Air con issues

[HHMCS]

Hi all,

I'm trying to get a 05 Cooper S on the road after 14 months stuck in garage with no use. The last thing to be sorted is the air con which gives out no cold air but the orange light does come on and stay on. The owner assures me it was fine before.
I know it may just need a regas as its been sitting idle for so long but when I turned the blowers on full and opened the bonnet I couldn't hear the Compresser clicking at all. Had a little search and found a post that says if the system needs a regas then the Compresser won't come on anyway. is that correct? If so, will just get it regassed....was just wary of paying for this if there was a more sinister problem!

Cheers in advance

[James burbidge]

I wouldnt be buying that if it was sitting there for so long.
I think itll just need gas for it to kick in.

[Macguyvic]

The compressor clutch could be bad or the compressor for that matter. If the system is low on freon or has none then there is a leak. Before charging it a vacuum needs to be pulled to see if it can hold. Tell the seller to fix the a/c and then go from there.

[HHMCS]

Thanks guys. I'm not actually looking to buy it, the owners a friend who has been out of the country and I'm just helping to get it roadworthy for them as they're back soon. Didn't want to just ditch it on a garage without trying to get an idea of what was wrong.
Can a garage test the compresser and the system for leaks without regassing?

[Macguyvic]

They can pull a vacuum to test the system for leaks. If there are no leaks they can charge the system. If there is power to the compressor they can turn it on to check it and the clutch assembly for the compressor, although usually replaced as a compressor with the clutch in place. I hear it is very pricey if that's what it needs.

[HHMCS]

Thanks for your help, fingers crossed it's not a busted compressor then.