It’s getting to be the hot time of the year here in Warwick, Rhode Island, and it’s also getting to be the time of the year when you rely on your car’s air conditioner to keep you nice and cool. This is especially true when you’re driving home after work on a hot afternoon. If you have turned on the AC but the air flowing through the vents is hot, Primary Care Auto Repair advises that any of the following problems could be happening with your vehicle’s air conditioner.
Compressor
The compressor is responsible for taking the refrigerant gas and compressing it into liquid. Once it has done this, it circulates the liquid through the system so that the air blowing through the vents can be cooled. If it has been almost a year since you have run your vehicle’s air conditioner, the compressor may have broken down because this part likes to be run all the time. We can test your compressor and if it needs to be replaced, we will replace it.
Condenser
The condenser is located directly behind your car, truck, utility vehicle, or van’s grille. This means that this part takes a lot of abuse from road debris. If the condenser has been clogged by dirt and grime or damaged by heavier road debris, it will not be able to work and you’ll end up with hot air blowing through your vents even though the air conditioner is on. Replacing the condenser can solve this problem and get the cold air flowing again.
Fans
The AC has fans to help keep the refrigerant cool and to blow the cold air through the vents. If any of these fans are malfunctioning, you may not get any air blowing through the vents. If hot air is blowing through the vents, it’s possible the fans are not doing enough to cool it down. The fans can malfunction on their own, but the more common reason why they have trouble is a problem with your air conditioner’s electrical system.
Refrigerant
Finally, your AC system needs enough refrigerant to keep the air cold. We recommend that you have the refrigerant level checked annually to make sure that there is plenty of this cooling gas in the air conditioning system. The refrigerant can leak out of the hose connectors once it’s turned into liquid form by the compressor, and it can also evaporate over time.
Primary Care Auto Repair in Warwick, RI, would be happy to inspect your vehicle’s air conditioning system to make sure you are going to be cool as a cucumber all summer long.