hi there
as i am a newbie to Minis, does my air-con need to re-gased or anthing? not sure if there is anything that should be replaced/serviced etc.

any help would be great (and if it does need "stuff" done, who do i take it to?)

thanks heaps again

Deb

Depends what age the car is. Older ones from the 80's had R12 and can't be used without converting to R134a. It should say which it runs.

hi there Mokesta
it is a 1997. how do i find out which one it runs (no owners/service manual with the car)
thanks heaps

any A/C mechanic shoud be able to tell what type of gas is installed as there are certain parts that have to be changed to run the proper gas in the system, and to them it should be second nature.. so go and ask.

Oops, a 97 should be in R134a. The only real servicing you need to do is to check it has the right amount of gas (something about looking into the little window on the cylindrical can thingo).

What you'll also want to do is check the water drain inside the car, in the passenger footwell, is poking through the floor. A kick from a long-legged passenger and you'll have a flood inside your car.

AC from hot climates (Honkers) can be all mossy and choked in the cores. Have a quick look to see if you are cultivating a herb garden.

i thought of that I just hate going in to mechanics etc and looking like a blonde who knows nothing about her car (which of course is actually true!!!)

which is why i thought i would post this message as you guys seem to know everything about Minis

Mokesta,
just to be a little tiny bit blonde, can you tell me what R134a is?
and hot, it is beeping 38 degrees here today in Gladstone and humidity is foul. hence why i want to see if i can crank/improve the air-con!!!

thanks again

It is the funky gas/liquid stuff that goes around and around inside the AC system.

START @ AC compressor (gas pump )
THEN >> condensor makes gas into liquid, found at front of gearbox. It's a radiator and gets hot
>> TX valve flashes the high pressure liquid to low pressure gas and liquid mix, which is now cold.
>> evaporator is a radiator inside the car. This is the one the lives in teh passenger footwell with a fan on it. Water comes off here and out a pipe through the floor. It also gets a bit fuzzy with green stuff.
>> Pipe back to the front of the engine and through the dryer (cannister with little window on it. This makes sure the compressor only sees gas so it doesn't hydraulically lock.
>> and through the compressor again.

If the performance isn't good enough you could be out of refrigerant, could have evaporator or condensor blocked or have too little insulation between the engine and car on the firewall.

Oh R12 was a Chlorofluorocarbon (sp??) ie a CFC and killed baby seals with that nasty ozone layer hole. R134a doesn't.

excellent. thanks so much.
how often do you need to get the refrigerant topped up?
I bought the car in February and there are absolutely no records about servicing etc so i am just plodding my way with getting things done (wheel alignment, oil change etc etc)
I have managed to find where all the grease nipples are for the front so that will be on the list this weekend too!

In an ideal world the gas should never have to be topped up... But of corse things virbrate and become loose and or crack and create a leak. A good indication that the gas charge is "ok" is to turn it on and see if its cooling. If its not cooling then chances are the gas has leaked out of the system, take it to a car a/c place and get them to check it out. Most car a/c mechanics are pretty shonky! Had a friend of mine take her pulsar the a mechanic to fix the ac and he put the die solution in it to see where the leak was and told her that the condensor had a hole in it and needed to be replaces. I took a look and saw the leak was at a fitting all i did was tighten it and it was good to go. Took it to another ac place and they gassed it up and away it went

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If you want more inches, stroke it
Life's a garden.... Dig It!
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20746

I haven't touched my A/C in 3 years, still working fine. That said you have to remember the A/C system in the cars was never designed for the Australian summer (and regardless were an afterthought enhancement that would have Sir Alec turning in his grave) and so it isn't as efficient as a modern car. My one blows out cold air but on a really hot day the large proportion of glass surrounding the cabins eventually overwhelms it.

My only maintenance tip is to ensure that you run the A/C periodically over winter in order to keep the seals in good nick.

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One should never skimp on the zip ties.

Running the A/C in winter not only keeps it in working order but also prevents condensation fogging up the windows (cause it acts as a dehumidifier) - just crank the heater up a bit more

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!