no chilled air

[pickle]

I have owned my current 318ti 2002 model for over a year now and all of a sudden the air con does not give me any cold air, says its working9 the light comes on ) but alas it is not keeping me cool in the hot Australian heat. I did recently get a service done at Brisbane BMW and since then the air con has stopped chilling. This may or may not be the reason as I don't use it all that much anyway.

I have checked the 3 fuses and there all good.
I have turned the air con on and off and i don't hear the normal change in engine sound you usually get when you turn the air con on.
I had a quick look under the bonnet and found nothing amiss and will have a better look once the engine has cooled down a bit.



If anyone knows of a possible easy fix or what to look for please let me know as if I take it back they will only charge me a small fortune just to look at it and the hassle of dealing with them is just too much sometimes.

Thanks in advance

[briansol]

It could just need to be recharged. I don't know what AU has for auto stores, but around here, you can go to autozone and get an A/c recharge kit for about 15-20 bucks.

[pickle]

Originally Posted by briansol

It could just need to be recharged. I don't know what AU has for auto stores, but around here, you can go to autozone and get an A/c recharge kit for about 15-20 bucks.

We do have a few auto shops but I just dropped by the local garage and they wanted $200 to give it a refill.


Even with the crappy Aussie dollar to US dollar exchange rate that's still expensive.

I just checked the gas and it has some in it.
The air con pump does not seem to be coming on, no big click as it usally does, i've checked all the fuses but the pumps right down under the engine.

[aceyx]

If the AC compressor isn't engaging, it could be a bad clutch.

This would also explain the lack of a power drain on the engine.

You will need the puller and a set of snap-ring pliers. I suggest the angled ones.