or leak into the oil.

 

will do!

 

could the waterpump be the cause of the issue when the a/c stops blowing cold when the car is at a stoplight? even though the belt keeps going around all the pulleys at idle, or could the belt be slipping? it makes no sense to me.

 

Too much information missing, but I'll take a stab at this...

Depending on mileage and maintenance upkeep on your car, it's most likely due for a thermostat/thermostat housing replacement -- especially since the code points to that based on your research (I have not verified the code translation). Your thermostat could have stuck closed for too long and it caused your engine temps to go higher than normal.

With the car sitting in traffic, ambient temps being 110, with the AC running -- yes, the car has potential to overheat. Also, I'm guessing that the ECU might have switched the AC off to help lower the engine temps, leading to the "swampy" smelling air. I would guess this to be the case instead of the AC clutch slipping.