2002 vw beetle ac prob. was cooling one minute then i turned ac off for about 5min. when turned back on ac was blowing hot air.

Hello brad is my name,did you charge enough freon to the system,yes or no.get back brad.

without putting my machine on it and extracting the gas to see how much gas their is by weight then i couldnt even think of a reason for this sorry

either your compressor or compessor clutch is bad or the system needs charging.

You likely have a restriction in the heater coolant hose circuit - perhaps a coolant control valve not fully opening, or a kinked hose.
Insufficient coolant volume is flowing to keep the heater core hot.
Try back flushing the heater core system with a garden hose to check flow.

would prob have to say fuel pump

You would have to measure the pressure to determine if it's pressurized correctly. The compressor won't run if it's low.
What happens when you push the a/c button? Can you hear/feel the compressor kick in? It seems like in most cases it's the compressor itself or the compressor clutch that goes. It's way too common in vw's...

make sure the cooling fan is working . its located next to the radiator fan.

AC will not work with temps are cold even when it is turned on. The air is colder cause the temp is colder. The AC cycles in hot weather because the AC charge is low and needs recharging. You will know this if you open the hood run the AC and you will hear the clicking sound of the AC compressor magnetic clutch. You can recharge it easily buy buying a compatible can of refrigerant. I suggest buying the kit with the gage so you don't overcharge the system which will cause freeze ups

Ok, here is the scoop on this. if you sit in the passenger seat and reach under the dash in the center of the vehicle. So your laying in the passenger side of the vehicle and placing your right hand on the floor board were passengers feet would go, slightly to the left of there is where the carpet raises up to the center hump behind the button for emergency flashers. Ok there you will see or feel a plastic small arm attached to a wire rod. this plastic arm is most likely broke or like mine the its worn, so push it back inside the small hole, while turning the heat switch from cold to hot. All this little arm does is open and close the heat vent, but also allows the air conditioner to fully turn on. As you turn the heat switch you will see, or notice it catches the mechanism and the heat will switch on or the air will come on as you turn the switch. I had only a few minutes left to short fix this so I opted to glue the darn thing in place, yes a quick fix but its working and after only looking and poking around I now know what this is so when I have time i can fix it. My own mechanic whom I trusted for years said look its the heater box major repair. I know he doesn't care to work on Vw's its all good but it cost almost nothing to repair this badly designed item. I was ready to sell as is and take the hit but waited one more day when I could find my good flashlight and just refused to believe I had to take off the dash. So dont go to dealer unless you have the time and you point out whats wrong, they also said it was both the air compressor and a cracked heat box? find and locate it yourself I don't have a warranty on this 2002 1602,000 mile car, but I keep it running with good maintenance and all you who are kind enough to keep us all updated on your finds.

On the bottom of the air unit is the lever that changes temps. It likes to fall out of place.I propped mine back with a piece of half-inch copper pipe a couple of years ago.Remove glove box then panel on front side of console to access.