i'm trying to figure out what is causing my engine to run strangely and i noticed that the A/c pulley doesn't spin when the A/C isn't on.

is that normal. BMW's TIS didn't offer any information on this

 

bump for urgency

 

I'm not aware of any that do.

I haven't looked at mine yet, but the typical setup is that the compressor has a clutch that engages when the a/c is turned on, there is a pulley wheel that still spins with the engine but when the a/c is of the clutch is disengaged and allows the pulley to spin freely but may look like it's not spinning but the wheel is, the compressor doesn't. When on everything spins.

 

after a quick discussion over the phone with my dad i realized the compressor clutch is malfunctioning. so now i have to get it vented, removed and replaced. a lovely $400 bucks later i should be fine

 

Not to relay messages, but the AC clutch, which is on the pulley will not spin in most cases with the AC off. When the AC is activated the clutch will get sucked in and at times, you can feel a slight loss in power now that the belt system is fully engaging the compressor. If you AC is still blowing cold, I wouldn't worry about AC problems just yet.

 

that's not what i was worried about, i was having loud engine noises + abnormal vibrations with the a/c off and the crank pulley looked like it was wobbling. when i talked to my local bmw/mini dealer they said it should be spinning with the a/c off (which it didn't look like it was)
still not positive on what the hell is wrong, i'll be tearing the front end apart this weekend anyways to replace rotors and pads. so i'll be figuring things out them.

 

I didnt want to crowd the section with another a/c post so I figure I'd post here and see if someone can help. I live in LA area which has good weather for the most part and had no issues after recharging my a/c on my 03 MCS. I drove to the desert during the summer and A/C worked fine during the drive. Then a couple of hours later, after I parked the car, the a/c did not work. It took a good 20-30 min of driving for the a/c to work. Any suggestions of what might cause this? This was a month of two ago, haven't been in very hot weather since and my a/c still works fine now in good weather.