Starts at 3000 rpm and gets louder as RPM increases. Turn off A/C and noise goes away. 10/03 build MCS with 13k miles. Any one else heard of this?
Have appointment at dealer Thursday.
Jim Williams

 

This is normal. The MINI uses a variable capacity compressor that can become noiser under demanding loads (such as being hot outside). There is nothing wrong with it. Unfortunately, MINI picked a noisy compressor that everyone thinks is broken. =(

 

>>This is normal. The MINI uses a variable capacity compressor that can become noiser under demanding loads (such as being hot outside). There is nothing wrong with it. Unfortunately, MINI picked a noisy compressor that everyone thinks is broken. =(

If this is "normal", then why would it have taken 13K miles to start making noise? I mean this thing gets loud. I used the A/C almost constantly last weekend and there was no abnormal noise. Then, on the way home from Laguna Seca, pulling out of the In n' Out Burger, it started. Shut off the A/C and it stopped.
I'll let you know what happens Thursday
Jim

 

The noise tends to be most noticeable when the engine is hot, the ambient temps are fairly warm, and you have not been moving for a while. What happens is the lack of airflow through the condensor causes the a/c system pressures to run higher than when you are cruising down the road. The higher pressures make the a/c compressor work harder and consequently produce more 'pumping' noise in it's own plumbing. There are no extra expansion chambers or 'mufflers' in the refrigerant piping to help lessen the noise as there are in some cars. The refrigerant lines are also quite a bit shorter under the MINI bonnet compared to other cars which dont allow for the noise supression that longer hoses provide. It's not a cause for concern, and more people will be noticing it as temps rise.

 

If your A/C compressor growls when the A/C is NOT turned on, THAT's when you should be worried. I had a bad bearing in my A/C comprerssor and the compressor was replaced under warranty.

 

I have the same issue on my '04 S. it started a few months ago, at around 11,000 miles. I was in stop-go traffic on the freeway, and it was very hot out.

The noise is a growling/howling/whirring kind of a noise that is very apparant when you lift off the throttle to change gear from 1st to 2nd. It goes away if I turn of the a/c.

It feels like the engine vibrates a lot when this happens, but that could just be my imagination.

It seems to occur a lor more lately, but that might be due to the fact that it's very hot out....

Normal you say?

 

I've had this same problem for a couple months now, as well (2005 MCS). Started in June. I had been parked on the street for a few hours (it was a hot day). When I started up the MINI, though, I heard the whirring noise straight away. After dealing with it for a bit (and being able to have it come on everytime I turned on the a/c) I took it into Bob Smith MINI to have them have a look.


Funnily enough, we all know how this goes, they couldn't reproduce the sound. We spent awhile, but no dice (perhaps because it was in the shop, not out in the sun?). Shrugged it off, content that they didn't see anything wrong in the engine compartment.

Now, it's making noises (similar, but not exactly the same) even with the A/C turned off. It's intermittent, though, and I'm not precisely sure what I do that triggers it. This weekend, my MINI threw a fault code P0130 (oxygen sensor circuit malfunction) while stopped at a red light, though the noise did not happen to flare up at the same time or anything.

It's also been idling kinda funny. We popped open the bonnet while it was running, and my bf (also a MCS owner) said the engine didn't sound right. But we don't know jack about cars, so who knows.... Hopefully gonna get the MINI into Bob Smith sometime this week, just waiting for an email back from my SA.

 

I have a '10 JCW and the A/C compressor makes a whine / growling noise when it is hot outside. I see this thread started back in '04 and one would have thought that this would have been worked out in subsequent versions of the compressor.

Does anyone know anything more about this?

Thanks,

/greg

 

sounds like early warning of an approaching compressor failure....bearing failure. Those are the kinds of noises I heard before it went kaput. new compressor equals $$$ - no easy way around that unless you are under warranty.

You can "just get a bad one" - I had compressor failure 3 months into an AUDI. Warranty covered it no question, just a PIA when it happened. A wee bit warm for a couple of days....

Convincing the dealer "it is going south" b4 it actually takes the trip is a different story.

 

So are you saying the the issue everyone mentioned above is no longer an issue, i.e. they resourced or redesigned the compressor and it should not be making that noise when it is under heavy load?

/greg

 

Mine makes the same noise, it's a little bit disconcerting when it first happens but I suspect it may be a similar issue to those above - the compressor makes a noise under heavy load. Mine does it whenever there has been a lack of airflow and the ambient temperature is very high.

I've heard bearing failure and it doesn't sound like the same thing. With a bearing the rotation sounds rough and uneven where is this is almost a very even whine.

Has anyone else had this issue or had a compressor fail? It would be goo to know!!

 

I have the same sound with my 2006 MC, 61k Km's

I hear a whirrling sound that resembles a supercharger between 3000-4000rpm, my AC blows very cold air and it seems like people are split between 2 things, either it's a bad bearing or a normal sound we need to live with.

I brought my car to an AC specialist yesterday and they didn't see anything wrong with it either, so I am just assuming that it's one of those "Cooper" things you need to live with.

Also, if you're Compressor poops out, you can find many online from $150-$300, don't get robbed at the stealership (If you are out of warranty like I am), they usually want between $1400-$1800 including compressor. The AC shop quoted me $300 to install if I bring the compressor so you are looking at $450-$600 installed. Shop around you won't regret it.

Cheers

 

It cost $1400 to get the compressor replaced and the A/C recharged on my 93 Excort back in the day

evilness has yours always done that? If so its probably one of those things. I drive around with the windows down mostly... gotta love that exhuast note

 

It's done that since I got the car, I never really notice until my radio was off... I'll take my chances and drive it until it craps out I guess. I live in Toronto Canada so we don't get the scorching weather like most Southern States, so I might use mine maybe a couple weeks a year.

You can find NEW OEM compressors for around $300 + $80 depot, they will refund you once they receive your old one. There is also re-manufactured for around 200$ or a slightly used one on Ebay for $150.

The AC shop told me it was a 2 hour job ($75 per hour) to replace it and another $80 for a recharge. If you take the new compressor route it's $300 part + $150 labour + $80 recharge = $580 not $1600 - $1800 like the stealership wants to gouge you like they always do.

Hope this helps.

 

Ya, I live in Maryland so hot weather is a fact of life. Even so I rarely use it unless I've been out in the sun and I'm driving a long way. Otherwise it's windows down, sunroof open and sunglasses on.

I have plenty of warranty left so I'm not worried!

 

Just get it checked out next time your car is up for maintenance. I woudn't worry about until then.

 

No

I'm saying it sounds like your a/c is crapping out

 

Reading all this I am feeling totally ripped off right now... why?

Well, last week out of the blue I started hearing this whirring sound that got louder when I speed up or in stop and go traffic. It stops when I turn off the A/C, comes back when I turn it back on. It goes away once I reach about 40 mph or shift into 4th gear.

I brought he car to the dealer (although it's out of warranty - 2004 MCS, 66K miles on it), they first say it's the A/C compressor, which would have been under warranty as I had that changed less than two years ago. Then they tell me it's the harmonic balance, which sounded a bit more serious. So I got that replaced, but the annoying whirring noise is still there.

So IMO there are two options... there's nothing wrong, it's just the circumstances of me being stuck in stop-and-go traffic every morning and it's quite hot right now or the compressor is about to crap out and they just want me to wait two weeks until it's out of warranty to take even more money from me.

 

I don't think the noise goes away when you hit 40 in 4th, I think the road noise gets to loud for you to hear it - I thought the same thing but it still seems to be in there if you listen really carefully. It seems to do it when the compressor is under load - ie it's HOT AS CRAP, there is very little cooling in the engine and you have the A/C jacked up.

If you want a good opinion find a local shop that works on MINIs near you. There are a bunch of them in Florida I believe. They will be able to give you an opinion as to whether the compressor is going or not. Alternatively you can get the dealership to diagnose it and then get the local shop to fix it.

I'd still like to find anyone who has had the compressor go bad in a MINI (Capt_bj - I know you had one in an Audi) and see whether this sound led to failure or whether it just happends. From reading the top of the thread the o2 sensor should have nothing to do with the A/C and changing gears should not stop or start the noise (though the engine will get quieter as it is not under load, making the noise more noticeable).

 

Thanks for the response. I brought my car back to the dealer this morning to have them take another look. You are probably right that the noise is being drowned out by road noise once I manage to speed up past 40.

Interesting (well maybe not), but I actually observed that before, I didn't hear anything abnormal in the morning. The whining noise started or got louder after I have been driving for about 15-20 minutes, that's also usually when I hit stop-and-go traffic. I told the mechanic that, cause yesterday when they checked it out they had the car overnight, probably nice and cool inside, and only drove it for a mile or so.

Will keep everyone posted. In the meantime I am back to driving a 2010 MCS loaner. So it's not all bad, although I hope they can diagnose the problem this time and it doesn't cost me even more money.

 

As mentioned back when this thread started, it's a common noise out of the a/c compressor especially when hot outside or stopped in traffic then running through 1st and 2nd gears. My 03' has done it since new and the a/c is working normally as the car makes it's way to 95,000 miles.

GG

 

My 2010 makes a sound that changes with the rpm's. There is another thread about this and the consensus is that these compressors are noisy and the noise is "normal".

 

cop1406 could you post a link to the other thread? I have a May '10 build that has the same noise. changes with rpm, really start to hear it above 2000 rpm, has a flutter like noise as it settles to idle, decreases in volume dramatically when I turn the AC off. I took it to the dealership and had to demonstrate the noise for them. We sat in 3 other 2010 mini's and while there is a noise there in the others, it is much louder in mine. They have offered to keep mine for a few days to determine if they can find the source of the noise. The noise is annoying, but I'm not sure if I want my new car torn apart just in the hope of finding the noise. If anyone finds out what this is please let me know.

Best,

W

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ng-a-c-on.html

Here is the link to the other thread.

 

Sounds like it is a "feature" of the car and if you take it to the dealer they will replace the compressor and the same thing will happen.

My solution (which has been in development over FIVE MINUTES!!) - Turn up the radio, open the window, turn the A/C off, drive faster.