What To Do When The Air Conditioning In Your Car Stops Working

27 December 2021
 Categories: Automotive, Blog

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The air conditioning system in your vehicle is essential if you live in an area with a lot of high temperatures or humidity during the warmest months of the year. If the system stops working without warning, some things should be checked by an auto air conditioning service. They will determine how to best repair the AC.

Warm Air

One of the most common complaints with auto air conditioning is that the air coming from the system is not cold. A few things can cause that, but you need to have the right tools and equipment to diagnose and repair the problem correctly. 

Because the system has several parts to it that can affect the system's performance, the diagnosis needs to be done carefully to check every element of the system that could be involved in the failure. It can take some time to determine where the problem is, but it is critical that the root cause is uncovered or the issue may come back again later. 

Check The Belts

When you take your vehicle to an auto air conditioning service for inspection, the first thing they will check is the system's mechanical parts. If a single v-belt drives your AC, the tech will check to see if it is there and if the tension is set correctly. If the belt is missing, the tech will install a new one and check for cold air production. 

If the AC compressor belt is still in place, the issue could be the compressor itself, so the tech will check it to ensure the clutch is working and the compressor is turning on and off when it is supposed to. Compressor failure is not very common, but it can happen on older cars that have been sitting unused for a long time.

System Pressure

Another common cause of warm air coming from the AC system is a loss of refrigerant from the system. If there is an issue that allows the refrigerant to leak, the pressure in the system can drop far enough that the compressor cannot keep the system working correctly. 

The auto air conditioning service tech can check the pressure in the system and add more refrigerant if that is the problem. If this is done without finding the leak, the system pressure will likely fall again, and the AC will fail to work. 

The auto air conditioning repair shop should add some dye to the system when they recharge. That way, if the system is leaking, the dye will mark the spot and allow the tech to repair or replace the part leaking. Leaks can occur at the AC hoses, the compressor, the condenser, or anywhere in the system, so finding the leak first is critical to keeping the system working long term. For more information, check out websites like https://www.lakesideradiatorandautorepair.com/ or similar sites regarding auto air conditioning.