It is no fun when it is sweltering outside and your air conditioner goes on the fritz. We do vehicle air conditioning repair in Murrieta, CA Some of the common car air conditioner cooling system problems we see include:
- Air Coming Out Is Not Cold
- Air Flow Is Weak
- No Air Flow At All
- Even On “Max” The Car Is Not Cool
- Only Blowing Cold On One Side
How does a car air conditioner work?
The main function of your car air conditioner, similar to your kitchen refrigerator, is to cool and dehumidify the air. A car’s air conditioning system has 6 major components, connected by a series of tubes and hoses. So, the problem lies either with one of the components, or with the tubes and hoses.
Here are the 6 major components and what they do:
- Refrigerant: The refrigerant carries the heat, hopefully away from you inside the car. On newer cars, this is usually a substance called R-134a, while older cars have r-12 freon which is becoming increasingly more expensive and hard to find, and also requires a license to handle.
- Compressor: This compresses and circulates the refrigerant in the system.
- Evaporator: This transfers heat to the refrigerant from the air blown across it, cooling your car.
- Condenser: This changes the refrigerant from gas to liquid and expels the heat removed from the car.
- Expansion valve (or orifice tube in some vehicles): This is kind of a nozzle and functions to simultaneously drop the pressure of the refrigerant liquid, meter its flow, and atomize it.
- Receiver/dryer: This functions as a filter for the refrigerant/oil, removing moisture and other contaminants.
Common Air Conditioning Problems
The fan is working but no cold air is coming out
This is most likely caused by sufficient refrigerant. The refrigerant is basically a kind of gas which is compressed and circulated throughout the air conditioning system of your car. Normally, low refrigerant level or pressure is caused by a leak in the system.
If you suspect a leak in your system, a pressure diagnostic and leak evaluation can be performed. A leak can be minor and can be caused by a faulty O-ring or may involve a major repair if it involves a major breakdown like compressor failure.
Loud Screeching or Rattling Sound
Loud screeching or rattling sounds, along with loss of cooling indicate failing air conditioning components. Other symptoms include rattling and poor air flow from the vents. An car air conditioning technician can analyze these symptoms and determine if the problem is caused by a faulty a/c compressor or just a bad blower fan. Often times, when the a/c system emits sounds, the problem is in the air distribution under the dashboard rather than the refrigeration system in the hood.
Overheating
Sometimes, the efficiency of the A/C system of the car is affected by the temperature of the engine. If the engine runs hot or is overheating, you would notice a sudden loss of cool air in your car. Some cars would have two fans – one for the radiator and one for the A/C condenser. If one of the fans malfunction, it would affect the cooling power of the A/C.
There are still other possible causes to a malfunctioning air conditioner.
Whatever the problem is, we can fix it. Our expert certified technicians will quickly diagnose the problem and have it fixed and you back to being cool and calm in a jiffy.
Call us at 951-461-2507 to schedule an appointment for your car repair in Murrieta, CA, or Schedule An Appointment Online.