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Hankshanker · Apr 11th, 2003, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by PigLick

... The car sensed that it was getting too hot and therefore would not allow the AC to run, since that would only make the engine work harder and create more heat. The problem with that theory is that if it was warm enough that you needed your AC on and your radiator fan wasn't working, it seems like the car would have overheated pretty quickly, whereas didn't this problem last quite some time for you? Do you have a temp gauge, or do you have the nav? If you do have the gauge, did you notice excessive heat (i.e. more than halfway) buildup?

PigLick

Thanks for the reply, PigLick. This is a stumper for the common man, isn't it? There's a MINI tech out there somewhere who's thinking "Duh!"

For about three weeks leading up to Helen Blaze's Day, the AC would stop while the engine idled, but not consistently. Usually, I could short-term fix the problem by simply pressing the power button off then on again. I never suspected anything other than an AC problem. The temp gauge always read normal.

When the temp did eventually spike, it spiked quickly, within maybe one minute from normal to nuclear. It was that road trip on a warm day, followed by extended idling that got things nice and toasty under the bonnet.

Here's the monkey wrench: That blown fuse affected the AC and the engine temp, but not the power steering.

If the PS works just fine when it gets hot, then why does it need a fan? And if the PS does get hot with a disabled fan, then why does the AC fail? And should we be motoring knowing that the PS, AC and engine cooling systems could all be brought down by a stray sandwich bag?

To summarize: What's up with that?

Apr 11th, 2003, 04:15 AM	#19
Hankshanker MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Feb 2003 Local Time: 02:26 AM Posts: 21 Offline	Quote: Originally posted by PigLick ... The car sensed that it was getting too hot and therefore would not allow the AC to run, since that would only make the engine work harder and create more heat. The problem with that theory is that if it was warm enough that you needed your AC on and your radiator fan wasn't working, it seems like the car would have overheated pretty quickly, whereas didn't this problem last quite some time for you? Do you have a temp gauge, or do you have the nav? If you do have the gauge, did you notice excessive heat (i.e. more than halfway) buildup? PigLick Thanks for the reply, PigLick. This is a stumper for the common man, isn't it? There's a MINI tech out there somewhere who's thinking "Duh!" For about three weeks leading up to Helen Blaze's Day, the AC would stop while the engine idled, but not consistently. Usually, I could short-term fix the problem by simply pressing the power button off then on again. I never suspected anything other than an AC problem. The temp gauge always read normal. When the temp did eventually spike, it spiked quickly, within maybe one minute from normal to nuclear. It was that road trip on a warm day, followed by extended idling that got things nice and toasty under the bonnet. Here's the monkey wrench: That blown fuse affected the AC and the engine temp, but not the power steering. If the PS works just fine when it gets hot, then why does it need a fan? And if the PS does get hot with a disabled fan, then why does the AC fail? And should we be motoring knowing that the PS, AC and engine cooling systems could all be brought down by a stray sandwich bag? To summarize: What's up with that?