The Definitive Guides to Fix the Air Conditioner

A problem on a car air conditioner is always tricky, both to detect it and to repair it. The first thing to do is check that there is no leakage and that the air conditioning compressor is correctly engaged. If the fault is on the air conditioning circuit, there is very little chance that you can do the repair yourself. On the other hand, if it is simply to recharge the circuit with refrigerant gas and if you are a little handyman, it is within your reach: just buy a refill kit.

Identify the problem

Turn on the air conditioning: After starting your vehicle, turn on the air conditioning. Put your hand in front of one of the air vents and see if the air is warm, warm or cold. If the air comes out hot, you have an air circulation problem.

• If you do not have any air circulation, if you do not hear the blower, there is a good chance that there is an electrical problem.
• To improve the air circulation, the passenger compartment filter must also be checked or replaced.

Check the correct operation of the compressor: In the event of a breakdown, you have to do things in order. After removing an electrical problem, you should check that the compressor is working properly. Locate it in the engine compartment and check that the center of the clutch pulley rotates with the pulley.

• The compressor clutch is switched on when the air conditioning is switched on. To check this, the central part of the clutch pulley must be rotated at the same time as the pulley.
• If the clutch is not engaged, this means either that the compressor is faulty or must be replaced or that the circuit must simply be recharged with refrigerant gas.

Locate any leaks in the air conditioning system: It is not always easy to detect a leak. This is why there are tracer products that are injected into the circuit via the low pressure valve. Then, either with a UV lamp or with the naked eye, a leak or a crack is easily identified.

• The cartridge of tracing material being connected to the low pressure valve, a certain quantity of product is sent into the circuit.
• If you find there is a leak, you will only have to give your car to repair.
• If you do not find any leaks, it is very likely that you only need to refill with refrigerant.

Be prepared to add refrigerant gas

Buy the right refrigerant gas: It's not about putting anything in your air conditioning system. We must put a particular gas: Freon. Everything will depend on the year of construction of the vehicle. If it is released from the chains after 1995, Freon R134a must be used. If your vehicle is older, it is Freon R12 that you must put.

• You cannot recharge in Freon R12 by yourself.
• If your vehicle uses Freon R12, you must go through a professional to perform the refill.

Note the ambient temperature: Because the gas pressure is related to temperature and volume, it is important to know what the temperature is when you recharge. The refrigerant gas is a liquefied (ie compressed) gas which occupies a different volume depending on whether its temperature rises or falls, the consequence of which is that its pressure in a cartridge or a circuit varies.

• Thus, as you will rely on the pressure gauge to read the pressure, it is useful to know the ambient temperature during the recharging in order to fill the circuit well.
• When a refrigerant gas expands, it occupies more space and the pressure increases in the cartridge.

Clean the edges of the valve: Before removing the cap, clean the valve head, cap and the entire area with a clean cloth. Thus, when you connect your fitting, you will be sure not to introduce dust into the valve and circuit. Clean the hose on both sides of the valve in order, then remove the cap, the top of the valve itself. In this case, if you confuse to get solutions it is better to take help from a car air conditioner repair Burr Ridge, IL.

• If the hose is really dirty, you can put some brake cleaner on your cloth.

Observe the ambient temperature: The compressor operates due to ambient temperature. This is why you must take the latter into consideration when recharging the circuit to reach the recommended pressure. Throughout the refill, closely monitor the pressure gauge to remain within the manufacturer's standards.

• It is the needle of the manometer that will tell you when the circuit is recharged, at the right pressure.
• To read the pressure gauge, refer to the small technical instructions supplied with the refill kit.

Recharge the circuit with refrigerant gas

Hold the cartridge vertically: While filling the circuit, be sure to keep the cartridge straight with the head facing up and shake it from time to time. If you hold the lean cartridge, it is not dangerous, just the pressure will eventually come down and the filling of the circuit will hurt.

• If it is necessary to shake, it is because this gesture increases the pressure inside the cartridge and so you can continue to fill your circuit quietly.
• Do not hold the cartridge upside down to maintain sufficient pressure.

See if there are leaks: While recharging your circuit, monitor the line to see if there is a leak. If so, note the exact location. It will be necessary to give this information to your garage, because it is a repair that cannot be done at home.

• In general, leaks are best detected when recharging the air conditioning system.

Have your air conditioning system repaired. In the event of a leak on the circuit or a faulty clutch, there is no other solution than to entrust your vehicle to the care of a professional. The replacement of an air conditioning compressor requires equipment and expertise, and even a good handyman will be very difficult to achieve this.

Refrigerant gas leaks are quite dangerous because the gas temperature is very low and can hurt you. If you felt any risk situation don't try to fix yourself. It's better to get help from an expert in AC repair.