$627!!!!!
couldnt find anything cheaper online?
i would hope that one could be located for around $300.....
guess thats the downside of having a car made by BMW..

then again, bimmers are expensive for a reason. there awesome!
well, good luck with the install

 

Yea i found it for $471 at http://www.bimmerspecialist.com/, but the car was taken apart sitting in my garage and thats the cheapest I found it locally. It actually was 697+60 core charge but I was able to get him down to 627 and thats is with me returning my old one.

BTW, i changed out the compressor, evacuated the system, refilled it, and now it is working perfectly. I can only imagine how much a dealer would charge for something like this!

 

1800+ i would think

 

Glad to hear you got it changed out, back together, and working ok.

 

I had mine evacuated and recharged(and dye added), even though they said it had no fluid in it. That was a week and a half ago, and everything seems to be working fine. I must have lucked out, the car sat for a while though, because its a 2003 that I bought with only 13,650 miles on it. I've been going thru everything on the car though, OCD wont let me sit still without checking everything.

 

I know this is an old posting, but I have some new information related to this topic

If your A/C clutch is not engaging an you have troubleshoot down to the A/C compressor clutch it is now possible to just replace the A/C clutch coil without replacing the entire compressor or clutch. They now have the coils on ebay for $95.

First I would remove the A/C relay found in the fuse box under the hood. It should be the second light green relay from the front. Start the engine and turn on the A/C, then short out where the relay terminals 30 and 87 plug into the fuse box and see if the clutch starts working.

If the A/C works with the short, the problem is not the compressor clutch, but most likely the relay, low pressure switch, fuse, etc.

If the A/C clutch does not work with the short in place, A/C clutch coil is most likely the problem.

Now turn the car off and use an OHM meter between the ground and terminal 87. If it is an open circuit, the issue is the A/C clutch coil. An open circuit means the meter reads the same thing it did before making the connections

There is a YouTube video on how to replace the coil. Seems rather straight forward.

I just ordered a new A/C clutch coil for my wives 2003 Cooper S and plan on replacing it in the next week or two.

One question on the pressure. Isn't the normal pressure range of the low pressure side only accurate with the compressor running? I am not sure what the high pressure side reads when the compressor is running, but if the compressor is not running then is seems like the low and high sides would balance out and provide a constant reading in both. Seems like it would be much higher than what the low side reads and lower then what the high side reads compared to when the compressor and A/C are operating properly. I believe there is an orifice between the high and low sides that provides the pressure difference and when the A/C is not operating the pressure should balance out somewhere between the high and low readings.

Another update on 20 Jun 19. Yes it was the clutch coil and several years ago II bought a new clutch coil on Ebay and after the rather simple installation my Mini A/C works fine.


Vila
1933 Chevrolet
1962 Triumph TR4
1984 BMW 633 CSi
2002 BMW Z3
2003 Mini Cooper S

 

Thanks for posting this! I recharged my system last week because my AC was blowing cool, but not cold and it's quickly getting hotter. I overfilled it and when I took it for a drive around the neighborhood, the compressor stopped cycling on altogether, even after I released some gas. When I took it to the shop today to have them charge it properly, they told me my compressor was shot and gave me an estimate far beyond what I'm willing to spend. I told them to balance the refrigerant anyway and I would do some research on my own before I decided to replace it myself. The compressor does not engage when I jump AC relay pins 30 and 87 with the car running, though 30 does have power. With the car off, 87 to ground shows an open circuit (1). Is there anything else that could cause this issue before I buy the compressor clutch coil other than a loose connection at the compressor itself, or does that basically eliminate all other possibilities (pressure switches, etc). The compressor itself is only a year or two old. It quitting immediately after me filling it just seems too coincidental, since I don't know that the electrical coil for the clutch should have anything to do with the freon levels - or does it?

 

I guess nothing is ever guaranteed when it come to repairing a car until you replace the part that makes it function properly.

With all the internet research I have done on Mini A/C problems, they generally say the pressure sensor or clutch coil are the weak points.

But I must say when it comes to repair shops and Mini air conditioning, if you have done any search on buying A/C compressors, A/C compressor clutches, and only the clutch coil the only part you are ever going to find from part suppliers is the all inclusive A/C compressor, which includes the clutch and coil. I have never found the other parts individually except the coil, which I have ONLY found on ebay. When is the last time you took your car in for a repair and the repair shop told you they need to wait until they got the part from ebay, never. So what does that tell me, when a repair shop finds a problem in this area they tell the customer they need an entire all inclusive compressor, even when it may be just one of the sub-components. Plus they make more money by selling you the entire compressor.

I am not saying compressors don't go bad, but if the A/C clutch does not engage when you have power to it I am placing my bet on a clutch issue, and more specifically the coil.

Vila
1933 Chevrolet
1962 Triumph TR4
1984 BMW 633 CSi
2002 BMW Z3
2003 Mini Cooper S

 

Here is my update:
I just finished replacing the coil. Everything was great, but when I stopped to check the mail box down the street from my house after driving all over town without issue there was a sound: woo woo wooo wooo woooo wooooo ... No more cold, no more a/c engaging. So for my car at least, it looks like the compressor is having issues, maybe getting too hot or something, causing the coil to fail.

Back to the drawing board - and a new/used/or rebuilt compressor.

 

Ok, a little more investigation today revealed the new coil is still engaging the clutch on the compressor, but there is no cold air. I can hear the compressor engaging when i remove and insert the relay. Another strange thing is that it looks like the rubber on the outer clutch plate is melting, and flinging off. My cooling fan is working as it should. Any thoughts or advice would be very welcome.

 

When you say cooling fan is working as it should, what do you mean? The low speed fan should come on with the AC - unless the compressor isn't producing enough pressure.
My progression went: low speed fan dead, compressor dead. Replaced fan to discover that the compressor wasn't working. Replace the compressor (~$200+ on ebay) and all is good.

 

My low speed fan is working fine and seems to come on about 30 seconds after the AC. I replaced the resistor about a year ago. When your compressor went, was the clutch still engaging it? I can se mine is engaged, but the engine idle speed doesn't change at all when it is, and the gauge on the diy refill can doesn't change at all either. It's as if it is spinning, but not running.
When you replaces your compressor did you have a shop drain and refill your system for you? Did you also flush the system and replace the dryer and expansion valve?
Thanks!

 

On this subject, how difficult is it to replace the expansion valve?

 

Probably high because clutch is not engaging

 

***thread REVIVE!!!***

HEY ALL! So I changed my clutch and timing chain, tensioners, and guide rails recently. The AC worked before, but now the belt squeaks and no AC I tried to charge but my recharge can only got it up to 30 before it decided to stop filling.

No load change when i hit the button
Not even a little cooler at all.
Worked for two years before this.

200k miles
04 mini Cooper