So my AC has stopped cooling. I notice the compressor is not even trying to run. On other cars when the freon gets low, it at least cycles on/off. This never even tries. However, I thought that if the freon was too low to start the compressor the AC light would blink. I suppose it could also be a bad fuse. Any suggestions on what to check before I spent money on a recharge kit.

 

Not sure what year your MINI is, but after 2004 I believe they had installed dye into the refridgerant from the factory. If you can, rent or borrow an a/c leak checker. This will give you a good heads up whether your leaking refridgerant.

 

Sorry, should have mentioned it is a 2002 Cooper S.

 

Where in the US was it hot enough today to need a/c?

 

Florida, I'm running my home AC also.

 

If you can, get a flashlight and wait till it gets a little dark outside then just follow the a/c lines with the flashlight and look for any hose or line that is shiny, oily, or has a lot of dirt in one area (if you live in a dusty area). If none of the lines are shiny then it could be a couple other things.

Also if the idle speeds up a couple hundred rpm when you try to turn on the a/c then the control side is working properly (a/c and blower switch, body computer, and engine computer). then the problem would probably be that the system is low on pressure (leak), something wrong with the compressor clutch, or something wrong in the compressor control circuit. Hopefully its just a leak.

 

The same thing happened on my 02 MC. This is going to sound strange but...check to see if the electric fan for the power steering is working, if not replace it.

 

The engine does not speed up at all, the compressor clutch does not engage.

Broth, I am not having steering issues, but I guess if the fan popped a fuse, the AC could be dead also? Humm.

 

Remember I said it's a strange repair..... Replace the fuse, if it blows again then replace the electric power steering fan under the car (2 bolts), this will fix the A/C.

 

Do you recall which fuse?

 

I don't remember. There is also a wiring update for the p/s fan

 

Well, the saga continues. The PS fan is not running. I assume it should run all the time. The AC does blow inside, but the compressor does not run. I can not find a blown fuse, and all fuses have power on both sides of them, at least in the engine compartment. The R2 relay, does click when you push the AC button, and it does feed power to the F7 fuse. I guess I need a good schematic to trace it out.

 

Replace the fan.

 

I have confirmed I have power to the AC Compressor clutch and it does not engage. So, does anyone know if the clutch is replaceable or will I need a whole new compressor?

 

Did you figure it out cperters? My ac was working until they swapped the engine. I need to find where to add freon into, so I can fill it back up. Hopefully that is the problem.

 

Using a test light, I can see that the A/C button on the dash is working to supply power to the A/C Compressor clutch, just the clutch is not engaging. It does not appear the clutch is separate replacable item, so I am going to need to find a new compressor, or a used or rebuilt one. The ports to fill are on the drivers side (US), near the headlight. They are slip on connectors and are different sizes. If they swapped an engine, they should have taken care of recharging the A/C system, so I would go back to whomever did the work.

 

Yeah, my dealer said he would take care of it for me, but I drove from LA to San Francisco and won't be in the area for a couple months. I don't need ac now, but if I can just charge it I don't mind that much. I wonder if the autozone tool will work with it? I need an antenna so I will check thier tool. When you say they are different sizes does that mean I can use either one or do I have to fill two different nozzles?

 

I filled it up with a can of subzero that had a built on hose. It was a tall can. I pressed the button and emptied totally. Then the ac was blowing cold. Is it ok or is it possible I could over fill it?