A hot and humid summer day isn’t the most opportune time to find out you need car AC repair. If your vehicle’s air conditioning vents seem to be blowing out warm air or no air at all, one of the 5 things outlined in this article could be the reason. Read on to find out what may be causing your auto air conditioner to not work properly.
Your auto air conditioner works quite similarly to the air conditioner in your home. Its main jobs are to cool down your vehicle while reducing the humidity inside the interior. It is made up of five main parts – condenser, accumulator or drier, compressor, evaporator and expansion valve. If there is a problem with any one of these five parts, you will end up needing car AC repair.
Here are the five reasons your auto air conditioner may not be operating properly:
- Leaks are the most common reason car air conditioning systems don’t work properly. There are any number of places a leak can occur. The best way to find the source of a leak is to introduce a dye into the system. When the car air conditioner runs, the colored dye will show exactly from where the leak is coming. [Note: If you’re driving a vehicle that was manufactured before 1994, your vehicle uses a type of refrigerant (R-12 Freon) that will run out and need to be replaced. If this is the case, you cannot replace the R-12 Freon on your own. It must be replaced by a professional.]
- Noise coming from the car air conditioner is quite often the result of a compressor that is failing. The compressor does the majority of work in your car’s air conditioner. It is powered by a drive belt that is connected to the crankshaft of the car engine. When you turn on the air conditioner, the compressor pumps the refrigerant to the condenser.
- Fluctuating temperatures coming from the AC vents can occur when moisture builds up in one of the hoses or assemblies. You may even notice that it feels “moist” in the passenger compartment. This problem is something that can be corrected quickly and easily by the certified technicians at Luke’s Auto Service in Verona, New Jersey.
- A struggling air conditioner or one that’s not blowing any air at all could be the result of an electrical problem.
- Bad odors coming from the vents mean there’s a good chance that bacteria has built up within the auto air conditioner’s evaporator. We have the proper equipment to clean out the system so you aren’t breathing in the bacteria when the system is turned on.
How to Maintain Your Auto AC System
- Inspect the drive belt for the air conditioner’s compressor to make sure there are no cracks or damage.
- Have an AC Performance Test done on the system on a regular basis to make sure there are no leaks or other faulty system components.
- Replace the refrigerant in the system regularly (we can let you know the optimal schedule for replacing the refrigerant).
If you are noticing any problems with your auto air conditioner, let the technicians at Luke’s Auto Service take a look. We will let you know whether or not you need car AC repair. Click here to schedule your car AC service in our Verona, New Jersey auto repair shop today.