“Why isn’t my car ac blowing cold”? This is a common question. You could need your A/C System repaired. The air conditioner on your car or truck has basically 2 systems: the mechanical side and the refrigerant side. On the mechanical side we have drive belts, duct work and vent doors, electrical controls, switches, and fans that tell the system when to come on and how cold or hot you desire. Any of these things can and do cause your A/C and heating system to not work like they should.
Next we have the refrigerant side. This is where the magic happens…Well, it really is science, but still pretty cool stuff (pun intended). When you take a refrigerant and pump it through a mechanical orifice, it creates a pressure differential. Pressure generally equates to temperature as well. It changes from a liquid to a gas state creating a massive temperature drop. If that then flows into an evaporator, air flow will then exchange the warm damp air for cool dry air. As the heat is exchanged from the air to the gas, the temperature and pressure start to rise. It is then pumped to the condenser core. Here it condenses back to a liquid and the heat is exchanged with the cooler outside air. The cooled liquid is then circulated back around and the whole process is repeated.
The work horse of this system is the compressor. It has the job of moving the refrigerant through the system. It has to deal with many extremes, from under hood temperatures and weather, to high pressures and temperature inside the system. It is attacked from both the inside and out you might say. In modern cars there are 2 main failures that make up the majority of the system failures: leaks and compressor failure. We find about 2:1 refrigerant failures over mechanical failures. That does not mean both can’t fail; in fact, there has been a big increase in vent doors and actuator motor failures in recent years.
Your best bet is to have a qualified professional service your A/C system. Due to the extreme pressures in the system and specialty equipment we do not recommend any A/C work as a DIY project.
Safety is a real issue here and we want to see you safe and cool! So, if your A/C is not keeping you cool in the Texas heat, take it to the pros and soon you’ll be back to enjoying the cool air coming from your dash!
Click HERE to schedule your appointment with B&B Automotive Services