I have an 03 S with 78k on it. All of a sudden the AC stopped working. It was a little strange in that the cooling fan on the radiator chose the same moment to stop working. I have had the mysterious, dreaded, "cooling fan won't stop running" issue for about six months. It happens intermittently and sometimes I have to disconnect the plug to the fan to keep the battery from going dead. My wife was driving the car and the cooling fan wouldn't stop running so she unplugged it. She kept driving the car and noticed the AC was not cooling. It over heated and she called me which is when I discovered no AC, no radiator fan, overheated car. I checked all the fuses, no problems. The belt to the compressor looks fine. It just blows hot air out the AC. Is there anything I can check before taking it to the dealer? Its so easy for them to say its the compressor and replace everything and charge me $1500. Is there anything I can check to make sure its not the compressor? I haven't seen many people complaining of AC problems on any Mini Coopers. Am I one of the lucky few? Any help would be appreciated.

 

The mileage is the tell. The AC is not meant to really work for a reasonable amount of time; it was meant to help sell the car to you. Plan on spending at least $1500, or just trade it in for a high quality vehicle.

 

The car has gone 78k miles and had very few problems out of warranty. Hasn't cost me much at all actually. Based on the ten or twelve other cars I've had it rates pretty high in comparison. Sure could use some help with the current problem though.

 

I would try the least expensive thing first, the pressure switch. Pretty much everything takes a signal from it.
If the pressure switch circuit is open, the fan stays on. If the DME, gets no signal that there is pressure in the line (where the switch is mounted), you get no cycling at the compressor.
You will have to evac and recharge the system after changing the switch, which any decent shop can do.
That is where I would start as the switch costs a lot less than a compressor. If it turns out that you need a compressor, I have one for sale.

 

Don't you have an air conditioning specialty repair shop near you? A good shop should be able to fix it at less cost than using a dealer.

Clifton

 

The AC will NOT blow cold if the radiator fan is not running....period.
Persue the fan problem FIRST.

Hope this helps

 

Frenchie's right. The fan has to run for the AC to work. Could be as simple as sensor somewhere.

 

I'd rip it out. I wish I could but the resale value would go through the floor.

 

Thanks for the helpful suggestions. I'll pursue the radiator fan problem first. Any idea where the sensor would be?

Why does the AC not work if the radiator fan does'nt work? Is there a sensor that shuts off the AC if the radiator fan is not working to keep engine temp down?

The AC was working fine right up until the radiator fan quit.

Just to be clear, the AC blows, it just blows hot air. The AC fan is working.

 

The engine coolant temperature sensor is commands the radiator fan on at 105C and off if temperature falls by 4C (low speed). A major component of the AC system is located next to the radiator (even looks like a radiator) it must be cooled by cooling fan in order for the AC to cool the interior of the car. Hope this helps.

 

Well, the radiator fan ran for about 30 sec last night while on a short trip to get fast food. It came on while waiting in drive through line for about 30 sec and shut off. It didn't come on any more for the rest of the trip. Its been in the high 80s an 90s in Dallas lately and it would normally run as soon as the car is started until it gets moving and shut off every 15 sec or so. Should I replace the fan? I found one for $74 at AtoZ Autolights.com. Is the fan difficult to install?

Shouldn't the fan be running more in the hot weather?

I checked the AC when the fan started running and it still did not work.

Thanks,

 

There are two fan speeds. They are controlled by coolant temperature as well as pressure in the A/C system. The low speed will run almost all the time when it's hot because you have a A/C on. This raises the pressure enough to trigger the switch. If you don't have the A/C on, the fan will only turn on when coolant temperature gets hot enough. Did you have a A/C turned on last night? If not, then this is just normal operating.

There are a few different possibilities where the problem is. If it was just the switch, I'd expect the A/C to still work when you are moving because air is going to be flowing through the condenser just as if the fan was blowing. You could have a leak in the system and it's just not building pressure or the compressor could have gone bad.

You have two distinct problems. I haven't had the issue with my fans staying on (knocking on wood) so I can't direct you in that area. Since the A/C stopped working when you overheated, there is a possibility something was damaged. A similar problem happened to my mom several years ago in our Saturn (ie. fan didn't turn on, car overheated, A/C was blowing hot). Luckily nothing broke and the A/C worked again when we were moving. I'm not sure if the compressor on the MINI has an over-pressure shutoff. Without fans sucking cool(er) air though the condenser, the pressure in the system will get pretty high. Maybe it ruptured a line or something. An A/C shop should be able to test the system but you almost need to get the fans fixed before then.

 

After reading a few post from people who simply recharged their systems and the AC started working, I went to Wal Mart and got my own kit. Only problem is that when I hooked up the gauge with engine running and AC on full it showed 120psi. Instructions say if its that high then low refrigerant is not the problem, seek professional help. Does this mean the compressor is gone? Or could the pressure switch be causing high pressure in the low pressure side?

 

Bought a new relay for the AC circuit. That wasn't it. I'm getting a new radiator fan assembly. Then I guess I'll take it to a shop if that doesn't fix it. Its obvious the compressor isn't coming on. And the fan is acting completely squirrelly. It doesn't come on most of the time, but the other day I stopped the car and about five minutes later it comes on high and keeps running. WTF.

 

Have any luck with your A/C? I could use some of your guidance and mojo on mine! :(

 

I noticed that there are two pipe ports on the driver side of the mini cooper s 2005 that will fit the refrigerant refill kit. What port do you use to mesure and refill the one closest to the driver or the one closest to the raditor? What should the PSI mesure?

Thanks,

RB

 

I'm bumping this thread because my A/C just went out and I saw it. I was sitting in traffic (houston) a/c blowing cold then out of the blue a hiss and white smoke pouring out of the back then no cold air actually very hot air. I tried to re-charge the system but I hear a hiss and the guage slowly drops from 45psi to nil. Any ideas on how much low pressure and high pressure a/c lines cost?

 

i'll be interested to hear how yours turns out. i am biting the bullet and taking Gertrude into the dealership tomorrow to address the same issue. 2003 cooper S, 75k+ miles-driving down the highway on Friday and the cool air stops only warm air-weee!

i will post what is up with gerty after i get her back. i am crossing fingers and toes that i will only have to eat pb&js for weeks not months to pay for this! heh

 

Tweedi's an 02 with 42k-ish. Had the dreaded only high speed fan and won't shut off sometimes. Fan quit on the way home one day and AC went at the same time. Although two days ago, it came on after I turned the car off for about 30 seconds (high speed).

I started the car once for about 5 minutes just to get a little temp in the engine and shut it off. I let it sit for another five and then checked the coolant. I could hear a slight pressure release and the fluid flowing back into the tank. Thoughts? I'm in Hawaii so the temp can vary from low 80's to mid 90's.

Also, I tried ordering a fan from go-part.com on eBay and I'm having a bear of a time. The part number showed the 02 to Mar 03 build but they now claim they don't have it in stock. Grrrr. Buyer beware.

 

Yeah I know when I had mine checked out it ended up that my a/c compressor was T.U. and I had to replace it. So it left me at the point where I did some research on the internet and a lot of calls made to find one for the best price available. Just remember if you do need to get a new compressor the dealer will really screw you with pricing.
I was able to get one for half of what the dealer quoted me, and installed by a local midas for 90 bucks.
As for the fans....I agree with you Tweedi, those are a bear to find online and I got a lot of mixed messages with which connection and relay was used on my year ('03).
I ended up taking the fan out and re-wiring the relay with clean connections and it's ran like a top since. But beware....it's not a small task to take out unless you know your way around an engine fairly well. If you do the fans yourself there are some good how-to picture posts on here to check out.
Best of luck to all of you with the problems! Now my fingers crossed that mine won't go out again any time soon! hahaha
It just cracks me up that mine went out so quick too....I have a 93 GMC Yukon that's still running stock everything for the a/c and it's meat cooler cold without ever being recharged!!! lol

 

gertrude is back from the dealer with a new compressor. $1361 later, they alos filled my coolant level in the radiator because the aux fan continued to run after the engine was turned off. (btw: no leaks, suspected over heating, but i've never witnessed such).

TODAY whilst driving out of a petrol station, gertrude will no longer turn. i hit a few man-hole covers which caused the DSC to kick in, but that was 30 miles previous to this mysterious paralyzation. looks like i have a new thread to look for and/or start.

 

Does anyone here have this little problem when the AC runs.......the car behaves completely different to the point that engine power is way down and when shifting you really have to let go of the clutch really slow?
i have an 06 MCS

 

I too am interested in an answer to this question as I'm hoping to get my A/C to blow a little colder. I've got an '04 MCS with 50k miles. Anyone??? So is recharging the refrigerant as easy as venting out the old stuff and then replacing it with 14.6oz of new refrigerant?

 

I've got to "massage" the clutch and gas to compensate for the REALLY low torque when I've got the A/C going and I'm moving from a stopped position.

 

My 03 mini's A/C went out in the beginning of the summer. It was blowing out hot air and was making a sound as if something was leaking out of the system. I received a coupon from Morristown Mini for a recharge and explained the issue I was having with the system. Had the system recharged and had no leaks. Cost me 142 with tax. Car had 67000 miles.