Not a fun night for me and my 2005 cooper S (61k)

My girlfriend calls me to let me know she broke down a few blocks from home with my Mini~

Get over there right away. Check fluids & look for any leaks. Nothing found right away. Car had a chance to cool off & drove home since only a few blocks away. On the way home I noticed the following:

Car was heading towards pegging temp gauge
Smells like burning rubber
Idiot light for alternator come on
EML light on
Service engine soon light on

OK so now I start troubleshooting...

First thing I found was a small piece of wood in the cooling fan for the power steering. Also looks like power steering may have overheated since area is covered in fluid. I replaced the blown fuse & took apart the fan. It doesn't spin freely. Feels notchy when I spin it by hand. When I put it back together and got it working but now its very noisy. So I will be replacing it...

Next on to the burning rubber smell...

After a few times of starting and stopping the engine I noticed the serpentine belt was not turning. The crank is turning with the belt just slipping...So the clutch on the AC compressor is not working correctly and is causing the belt to get hung up. This would cause the burning rubber smell, the idiot light for the charging system to come on and make the engine temp rise quickly.

So does anyone know if the clutch on the AC compressor can be re-built? Until a few hours ago my AC was ice cold...Also is the Power steering fan a factory item or is there a aftermarket replacement?

Thank you in advance for any info...

Joe-

 

Ok- thought I might post an update.

After doing some research on the forum I came up with a Part# to order a replacement PS fan direct from Spal. (save about $100) Thanks "MIKEL"!

Still need to get the AC compressor problem sorted out. Definitely the clutch...

Joe-

 

Just went through an AC compressor change. Had to go this route since replacement components were not available. My independent shop routinely repairs clutches and found this hard to believe. Also has my core and will do an autopsy to see if there are any common components to other units .

Paul

 

Paul,

Just curious did your AC compressor lock up like I'm describing?

Joe-

 

Joe:
No. AC became intermittent for a while, then refused to run entirely. The shop identified the problem as "electrical-clutch". Always spun freely though.
A lot of threads on AC problems when I did my search, never saw this one mentioned
'03 S 69K

Paul

 

while you have the belt off check the crankshaft pulley. sometimes they split apart, so you can spin the part that the belt rides seperate from the hub part that is mounted to the crank. when that happens the belt splits and sometimes chunks get stuck in the a/c compressor clutch mechanism

 

I too have the same issue. the clutch on the A/C compressor slips. I will turn the A/C on and watch the pulleys. the clutch will engage and then start to slip. the belt stops turning and then my Alternator light comes on and temp rise and i get a burning smell of rubber.

But I thought my compressor seized up so I replaced it. had the system recharged and it was working fine for 2 days but now its doing it again.

any ideas??? its a 2006 MCS stock. No MODS

 

I,m having the same issue, but i blow the fo3 fuse under the hood. And the code it shoots out is a/c clutch relay control circuit. Also, my dsc light stays on and doesn't just off untill i replace the burnt fuse. The a/c clutch and compressor makes a funny noise when it is working?