I've searched lots of threads....no luck.

03 Mini Cooper blowing warm air with A/C on.

Snowflake/AC button is not blinking.
All Fuses ok.
I went to Recharge the A/C with a can 134a with pressure dial-
Low side had 150psi.
Instructions on can said, " Do not proceed".
Any advice- I'd love to try and trouble shoot his myself if possible.

I also noticed that the radiator fan did not turn on while I was running the engine on idle for about 5 minutes.

 

Does the engine's load seem to change when you turn on the aircon? If not, then the compressor might not be turning on. The connector on my compressor was loose once. It caused the aircon to blow warm and the service shop said the system had pressure and all fuses were ok, the signal just wasn't getting to the compressor. They did the diagnostic for me free of charge because I was already such a good customer of thiers.

 

No, the load does not seem to change....where is the compressor located? thanks for such a quick response - I wasn't sure I'd even get any replies

 

If the low side is that high, it would indicate it is way overcharged. For the high side, this would be a little low. If you have actually narrowed it down to a refrigerant issue/leak, I would suggest locating the source of a possible leak first. Check both the high and low side lines as well as your condenser for any oily residue. If you do indeed have a leak, make sure the system is evacuated of any moisture that would have inevitably made its way into your system.

 

Excuse the drawing, but here is where the compressor is:



You will need to jack the car up, and remove the splash guard to get to the connector. The connection is on the top of the compressor (it's physical top, not the drawing's top.)

 

nabeshin, you've missed your calling...

 

Thanks, I guess

 

Either that, or you're moonlighting on South Park.

 

^^ That was funny!

 

Ok, I'm jacking her up this morning (actually "ramping"). By the way- I can follow the drawing , but what's "M.F.E" stand for?

Thanks much!

 

With the A/C off, the radiator fan will not kick on stage 1 until about 220 degrees. It will take a little longer than 5 minutes to reach that temp.

However...
with the A/C on, the fan will come on immediately on stage 2(higher RPMs).

BTW, I have a used A/C compressor from my car for sale, if you should need one.

 

Ok, so A/C is on, but fan does not come on... I'm searching this topic on other threads, but any ideas in the mean time. thanks-

 

If all the fuses are good like you stated in the first post...

physically check that the fan spins(with the car off)

check connector at compressor like nabeshin suggested

check the connector at (and/or) the pressure switch
which is located underneath the air filter box, in that
general area

 

Ok, here are some updates:

I can't verify that A/c compressor is connected.... I used a small mirror to look at the top- I can see a red wire going into a black round casing....but that's about it...it's a pretty small area to look into.

But I was thinking- if it "were" a connection issue- would that cause the cooling fan to not be turning on?
The fan does spin freely when car is off.
I also checked the power steering fan- moves freely when car is off- but, not operating either.

So to recap: With mini running and A/C turned on.

• A/C blows warm.
• Cooling Fan- non operational.
• Power Steering- fan non operational.

and as mentioned before- all fuses checked were good.

I also traced the cooling fan wiring to a rather large round connector attached to the outside of the air filter box- is this the "pressure switch".
Thanks again for all your replies.

 

No.
Right next to that round connector is a service port for the A/C, follow that hard line towards the firewall and you will see the pressure switch.

 

I'm not sure if I attached this correctly, but if you can see it....

#5 is listed as a pressure sensor....is this what I'm looking for?

Here's the diagram link:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...19&hg=64&fg=60

 

Modular Front End is the fancy name the Bentley manual gives it. It holds the radiator, air conditioning condensor, and fog lights. It is the mounting surface for the wheel wells too, as well as the main structure of the front end. The positioning of the modular front end is critical to proper bumper alignment. At any rate, it can crack easily in small accidents and is a huge pain to replace.

 

Yes, number 5 is the pressure switch.

 

I am currently replacing my a/c compressor as I speak as well.

When I turn on my a/c, the compressor is doing nothing. I checked the fuses and they look good, I checked if i was getting 12v to the compressor when the a/c is "on" and it is getting it.

Anyway, is there a DIY or any info out there on how to remove the compressor? I don't know how to remove the pressure from the system?

Help, please..... lol.

 

To get to the compressor, you need to make room first...

1. get the a/c sytem discharged at a shop that is capable of it.
2. lift and support the front of the car.
3. remove the right front tire and the wheel well, detach the other wheel well from the MFE.
4. remove splash guard.
5. remove front bumper cover (painted) and carrier (is metal).
6. remove front crush tubes(they support the MFE to the subframe.
7. detach radiator upper hose clamp from the intake manifold.
8. loosen and slide the modular front end forward supported by two long bolts, (100mm M8)

Then you can access the aircon compressor. You will have to remove the drive belt with the special tool. Take note of it's routing. The compressor itself is held on by two bolts, and has an electrical connection on the top. The refrigerant pipes are held on by a small bolt or two. If you leave the system open for more than 24 hours you will have to replace the a/c receiver/dryer.

Installation is reverse of removal.

I've had to remove or slide the MFE more than 4 times since I've owned the car, and removed the compressor twice. So I think I remember well. I can check the Bentely manual for torque values and post them later.

 

Awesome, thanks for the help, I got it out after following your steps.

Do you guys know if anyone sells a clutch replacement for the a/c compressor? I think that is the only thing that is not working, would be a shame to have to buy a whole new one just for that.

 

I'm glad it was useful to you. Here are those torque values for assembly.

A/C compressor to engine (M8) 25 Nm (18 ft-lb)
A/C pipes to compressor (M8 x 25)(replace sealing O-rings) 20 Nm (15 ft-lb)

Crush tube to subrame (M12 x 1.5 x 85 mm) 100 Nm (74 ft-lb)
Front bumper carrier to frame or to crush tube (M8) 22 Nm (16 ft-lb)
Crush tube to MFE (M6) 5 Nm (44 in-lb)
Engine splash guard (M6 x 16 mm) 6 Nm (53 in-lb)
The bumper cover screws and other small fasteners for the bumper lip can be put back hand tight.

If you need anymore technical procedures, let me know.


I think you can only get the entire compressor from the dealer as a unit, seems like BMW's favorite policy.

 

Hey so im having a similar problem with my ac, but the light is blinking, any suggestions?

 

I dont know if anyone suggested this, or thought of this, so here goes.
i know most vehicles have a pressure switch connected to the AC compressor. Did everyone that is complaining check to see if they have enough freon in there system? If it is to low, it will not produce enough pressure to activate the compressor, and therefore will not engage.

Ide hate to see anyone change a costly item without knowing fo sure that it in fact is the problem.

 

Yea, i def. checked the pressure and everything looked good. I was also able to confirm that the compressor wasn't working when I turned the car on and a/c on and the low side pressure did not drop at all. Thanks for the heads up, though.

Anyway, i just bought the compressor from the dealership for $627+tax.
I also got the 2 seals for the lines coming in/out of it.