A/C not blowing cold
 

I have a 2004 E53 3.0 with just over 105K miles. A/C was working great the other week and now abruptly not blowing cold.

I have a manifold gauge set and am getting around 90psi on both high and low sides with the A/C either on or off. The clutch is engaging when I turn the A/C on and will stop when I turn off. I checked the two 7.5a fuses in the glove box and am good.

I am looking for some advice on what to troubleshoot and hoping for advice it's not the compressor gone bad :-(. I am not well versed on A/C other than adding R134.

Thanks!

I believe that you have a variable displacement compressor that has a problem with the control valve. There are a bunch of YouTube videos on this.

This should be the one you need: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Santech-Con...sAAOSwwS1a51uB

I actually wasn't able to find any videos with someone specifically doing a BMW or M54 compressor. It does however look like the compressor has to be evacuated, removed and then this drops in the backside from under a plate? Or can it be done with the compressor still in the vehicle?

Read up on magnetic clutch. It sounds like it's being activated but not engaging. I've never done the job so t lingo might not be accurate but I think there are shims that set the clutch plates and If the clutch wears enough it stops grabbing.

These compressors are variable displacement - Afaik don't use a magnetic clutch...

Electric goes in and it clicks. Semantics aside its a clutch. It doesnt spin when not engaged. (Eg stay spinning just change to 0% displacement), it definitely has some form of clutch.

I haven't done it yet, but the videos i saw (may have been a different model bmw) show it done in the car. It's easy enough to loosen the compressor mounting bolts from the bottom, and move the compressor around.

There's your problem lady, the low side is to high and the high side is to low. Looks like the compressor is not compressing. Could be the variable displacement valve that is shot, or perhaps you just need to give it a nudge to get the wobble plate to start wobbling at it maximm rate. Rev the engine with the compressor engage to about 5000 rpm. See if that will nudge the wobble plate.

If you heard the click when the compressor is enage that means the magnetic clutch is working. If you don't hear the click that means the magnetic clutch is not working. You can't have a click and the magnetic clutch isn't working.

The air gap is the distance between the pulley and the face of the clutch. If the air gap is too great the coil won't be strong enough to pull the clutch up against the pulley to engage the clutch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNx0X4INfiw