When the air conditioning in your car is not working, it’s often best to look for a quick AC fix to see if you can get things cool again without spending a fortune.  Sometimes things in your AC system break catastrophically, like a large hole in your condenser due to road debris or an internal failure of your compressor.  These types of failures usually result in a sudden loss of cooling power to your ventilation system and can be identified by a complete loss of pressure in your AC system or by a lack of pressure rise across your AC compressor.

More often than not, the failures in your air conditioning system are not catastrophic and have a quick AC fix that can cure the problem easily and get you back to riding in comfort.  Below is a list of the most common problems behind your car’s air conditioning not working that have quick fixes:

• Ventilation system problems
• Electrical faults
• Slow leaks

The first problem you may experience with your air conditioning that has a quick fix is a problem with your ventilation system.  These problems aren’t actually an issue with your air conditioning at all, but simply a malfunction with the system that controls the air flow through the vents in your car.  Things like no air blowing at all or only hot air blowing regardless of the settings are usually problems with your ventilation controls rather than the air conditioning system.  Many times these problems can be fixed by simply resetting your ventilation system control computer, or if you’ve got an older vehicle, checking the connections from the control cables to the flapper doors and the blower motor fuse.

The second quick-fix problem you may experience leading to the air conditioning in your car not working is an electrical fault.  These faults usually show up as a blown fuse or wire that has become disconnected.  The correct fuses to check are the fuses that control your ventilation system, your AC compressor’s magnetic clutch, and the fuses for your vehicle’s electric fans.  If any of these fuses are blown, it could lead to your AC system either not coming online, or only working for a few minutes.  These fuses are usually in a fuse box in your engine bay, but sometimes they can be found in a fuse box inside your cabin, often on a kick panel or low on your dashboard.

The last problem you may encounter that has a quick AC fix for your vehicle is a slow leak.  Slow leaks are common in air conditioning systems simply due to the vibrations and temperature swings the system endures and the volatile nature of the refrigerant used.  Even with normal use, many AC systems can develop slow leaks that can allow enough refrigerant to leak out over the winter to cause the system to malfunction in the spring.

There are two ways to check for a slow leak in your system.  First, you can try measuring the low side system pressure.  If it is lower than the specified pressure by the manufacturer, then it could be an indication that you’re low on refrigerant, probably due to a slow leak.  The second and more accurate way to detect a slow leak is to add a UV dye to your refrigerant using the BlueDevil Oil Injector.  Then after a day or two of AC use, park your car in a dark garage and use a UV light to search for leaks concentrating on piping connections and the fins of your condenser.

If you discover you’ve got a slow leak in your AC system the best quick fix is to add Red Angel A/C Stop Leak to your system to seal the leak and get your system back to normal operation.  Red Angel A/C Stop Leak comes in a liquid form that you can inject using your oil injector, or an aerosol form that can be injected quickly and without any tools.

You can find Red Angel A/C Stop Leaks at any of our partnering local 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_fix.jpg – By Bizoo_n – Licensed by Getty Images – Original Link