I Hate When That Happens

It’s hard to believe that warm temps will be an everyday occurrence after this good old fashion Minnesota winter. This winter has been a bit more severe than we have had in the past few years. When winters are severe, it seems to take its toll on our vehicles. We especially notice the failure that occur when the temps go into the 80’s and 90’s.

We soon will be using our air conditioning on a regular basis. Cold temps, combined with the rough road are especially hard on AC components. Just imagine the shock those AC lines, hoses and fittings endure when you hit a big pothole. It is very hard on this system. In many cases, this is the reason you turn your AC on in the spring and all you get is warm air. All the jarring from the winter loosens up fittings and connections and the refrigerant slowly leaks out. And if all the jarring doesn’t damage things the extreme cold, the shrinking of the small rubber O-Rings will let the refrigerant escape. In any case, the system in the spring will be very low if not empty on Freon.

Many people call and ask for a recharge. In some cases this will be all that is needed. However, in most cases if the refrigerant has leaked out, there is usually a reason. Until you find that reason, you may be just wasting your money. The best thing to do is to have a completer AC inspection. This will usually include a leak test to see if there is a leak which will allow the Freon to escape a day or so after the recharge. We see this so many times in the spring.

Low refrigerant is not the only cause for the AC not working. The AC compressor is controlled electrically, if there is a problem in a switch or something in the AC circuit this will also lead to the same symptom. There may be a problem with the drive belt and cause no cooling to occur. In some cases, the heater system may not be functioning properly, letting heat from the heater into the AC ductwork. In any of these cases, the symptom is always the same. No cold air. It is a good idea to have the system inspected annually. The pressures should be tested to make sure all is working properly. The cabin air filter should be inspected to make sure it is clean. The engine cooling fans need to be tested to ensure they all work and on all speeds. This not only ensures the AC system’s proper operation, but also that the vehicle will not overheat in the warm summer temps.

It is also a good idea to clean out the AC condenser. This is the piece that looks like a radiator and sit just in front of the radiator. If this gets dirty, it can cause the AC compressor to work harder than it should (which is hard on many components) resulting in the temp not getting as cool as needed out of the AC duct. Modern AC system are very complex, many have computers that control the compressor operation, some computer may even control the output temp as well as the blower fan speed. It seems that when a computer is involved it usually is more complex and more expensive. I Hate When That Happens!