I have an 04 cooper S, I've read about a lot of low speed fan problems, none of which seem to be quite the same as mine. I've checked the p/s fan-ok, I've checked the low and high speed cooling fan- no low speed (high speed does work on its own at idle after 15 min with towel over radiator). The a/c comp does not come on, is full and not leaking. all fuses are good, all relays are working properly. Right now its at the dealer for its 60,000 mi service and to diagnose this problem. They told me that the low speed fan is not working, the p/s fan is good and that the a/c compressor is bad due to the low speed fan. replacement cost is $2400.00. I was under the impression that the a/c would not come on if the low speed fan didn't work (am I wrong?) If not couldn't I just replace the fan or resistor to solve all of the problems?

Any thoughts or advice is appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Dan-

 

I am sort of at the same point as you, so I don't have a good solution, but a suggestion is to have the car fixed elsewhere. Compressors can be bought new for less than $300 on ebay and that means you can do it (with labor) 3 or 4 times for that price. A new fan assembly is less than $90.

Find a good local guy if you can't do it yourself, but $2400 even hurts my wallet on the other side of the country.

 

The AC will function without a low speed fan. You can't get an accurate reading of the coolant level and pressure without the compressor running while using the proper diagnostic gauges. This means jumping the clutch to a 12 volt source and of course if the compressor come's on then it's not necessarily bad but it's efficiency could be below the minimum required for a healthy system.It still should pump out cooler than ambient air meaning your issue lies somewhere else in the system.

 

The ac system is pretty much standard....so getting it fix at the dealer if the car is out of warrenty is the most $$$$ to get it fixed...if you find a good mini centric shop, they can drop in the new fan when it is in service mode to do the compressor/dryer. Will save you some labor, and the aftermarket Fan is about $100, compared to $275 or so for the oem, and even a quality oem compressor from a 3rd party will cost $600 or so...so you could save 40%+ by not going to the dealer....
Dealers are great for somethings, but for nonwarrenty work, and for items that are not highly specialized, they are not cost competive, and it is in my experance eassier to schedule work at a good shop, once you find one, that knows mini's.

 

When the low speed fan has failed, the ac will work, just very poorly unless the car is moving....so if the ac is not working when the car is in motion, it likely has an issue of some type.
Changing the resistor on the fan is best reserved for pretty hardcore diy types, who are planning on keeping the car long term....if you do it, selling it will bring about questions, and getting a mechanic to figure out what was done in the future,if you have issues will be hard if not impossible. The part is not plug and play....it does not fit without some rewireing, and modification. It is an option, but you will have to provide your own tech support...do you know enough about cars to trouble shoot it in the future, explain and understand how it works?!

 

Thank you for all of the input, I think I'll bring it home tomorrow and buy some parts. Im probably gonna get a comp. and fan. I came up with another use for the now high speed only fan.(aux for my Jeep)
I'll post my results.
Thank you again
Dan-

 

a/c comp & lo speed fan are bad. Replacing now. Took a while to ship parts.

 

does anyone have a diagram of the engine they can post? I am new to Mini and am trying to figure out where everything is located while I troubleshoot an a/c hot air problem. My low speed fan is good so far.

Also how can I tell if the compressor clutch is engaging?

Thanks.

 

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do

The above link to Real OEM will get you started, use it to find any and all parts that are on your car. It takes a little getting used to but be patient and you will find what you seek.

 

This is better than Realoem....

http://www.penskeparts.com/index.aspx

 

great stuff. thanks.

On A/C pressures, what should the high and low a/c pressure readings be for a 2003 Mini Cooper S R53? Does this sound right?

low pressure side to 35psi
high pressure side at 200psi.