Not sure if my air conditioning is operating normal or not, when i turn the AC button to "on" the AC button lights up for a few seconds and then preceeds to start flashing on and off. Even if I turn the recirc button on, it still flashes. What is this trying to tell me. By the way the air conditioner does not ever get to a point where the air is super cold like other cars I've owned. Is this normal??

 

Is this for the Auto or manual A/C?

 

I have the manual AC (not Climate control))

 

Did you run the A/C regularly over the winter, I've never had that happen, and don't remember anything from the manual. I regularly have the air go super cold with mine, and generally don't run the A/C for long period of time unless its incredibly humid.

 

Owner's manual doesn't mention anything about a flashing button....when the a/c is on, the button stays lit. I'd have the dealer take a look.

 

I did not run the AC over the winter. I just bought it in Feb 06'. The car is an 02 MCS, so i am not sure how the previous owner operated the ac. What really confuses me is the flashing of the AC light when the system is activated. Not sure if it is low on refigerant or not. Maybe i need to have the dealer look at it. I was just curious if anyone else experienced this problem. Thanks

 

I'm leaning toward the low refrigerant now, I know most manufacturers reccomend runnning the A/c for 5 min a week in the winter to prevent damage to the condesor, I almost thought the flasing would result from a loose connection in the unit, but only if it occured when you were running the system. One thing you may want to look at before hand is make sure there are no leaks around the fron radiator.

Not sure where you are but maybe someone could reccomend a dealer in your area, and labor rates generally run about $80/hr.

Welcome to NAM hopefully you'll find other happier threads.

 

Check the fuse.

http://www.mini2.com/forum/interior-...utton+flashing

 

do you have the fan on? it won't go on unless you have the fan on at least 1.

 

Don't mean to hijack, but I'm also having a problem. Mine doesn't flash, but it sure doesn't produce very cold air. I have the auto AC and I'm not sure when the previous owner ran it. All I do know is that it was hot as a **** yesterday and I had it set on 60 degrees (which is better, that or low?) and it took a good 10min to get to the point where it was producing mildly cold air apposed to hot air.

My dad believe's the freeon is low. Should I just take it into the dealer?
-Cody (thanks, and again, sorry to hijack!)

 

If it is blowing hot or warm air, it may need to be serviced.

They do not use Freon any longer. It is another chemical that does not deplete the ozone known as R-134A. Although it may get labled that, it really isn't.

 

The A/C in both of my MINIs has sucked royally. One was automatic climate control, one is manual dials. I'm hoping that my tint and solid sunshades will help this year, because the dealer sure can't.

 

I believe it's not working properly when the light is flashing.
Better get it checked out.
Mine flashed when I ran it in 15 degree weather last winter,
probably because it's not really supposed to work correctly
when the temp is so low. It works ok in the summer, but
never gets quite as cold as my wife's car's a/c.

 

I think blinking means that it is malfunctioning. I'd have it checked out...

 

It was the fuse just like was mentioned above. a 5 amp fuse was blown and it seems that the blinking has stopped. Now i just have to see how cold the AC actually gets. I'll keep you posted.

 

I have an 02 MCS with climate control & a sun-roof (bought it used, with very low miles) and I was not real satisfied with the AC performance last summer. It seemed when it was really hot/sunny & humid that the conditioned air wasn't cold enough.

Especially in stop-and-go trafic. On the highway it did a lot better and once the cabin did cool off, it seemed to keep up, even going back to stop-and-go traffic. I havn't had time to try it this summer, bummer, 'cause its' been extremely hot in the upper Ohio Valley these last couple of days.


I did ask the dealer to check the air-conditioning. They claimed that they put a thermometer in front of a vent and it blew the correct temperature. I did'nt like this test, cause it was performed inside, out of direct sunlight.

I beleave that the sun-roof is the culprit (The roof is 60% glass). I just havn't done anything about it yet. Can't make up my mind, perforated roof graphic, limo-black tint or solid sun screen.

Some food for thought...I once read a road test on a $180K Aston Martin. One of the low points about this extremely expensive car...Weak air-conditioning!!!

 

Yea, tell me about it! 94F today and my air-con blows....lol. It's soooooooooo hot out. I think I'm going to schedule an appointment. Oh, and I also have a great deal of power loss when using the air-con. I'm guessing this is normal correct? I can feel the SC trying to keep up, but since it's so hot the boost is low (I'm suspecting, though I have no gauge), thus the culprit?

-Cody

 

The flashing button often means the radiator fan is not functioning. If the system works while traveling at speed on the highway but not when stopped, this is most likely the cause. With the hood open and the a/c switched on, the fan should kick in almost immediately. If it doesnt, check fuse F05 (on older builds). If this is blown, it's most likely due to the power steering fan being siezed.

 

If the radiator fan wasn't functioning, wouldn't the car have a tendency to get hot and possibly overheat? I've never noticed the temp gage climbing into the hot region while the AC was on and the fuse being blown. Also, there is a fan on the power steering pump?? I've never heard of this, guess I'm use to working on older cars... Thanks for the info

 

The car will overheat if the fan does not work. However, many people will not discover this in their normal driving until it's too late. If you are the type who rarely finds themselves sitting in traffic or at a standstill for more than about 5 minutes you will not see any problem. The temp gauge used in MINIs is not the 'normal' type of direct reading gauge that most are used to. The gauge will begin climbing after the temp passes about 100F then settle at midscale at about 180F. It will stay put until the temp passes roughly 230 degrees before it quickly hits full scale at about 250. The reason for this seemingly odd behavior is the engine will normally see a wide range of safe operating temperature while driving and when stopped. Most would see a temp gauge constantly moving from about 190 to 220 as they drive as registering some sort of problem. By electronically 'fixing' the gauge at one spot over the wide range of operating temps, the engineers felt the driver would not see fluctuations as a problem. The real problem with this idea is that it completely nullifies being able to spot trends in the temperature range. In the case of cars with Nav (mine), you dont even get the 'crippled' gauge, instead there is a light that comes on when the car is less than a minute from boiling it's guts over.

An engine takes some time to gain heat. The fan will not come on until the engine temp reaches 220 degrees. By driving down the road, the air flow though the radiator from driving is more than enough to keep the engine cool, even at speeds around 20mph. When you come to a stop, the cooler water in the radiator as well as the time it takes for the engine to heat up from about 200F (normal operating temp) to 220 keeps the fan off for at least 5 minutes.

Unlike the engine, the a/c system needs constant airflow though the condensor. Upon turning on the a/c the system pressure builds almost immediately and the condensor will heat up in less than a minute. There is a sensor which monitors the pressure of the refrigerant in the condensor (the pressure is in direct proportion to the temperature). when the pressure hits a certain point, the fan is turned on, regardless of the engine temp. Like before, the act of driving down the road is usually sufficient enough to keep the condesnor cool without needing the fan. Upon stopping, though, the pressure immediately rises and the fan will come on. If there is a problem with the fan, the heat (and pressure) will continue to build up. A safety feature will kick in and shut off the a/c compressor to prevent damage to the system. We are fortunate enough to have this signalled by the flashing light on the a/c button.

The power steering on MINIs is electro-hydraulic. Instead of having the power steering pump driven off the engine, it's driven by an electric motor which runs in proportion to the steering effort needed. This motor/pump is mounted low, behind the engine. There is a small (5 inch or so) fan under the car that is used to keep this cool. Problem is, this fan is vulnerable to dirt and water damage and is prone to locking up. In earlier cars, this fan was fused with the control circuit which switches on the radiator fan. If the PS fan is locked up, it blows the fuse, and takes out the control circuit and the radiator fan with it. The radiator fan cant come on, and (first) the a/c overheats, then (eventually), the engine, unless you are in constant motion.

 

hhmm wow. ive never heard of this issue. I can say the MINI air conditioner works greats and I live in Cali so I know a thing or two about hot weather. Ive never hard a problem but I dont like air conditioners too much. I like the windows and roof back alot better unless its way too muggy

 

Very interesting. My temp gauge flew up to almost the top one day for almost no reason while sitting in a parking lot. I had just come from the dealer so I ran back, had 'em check it out and nothing was wrong.

Must have just peaked over the limit and then come back down. Thanks for the knowledge

 

I can deal with this! A British car with weak air conditioning. Go figure. My past British car experience was in a totally different logical dimension: Electrics which don't work when damp. Vacume windshield wipers. I do miss the little amber arms which came out of the side to signal a turn.

 

Just did a search for Air conditioner and came up with this thread. I drove my Wifes mc yesterday and wow! The air doesn't blow it sucks! I mean it is seriously blowing warm air. She took it to the dealer last year because of this and I thought they fixed it. My Wife said they told her it is normal due to the air vent in the grill being so low to the ground. She is experiencing the same as Cody. If the dealer thinks this is normal, I will never buy another Mini that's for sure. Any ideas people?

Scott

 

That seems like a lack of refrigerant. Are you still under warranty, take it back to the dealer and ask why the A/C doesn't work. Do you have an Auto A/C as well, I wonder if it would have anything to do with interior air temp sensors? I've also found that with more frequent use (as the summer progresses) the A/C feels like it cools even quicker than it did at the begining of the summer.