The air conditioning in your car is a relatively simple piece of equipment, but also a relatively sensitive piece of equipment.  For example, the suspension components in your car handle vibrations and abuse from the road every mile you travel without fail.  Your air conditioning system, on the other hand, is relatively fragile and those same vibrations and impacts can cause leaks.  Leaks are the most common cause of the AC not working in your car, but there are other cause as well:

Reasons your AC could not be working:

• Slow leaks
• Large leak
• Electrical failure
• Compressor failure
• Clogs

Even though your air conditioning system is sealed to the environment, it is still possible for clogs to form due to old refrigerant and compressor oil, or wear products from the compressor operating.  These small particles and other impurities can slow the flow of refrigerant in different areas of your air conditioning system changing the flow characteristics and pressure which can keep your air conditioning system from working properly.  You can identify a clog in your system by measuring the pressures around the system using a set of mechanic’s AC gauges and looking for unusual pressure rises or drops.  If you find an abnormal reading, often the best thing to do is replace that component which should remove the clog.

Another reason you could have AC not working in your vehicle is a compressor failure.  Your AC compressor could fail in a few different ways.  First, and most common the magnetic clutch on the compressor could fail.  This clutch is what engages the compressor when you turn on your air conditioning on but allows the pulley to spin even when the compressor is off.  If this clutch fails the compressor won’t engage and your AC won’t work.  Another way your compressor can fail is an internal failure of the pumping components which is often accompanied by noise and possibly a squealing engine belt.  If you suspect a failed clutch on your AC compressor you can often replace that component without removing the compressor from the car or evacuating the air conditioning system which can save time and money.  If your compressor has failed internally, you should replace it and consider checking the rest of your system for debris from the failure.

Many new vehicles have a series of pressure and temperature sensors around the system that keep things operating safely and if one of these sensors has an electrical fault it can also cause your system to stop functioning to protect itself.  Some of these sensors you may be able to check for failure yourself, but you will most likely need a repair manual specific to your vehicle to know the usual values and outputs of those sensors.

The last failure that could keep your AC from working is a leak.  A fast leak would be cause by a broken tube or hose or significant damage to your AC condenser at the front of your vehicle allowing all the refrigerant to escape at once.  A slow leak could be caused by a small amount of damage to your AC condenser or leaks at the attachment points for hoses or tubes carrying refrigerant to different components in your system.  You can often visually identify fast leaks by inspecting the components that are broken as the damage will be obvious.  On the other hand, slow leaks can usually only be identified by a slow reduction in AC efficiency over time or a loss in system low-side pressure.

One of the best ways to keep the cost down on repairing a slow leak to your air conditioning system is to use Red Angel A/C Stop Leak & Conditioner to seal the leak in your system.  If you have to remove connections to replace o-rings or remove components to be replaced, you will always have to get your AC system evacuated and refilled which adds a significant amount of cost to the job.  Using Red Angel A/C Stop Leak & conditioning can be added to your system through the low-pressure port and seal your leak without ever evacuating it!  For more information, click on the banner below!

 

 

 

 

You can find Red Angel AC Stop Leak & Conditioner at any of our partnering auto parts stores like:

• AutoZone
• Advance Auto Parts
• Bennett Auto Supply
• CarQuest Auto parts
• NAPA Auto Parts
• O’Reilly Auto Parts
• Pep Boys
• Fast Track
• Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts Specialists
• S&E Quick Lube Distributer
• DYK Automotive
• Fisher Auto Parts stores
• Auto Plus Auto Parts stores
• Hovis Auto & Truck Supply stores
• Salvo Auto Parts
• Advantage Auto Stores
• Genuine Auto Parts stores
• Bond Auto Parts stores
• Tidewater Fleet Supply
• Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts
• Any Part Auto Parts
• Consumer Auto Parts

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ac_not_working.jpg – By Bizoo_n – Licensed by Getty Images – Orignial Link