I own JCW 03

There is sumthing wrong with my A/C
while im driving the car it's fine.. but when i stop.. the Air become Hot Is it from the compressor ?

 

could be your radiator cooling fan not working. is your engine getting hot?

 

mini's are like that. mine was like that even AFTER it got 'fixed'
mine didnt work at all. took it in and they found out all they had to do was refill it. but if yours is gettin extremely hot then something is wrong. but if it gets a little luke warm then somewat normal i guess.
puttin on recirculate helps a bit.
hopefully you get it fixed. seeing that it's gettin hotter and hotter..
GLOBAL WARMING!!! eek:

 

Mine was blowing hot air instead of cold...took it in to the dealer...they fixed it by topping up the coolant (?). I asked them where the original coolant went, as I had no leaks on the driveway or parking spot at work...the dealer said "perhaps there was an air lock when they filled it at the factory" (?). Seems to be working ok now...

 

Mini's A/C is known to be somewhat weak, the air only seems to get "cold" while moving. sitting at a redlight for any amount of time and the air is just mildly "cool". (Which really stinks if your in heavy city traffic with a lot of stop and go) I dont know if this is due to the size of the system that is on the mini? Perhaps its a little smaller output than it should be in order to keep HP numbers up on such a small engine?

I dont know im just guessing. However my mom's 1999 toyota camery puts the mini's A/C to shame. You would think you were at the north pole on a 95 degree day in about 5 mins.

 

that goes the same with my gf's 07 accord. it's ICE cold.
so cold you need to put it down after a minute or two.
that's how i want mine.

 

MY engine temp is normal, and its not blowing hot air.its just hot when im not moving.

I toke my car for checking, they told me we have to remove all the gas and recharge it again.

 

If you have a refrigerant leak you won't see it as a puddle on the ground under your car. If you look carefully at all the AC fittings you might see a bit of oily dirt. The refrigerant is a gas that has oil in it to lube the compressor.

My Forester will freeze you out, but my MINI is no where near as cold. My next service is coming up & I'm going to have them check the AC charge. Trouble is most dealer mechanics aren't experts at AC. If I can't get satisfaction from them I guess I'll go to a shop that specializes in AC work. That will be on my dime though.

I wonder how someone in Texas lives with this AC system? In Ohio I find it just adequate. Glad I have a white roof.

 

Try Arizona......

This is all the normal, under performing MINI A/C system. The compressor and core are too small for the car...nothing much to do. Checking the refrig level is a good idea, but I suspect you are stuck......

 

There are a few things that I can think of. It is possible that the refrigerant is low so the system is shutting down at the lights due to low pressure. Also, depending on how long you are sitting at the light it is possible that the AC has disengaged so that you have power to accelerate when the light turns green. I'm not certain of this on the MINI, but this does happen on other cars.

Also, keep in mind that the R134A systems are not as efficient as the R12 systems used to be. Many people try to compare the two but you really can't as R134A doesn't move heat as well. Bottom line is that the bad stuff works better; it is just a shame that it rips the Ozone apart.

Lastly, you can buy a fairly cheap thermometer and put it in a vent to see how cold it is actually blowing. It may just be that it is so darn hot that the air is heating before it really gets to you.

 

Mechanic friend of mine in FL said it's a good idea to check the refrigerant once a year. He said BMWs/MINIs need to have just the right pressure to perform properly. Getting your system recharged should probably take care of your issue, harhoosh. Let us know!

 

There is that new 12a stuff that's supposed to cool as good as R12 but not be as bad for the environment. The only problem is that it isn't approved by the EPA and it is more flammable as it's a hydrocarbon.

 

I have a 2003 Mini and last week the AC was running hot, I had my mechanic re-charge the AC and check for leaks(none). Two days later my Mini overheated when I used the AC and I was able to let it cool down and drive my mechanic. I called Herb Chambers Mini in Boston and was told I would not be covered due to the warranty expired in Jan. 07.. I suspected the overheating was due to the power steering fan, that was replaced under warranty in 6/04. My mechanic did some research and it was the fan again. I contacted Her Chambers Mini and the service manager agreed to fix it as a "good will repair". It took about an hour and they replaced the power steering cooling fan and fuse(5amp). I guess the 2003 have trouble with the design of the fan and being approx. 4" from the ground. I'm assuming this will happen again in about 2 yrs due to the New England winter and road salt and dirt ceasing the fan. Anyway, I'm very happy with my Mini and the service manager at Herb Chambers's Mini in Boston.

 

It's not that the fan is 4" off the ground. The issue with early cars is the power steering fan and the radiator fan are on the same fuse. If something stops the power steering fan and causes it to blow the fuse, you loose your cooling fan too. On newer models (and the update), they have separate fuses.