A/C - no cold air?

[hotjanitors2]

A few weeks ago I was driving and all of a sudden my A/C stopped blowing cold air. I took it to a local mechanic and he said he couldnt figure out what was wrong and told me to take it to the MINI dealership. Instead of that, i took it to a toyota service shop where my friend works and he and his friends looked at it. they put something on the compressor to tell the pressure and said it was abnormally high but never the less, it had pressure. They thought it had something to do with the fan clutch (or clutch fan, im not sure) because the compressor seemed fine. On the way home, i pass a MINI dealership so decided to pay $100 to have them figure out the problem. They estimated $1500 for a new compressor, dryer (anyone know what this is?), a cleaning of the entire system, and labor. I believe they are ripping me off.

Does anyone have any similar problems or any idea what could be wrong here? I dont understand how i would need a new compressor if it had pressure and seemed as if it was working correctly. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks

[MINIAC]

The A/C Compressor (pn 64-52-6-918-122) lists for $640.

There is something called a Drying Container (pn 64-50-6-917-489) but I couldn't find a list price for it.

I have no idea how many hours of labor are involved but dealer labor rates can be outrageous.

[cristo]

Drying Container 64-50-6-917-489
$171 at Pelicanparts

[crawfy]

Go for a second opinion with an a/c specialist.
Sounds like your fan is not running causing high pressures.
They can confirm this for you before you start shelling out lots of cash.

[oldmots]

Quote: Originally Posted by hotjanitors2 (original)

A few weeks ago I was driving and all of a sudden my A/C stopped blowing cold air. I took it to a local mechanic and he said he couldnt figure out what was wrong and told me to take it to the MINI dealership. Instead of that, i took it to a toyota service shop where my friend works and he and his friends looked at it. they put something on the compressor to tell the pressure and said it was abnormally high but never the less, it had pressure. They thought it had something to do with the fan clutch (or clutch fan, im not sure) because the compressor seemed fine. On the way home, i pass a MINI dealership so decided to pay $100 to have them figure out the problem. They estimated $1500 for a new compressor, dryer (anyone know what this is?), a cleaning of the entire system, and labor. I believe they are ripping me off.

Does anyone have any similar problems or any idea what could be wrong here? I dont understand how i would need a new compressor if it had pressure and seemed as if it was working correctly. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks

If your radiator fan is not coming on with the AC, the condenser can overheat, which will cause high pressure. There is a switch that shuts off the compressor when this happens, to prevent compressor damage. If the compressor is indeed bad, the dealer is right, the compressor can grenade and throw metal into the system, requiring the drier/accumulator to be replaced and all the lines flushed to get the metal out. The price he gave is normal.
I would investigate the radiator fan first, not only is the AC at risk, so is the engine!

[scho06]

Just had mine fixed about 2 weeks ago. Same thing no cold air, it was the compressor. Replaced and now is fine.

Quote: Originally Posted by hotjanitors2 (original)

A few weeks ago I was driving and all of a sudden my A/C stopped blowing cold air. I took it to a local mechanic and he said he couldnt figure out what was wrong and told me to take it to the MINI dealership. Instead of that, i took it to a toyota service shop where my friend works and he and his friends looked at it. they put something on the compressor to tell the pressure and said it was abnormally high but never the less, it had pressure. They thought it had something to do with the fan clutch (or clutch fan, im not sure) because the compressor seemed fine. On the way home, i pass a MINI dealership so decided to pay $100 to have them figure out the problem. They estimated $1500 for a new compressor, dryer (anyone know what this is?), a cleaning of the entire system, and labor. I believe they are ripping me off.

Does anyone have any similar problems or any idea what could be wrong here? I dont understand how i would need a new compressor if it had pressure and seemed as if it was working correctly. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks